From the Heart

This article was previously published in 2017.

"The holiest of actions are the ones that come from the heart."

The holiest of actions are the ones that come from the heart. Big or small, every turn of hand has the power to uplift all of humanity when done with love.

This week’s portion of Tazria-Metzora deals largely in part with the repercussions of our actions. The portion reads like a list of rules and regulations for the Israelites regarding purity or uncleanliness – much of which it would seem does not apply to us today, as we do not have a High Priest to inspect us, or a Holy Temple in which to cleanse. The Zohar, however, tells us that we can find the relevance of the portion even in its name, as Tazria translates to, “She conceives.”

Conception is a funny thing in the Bible. It’s not always linear in nature. For instance, we read about Jacob’s love for Rachel, but Jacob was fooled into marrying her sister, Leah. It says that Jacob’s thoughts were of Rachel during his marital relations with Leah, and therefore the right of the first born was given, not to the first born son of Leah – Reuven – but rather to the first born son of Rachel – Joseph. What does this tell us about conception? It tells us what we as students of Kabbalah have undoubtedly heard many times over: Consciousness affects everything. If actions have consequences (and we know that they do), those consequences are not a result of our actions alone, but to where our heart resides as those acts are conceived.

Of course, the Bible is not only referring to the creation of a life. In fact, the passages about childbearing in Tazria-Metzora are relatively few when compared to the many other precepts it contains. What the Bible is teaching relates to everything we create. In all that we conceive, consciousness will be the determining factor of the end result.

This is true even of seemingly insignificant acts. If a wife asks her husband to take out the garbage, and he does so begrudgingly, what energy is created in the world from this action? Probably not very positive. Yet, what if he were to perform the same action from a place of intense appreciation? Indeed, even the most mundane of actions can become holy when they are carried out with love.

This is a lesson that should provide us with both a sense of inspiration and responsibility, to know that we can reveal Light in every action we undertake! When the consciousness behind our actions is one of sharing, kindness, caring, appreciation, and certainty, we literally create a force field of positive energy around us. Additionally, we contribute to the overall positivity that is generated for the entire world. On the other hand, if we perform an action with jealousy, anger, resentment, judgment, or hatred, the energy we contribute is of a negative nature. In this way, we can start to understand that there are no small actions. We are ‘conceiving’ all the time, at every moment of the day. Everything is accounted for, and contributes to the whole.

"In every situation, we can create something positive by simply being thankful."

This week, let’s do everything we can from a place of love. We all have those things in life which feel like a chore, things we’re not so excited about doing. For some of us it’s going to work, for others it might be dealing with the in-laws, or paying off credit cards. Instead of seeing anything as a burden, a slight shift in consciousness will enable us to see it as an opportunity to be creators of more positive energy for ourselves and the world. Instead of dreading going to work, be grateful to have a job. As opposed to judging your in-laws, be happy they gave you your wonderful partner and family. Instead of worrying about your debt, be appreciative you have been given time with which to pay it off. In every situation including our challenges, we can create something positive with our consciousness by simply being thankful. It is in awakening that sense of gratitude that we can increase our love for life and all that comes with it.

Most of all and most importantly: Give love. Give it freely and give it quickly. For there is an unlimited capacity of love within you, and such a lack of it in the world today.