Ever feel like you're 'running on empty'?
Some days, we feel like we have what it takes. We're in the right mental place; we've got the enthusiasm and wisdom to deal with the things that come our way. We’re in the right ‘zone’.
Other days it feels like we're at a dead end, mentally and emotionally exhausted. We don't have the inner strength or insight to get over the hump.
What to do?
Here's a thought: The Torah refers to each of us as a 'well', as in 'a natural source of water'. Now, what's the difference between a pit and a well?
One is just an abyss, yielding nothing but emptiness. The other is also a hole in the ground; but beneath that apparently desolate bottom lays a reservoir of water, the source of life.
A pit is lifeless, with no hope for growth and vitality. A well may look like a pit, but it actually has a hidden treasure waiting to burst forth. One just needs to dig deeper.
The 'running on empty' feeling is part of life; it's a struggle we all face from time to time. But in Chassidic thought, the struggle is what yields the greatest reward. When I face an obstacle, that problem is actually beckoning, calling out and saying "'conquer me". And when I face that challenge, I need to know that engaging my difficulties is my soul’s greatest exercise. This is my destiny.
So, the Torah, by calling me a well, gives me important encouragement. When I'm feeling empty, alienated and disconnected, when I feel like I'm at bottom, my 'well' self-image gives me the strength to dig just a little deeper.
And when I do, I'll hopefully access that special geyser of hope, strength, inspiration and wisdom that I carry with me. Just beneath the bottom.
Shabbat Shalom
Karen wrote...
I decided to "google" the nursery rhyme to find its origin, and found this from a site devoted to, yes, the origins of nursery rhymes: "The French (history) connection! The roots of this child's nursery rhyme is in France and the Jack and Jill referred to are Louis XVI who was beheaded (lost his crown) followed by his Queen Marie Antoinette (who came tumbling after). The words and lyrics were made more palatable for the nursery by giving it a happy ending and has further been altered by passage of time - the actual beheadings occurred in 1793. the first publication date for the lyrics of this nursery rhyme is 1795 which tie-in with the history and origins."
Upon further googling investigation, this from an unknown water conservationist: "Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water. That's a line we all heard time and again in childhood, a true element of the American experience. What a literal reading of this line suggests, however, is the importance of water, not only to the duo, but also to the tale as a whole. Without water, Jack and Jill would surely have no reason to climb the hill at all and, even if they did, the discovery of a dry well on top would have made for a darker tale that few children would have enjoyed."
So, it seems that the "wellness" of strength and character you reference from the Torah has been elaborated upon from time immemorial...nursery rhyme noire or current common water sense, we need to keep our wells full and fresh so that we may survive the turbulent waters that face us!
Dahlia wrote...
Reggie wrote...
Thank you!
debbi wrote...
Mendy Herson wrote...
Just to add a thought to Wendy's: It's a profound thought to observe - somewhat paradoxically - that when life's stresses threaten to drown us, we can find strength through digging deeper (as distinct from seeking to escape the water's flow) into the water bed.
I need to think about that.
Meanwhile, here's another perspective: When we are protected by a boat, every added dose of water will only lift us higher (IOW: above and beyond providing protection, the boat is a tool which converts the 'rushing waters' into a force for ascendance/growth.
Buffering ourselves with the perspective of prayer and study are the 'ship' which protects us from life's threatening waters, and actually helps us to grow from them.
Maybe we'll discuss this some more tonight at Services, since this week's Torah portion discusses the miraculous journey through the suddenly-split Sea of Reeds.
wendy wrote...