[vc_row][vc_column][mk_ornamental_title tag_name=”h4″ text_color=”#000000″ font_family=”none” font_size=”24″ font_weight=”600″ ornament_style=”lemo-single” ornament_color=”#000000″]The Kotel’s Note Sparked an Enlightening Journey: The Creation Story, Wellness, and Wholeness[/mk_ornamental_title][vc_column_text]Purpose:
This Shabbat marks the beginning of the new Torah cycle in Jewish tradition, starting with the reading of the Creation Story in Genesis. This article draws inspiration from a personal revelation during a recent visit to Jerusalem, discovering the profound link between the Hebrew word for “creation” and concepts such as wellness, mental health, and wholeness amidst chaos. It explores the purpose of humanity, processes, and principles to strengthening resilience in the face of chaos, confusion, and crises.
Background:
During our recent trip to Israel, my daughter Sabrina insisted that we visit Jerusalem. Jerusalem is undeniably a captivating city, serving as a sacred place where diverse religions seamlessly coexisting as a microcosm of diverse and opposing orthodoxies.
As we strolled through the ancient cobblestone streets of the Old City, a vibrant tapestry of life unfolded before our eyes. Arab shopkeepers, uniformed soldiers, inquisitive tourists, and local Israelis all converged in a symphony of their voices and languages blending harmoniously in the ambient air.
Upon our arrival at the Kotel, we made our way to the women’s enclave, a designated area at the Wailing Wall separating men and women according to religious laws. Sabrina began washing her hands as part of the purification ritual before inscribing her aspirations on small white notes to be placed in the crevices of the Kotel. She handed me a blank piece of paper. “I’ll pass,” I dismissed the gesture. Having grown up in Israel, I had performed this ritual so many times that it had lost its luster for me. Sabrina gently nudged me, waving the paper at me. “Alright,” I reluctantly took it. I was determined to write just a single word, a blessing not only for my loved ones but for all of humanity.
A Simple Scribble Sparked a Cascade of Realizations and Questions
Fully aware of the deterioration in mental health, I scribbled the Hebrew word ‘briut’ (בְּרִיאוֹת), which translates to ‘Health’ and ‘Wellness.’ Seeing these six letters in Hebrew sparked an immediate connection to the biblical Creation story, where the verb ‘to create’ (בָּרָא – bara) finds its origin: bara, briut (create, wellness). This revelation ignited a cascade of questions, realization, and curiosity, prompting me to decode the wisdom of the Creation Story and its connection to wellness.
What was the intent of the Torah scribes in opening the first book and the first story with the world described as ‘formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep chaos’? Biblical stories are often written to convey moral lessons in response to human dilemmas. This initial story appears to establish the foundation for understanding the power of the creator, their purpose, and the process of addressing chaos, darkness, void, and other challenges faced by humanity. What are the elements of the Creation story that empower us to transform chaos into order, attain stability, and achieve self-fulfillment? How can these components be applied in our lives in modern times?
Amidst these musings, Sabrina’s voice echoed, ‘Mom, I’m done!’ Capturing the moment, I shared with her my epiphany that the seven days of the Creation Story serve as a blueprint, guiding humanity on how to reconstruct their lives from uncertainty to stability, from chaos to order, or from confusion to clarity, and so forth. It is the journey of discovering wholeness in a chaotic world.
Shared Experiences and Personal Connection
Sabrina embraced this concept with fervor. From an early age, when confronted with perplexing social situations, we embarked on a diverse range of community projects—serving marginalized communities, addressing bullying, combating sexual harassment, undertaking Holocaust projects, and more recently, working to combat antisemitism. Through these projects, we gained an in-depth understanding of everyone’s perspective and developed tools and techniques to empower ourselves and others.
Our endeavors revealed that the path to healing emerges when we become the authors of our own narratives. Each of us holds the power to be the creators of our own lives.
Unveiling the Wisdom of the Creation Story: Biblical Insights and Human Behavior
Intrigued, I turned to the original Hebrew scriptures to dissect each verse, aiming to delve into the nuanced meanings of the verbs and phrases. Remarkably, the Hebrew language offered subtle and divergent interpretations from the English translations, evoking profound metaphorical layers.
Since my childhood, my passion to read, analyze, and interpret biblical scriptures has been a lifelong journey. With immense curiosity, I embarked to unveil the scribe’s wisdom, seeking to discover the intricate connections between the Creator, the process of Creation, human behavior, and wellness.
The Creation Process towards Wholeness, Wellness, Wellbeing
The opening story in Genesis offers an allegorical depiction of a problem and its resolution. From the very beginning, when the earth, symbolizing the human tangible and spiritual world, was described as ‘formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep,’ God initiates the creation story with the separation of the earth and heaven. This can be understood as the establishment of boundaries, the recognition of one’s limitations and boundaries, or the separation between the tangible and spiritual world.
Furthermore, the clues found in the Hebrew root verb for ‘formless’ (תוהה), which conveys a sense of wonder or confusion, and ’empty’ (בוהה), which suggests a state of puzzlement, along with ‘darkness over the deep,’ may signify a lack of visibility or incomprehensibility. Interestingly, the Hebrew word for ‘abyss’ (תְהוֹם) has its roots in the concept of wonder (תוהה), further emphasizing the state of darkness, shock, and gloom.
In this context, the biblical scribes used metaphorical storytelling in the creation narrative to convey a simple and fundamental truth: that all humans will inevitably face ongoing chaos, imminent uncertainty, and the unknown on their life journey. This is an undeniable aspect of every person’s existence. Nevertheless, they offer allegorical guidance on the essential elements to reconstruct one’s life centered on the purpose of humanity to ‘tend and care for the grounds,’ as stated in Genesis 2:15.
The process of transforming chaos into order unfolds through the creator’s deliberate actions, careful observation, and the expression of intentions, definitions, and refinements. At each step, the creator recognizes the ‘good’ and strives to enhance it by adding missing pieces to make it even better. This process continues until the creator is fully satisfied with the creation. Only then does the creator rest to enjoy the fruits of their labor and renew their energy for progress toward the next developmental stage.
With this perspective in mind, I’ve extracted and interpreted the following elements that can be applied to modern times:[/vc_column_text][mk_custom_list]
- Examine Oneself. You too are the Creator of Your Life! Just as God created the world, we too possess the power of the Creator. Since we are created in the image of God, His behaviors serve as a compass in our journey. The clues to this concept are hidden in the verse ‘God’s spirit was hovering over the waters.’ This verse metaphorically represents water as a mirror for humans to emulate God’s spirit as a Creator.
- Assert the Good and Refine! At the end of each day, God evaluates His creation and sees that it is “good.” God assess daily, emphasizing that we too shall recognize our blessings and improve a bit at the time. Emmons and McCullough research shows that individuals who count their blessings and write a gratitude journal are happier and display fortitude.
- Express Intentions, Function, and Definition: As the story unfolds, God’s communication plays a vital role in defining each element and bringing it to life. This underscores the power of communication in shaping our own narratives towards wholeness. We begin by expressing our intentions, followed by the act of naming the components needed, and then defining the functions of these components. This process bestows upon us meaning, clarity, and purpose, mirroring the way God identifies and names elements to help us understand their roles and clear any confusion. In a similar fashion, when we identify, define, and name our resources with a specific purpose in mind, we unlock inner strength.
- Establish Clear Boundaries to Create Balance: On the first day, God separated light from darkness, and on the second day, He separated the waters above from the waters below by creating the sky. These acts symbolize the importance of establishing boundaries, knowing one’s limitations, and separating elements to achieve balance, structure, and stability, which is imperative to inner strength and safety.
- Understanding Timing and Life Cycles: The sun, moon, and stars serve as the foundation for establishing healthy, balanced routines that align with natural cycles, daily rhythms, and seasonal changes. Aligning our schedules with the natural environment, estimating the time allotments, and adapting to the changes, fosters predictability and a profound sense of security.
- Fill and Populate Your World: On the fifth and sixth days of creation, the sea and sky are filled with creatures, while the land is populated with animals and humans. This act of filling the world with diverse living creatures emphasizes how enriching others in our world can be.
- Rest and Renew: On the seventh day, God rested and reflected on His creation. This highlights the significance of taking breaks from our daily affairs and appreciating our accomplishments to prevent burnout. Rest and breaks are essential for reflection and renewal as we prepare for the next cycle.
[/mk_custom_list][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1705164625436{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]In summary, the Torah scribes were astute about human behavior, we can surmise that they intentionally chose to begin the first book and the first story by establishing the fundamental notion that human is shattered, stagnant, or enshrouded in darkness. In simpler terms, we are created in God’s image to ‘tend and care for the land.’ We are entrusted with the responsibility to emulate the Creator’s behavior, ultimately being the authors of our life story, narrating each chapter as a source of inspiration and empowerment for oneself and others.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”single-red-span white-bg” css=”.vc_custom_1715321894023{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Unveiling the Connection of the Hebrew Word Wellness (בְּרִיאוֹת) to the Creation Story:
The question about the word ‘בְּרִיאוֹת,’ ‘Briut,’ lingered in my mind: Where can we find this word in the Bible? Interestingly, my search yielded no references to the term ‘בְּרִיאוֹת,’ ‘Briut,’ within the Bible. It appears to be a modern word coined by Eliezer Ben Yehuda, a renowned Jewish linguist and lexicographer who pioneered efforts to modernize the Hebrew language, culminating in the creation of the most comprehensive Hebrew dictionary.
As a biblical scholar, Ben Yehuda didn’t merely use biblical words and phrases to rejuvenate the Hebrew language. He possessed profound insights into biblical teachings, generating new words, especially emphasizing the concept of being the author of one’s destiny during dark moments. Ben Yehuda faced substantial resistance from orthodox Jews who opposed his vision of adopting Hebrew as the language of the Jewish people. Although he ultimately prevailed and realized his vision, we can deduce that he deeply understood the intimate connection between the Creator, Creation, wellness, and wholeness.
Undoubtedly, he drew inspiration from divine roles, behaviors, processes, and purposes to champion the most comprehensive Hebrew dictionary. Ben Yehuda’s life is a testament to the reiteration of the Creation Story: unwavering conviction in one’s noble purpose, perseverance, and resilience in the face of adversity. Thus, the journey toward wholeness is a continuous and everlasting process of evaluating, expressing, and filling the missing pieces toward self-fulfillment.
Contemporary Tools: Balance One’s Life towards Wholeness:
In the context of contemporary times, research by Hopkins Medicine estimates that 26% of the USA population is diagnosed with mental disorders attributed to stress, loneliness, emptiness, anxiety, hopelessness, and various socio-economic factors. A simple yet transformative tool, involves evaluating and reorganizing one’s daily schedule.
When new clients express feelings of stress, anxiety, emptiness, loneliness, or depression, one of the effective tools I often recommend is recording and tracking their daily routines over two to three weeks. Through this systematic process, individuals uncover a wealth of information about imbalances, lack of boundaries, poor habits and patterns, unrealistic expectations, unmet needs, unattained goals, and more — all of which can hinder their well-being.
The subsequent step involves reconstructing their schedule, filling it with activities based on their needs and realistic expectations, and forming healthy routines. This process includes establishing clear boundaries and integrating activities that encompass social, intellectual, physical, and spiritual aspects.
We then quantify the time required for each activity, ensuring that the expectations individuals set for themselves are not only realistic but also achievable. This pragmatic approach contributes not only to emotional stability but also instills a sense of security, nurtures resilience, and paves the way for new endeavors.
Furthermore, in assuming full responsibility for one’s behavior toward achieving optimal outcomes, we employ an award-winning tool called the SELF-Ex™ method. This method is centered around addressing adverse situations confidently while remaining focused on one’s main purpose. It involves setting one’s purpose based on needs and objectives, evaluating the situations that either help or hinder outcomes, learning and listing all possible solutions, formulating and taking the right actions, and examining outcomes to restart the process again.
Each time we complete the SELF-Ex process, we discover our power. The outcomes that are successfully attained serve as motivation and a foundation for our identity. The shortcomings, including unexpected, undesired, or unattained outcomes, serve as opportunities for learning and stepping up to the next level in our lives. The SELF-Ex process and the collection of tools are analogous to the components of the Creation story. These are simple tools that have been proven to empower and significantly strengthen one’s wellness, enabling one to be the champion of one’s own life.
The Path to Healing and Wholeness:
he journey from chaos to order, confusion to clarity, uncertainty to stability, or emptiness to fulfillment is a fundamental aspect of life. It is crucial for character development, inner strength, resilience, grit, and a strong sense of identity.
When we wholeheartedly accept the undeniable truth that crises are inevitable, chaos is perpetual, and uncertainty is certain, each of us shall assume the role of the creator. Examining the situation and reconstructing it with dedication, focused on ‘tending and caring’ for our betterment and the very ground upon which we stand, is the path to embodying the spirit of the Creation story.
In this pursuit of championing our lives toward a benevolent purpose, we discover the path to healing, achieving wholeness, and embracing authenticity. Thus, we become prepared to embark on new endeavors, which may present similar challenges in different forms but follow similar processes and behaviors to strengthen ourselves and find inner peace in tumultuous times.
With that said, my initial hesitance to participate in the symbolic act of leaving a note at the Kotel led to a profound and spiritual experience, thanks to my beautiful daughter’s nudging. This sentiment has profoundly transformed my life since I became a mother, akin to a Creator. Understanding life through her perspective has not only been a perpetual source of inspiration but also an everlasting gift of creativity and entrepreneurship. As I often say, ‘Sabrina is not only my masterpiece; she has also been my master.’ In her spirit, I discovered the power that ignited many the enlightening endeavors fostering creativity to narrate our stories as champions. And the journey continues with infused energy, hope, and excitement toward new discoveries.
On the conclusion of the Jewish High Holidays, may we gather the courage and willpower to be infused with the divine spirit of the Creator as we embark on a journey of renewal, hope, wholeness, and harmony.
Lea Wolf-Soffer:
Leadership and Life Coach 🌟 | Award-Winning Author of the SELF-Ex Method: collection of tolls to address bullying and adverse situations confidently 📚 | Parents and Children Advocate 👩👧 | Co-Founder of Let’s Speak Up | Co-Founder of ICIARA, Inc | Author of the Soffer Rosh Hashanah Seder and High Holiday Haggadah | Author of Make Your Thanksgiving Meaningful | Author of E-LEADERSHIFT collaborative communication method | Collaborative Book Project: My Mother’s Mirror by Sabrina Soffer | Author: The 16-CoverUp Practices that Normalized Child Abuse[/vc_column_text][mk_custom_list style=”mk-icon-lightbulb-o”]
- www.letsspekaup.com
- https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/mental-health-disorder-statistics
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