Following an extraordinary Shabbat Nachamu weekend, we would like to share with you some of the inspiring Torah words that were taught by Rabbi Simon Jacobson and his brother Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak.

The theme of the Shabbaton reflected the three events that coincided over the weekend: Shabbat, Shabbat Nachamu and the 15^th of Av. Below are brief summaries of three of the many teachings that were shared: 1) A Shabbat candle lighting meditation. 2) How Moonlight can Fill Your Life with Love: Three Lessons from the Moon. 3) A comforting Nachamu thought.

Moonlight Shabbat: Finding Love & Comfort

As the sun set and the full moon rose on the Delaware River, slight panic prevailed as fifty tents were pitched in ten minutes as the late arrivals to the Meaningful Life Center’s Shabbaton rushed to beat the Shabbat clock. Calm descended on the campsite as women lit Shabbat candles, ushering in Shabbat Nachamu with a circle of flames.

Twenty-four hours later, after a journey of mystical Torah, late night discussion, feasting, resting and camaraderie, we congregated for the third meal, the closure and holiest moment of Shabbat. Here 250 men and women closed their eyes and meditated on their own inner flame.

Shabbat Flames

At the base of the flame where it connects to the wick, the black and cobalt blue light represents our soul’s struggle with darkness, insecurities, fears and the like. We have entered the world of light, but the light is still battling with the dark. Above that, the body of the flame burns orange, yellow and red. This reflects our pure experience of light and joy – our strengths, the power of the soul that burns bright. Finally, above the flame is a hidden fire that is not visible to the naked eye. This is the invisible part of our soul that transcends all, that is not affected by the vicissitudes of our daily struggles. It is the part of us that has never been and never will be ‘broken.’ It is our Divine Essence.

These three aspects of the flame also relate to the three stages/meals of Shabbat. On Friday night we enter the realm of Shabbat light, but are still grappling with the memory of our challenging work-week. Shabbat day we become immersed in the peace, beauty and menucha (serenity) of Shabbat. Finally the Third Meal, represents the transcendent hidden flame as we enter a place that is beyond any conscious expression.

The 15^th of Av - Full Moon Musings

The full moon of Av is associated with relationships. On this day, "the daughters of Jerusalem would go out ... and dance in the vineyards," and "whoever did not have a wife would go there" to find himself a bride (Talmud, Taanit 26b). But why is this so, why is this day associated with finding a soulmate?

Judaism teaches that every person has a ‘beshert’  - the other half of their soul for whom they search in order to marry. Forty days before a person is born, a heavenly voice announces their ‘beshert.’ The 15^th of Av is forty days before the 25^th of Elul which is the first day of Creation. That is why the full moon of Av celebrates relationships (B’nei Yissachar).

The moon teaches us three fundamental lessons about successful relationships:

1.  The moon knows how to be humble and even invisible. It is not consumed with its own ego. That is lesson #1 in relationships: Be humble, be powerful enough to know when to defer.

2.  Even when it shines, the moon knows that its light is not its own. Its power comes from another place, its strength is reflecting and channeling light from a higher place.

3.  The moon illuminates the darkness. It does not try to eradicate the night but rather shines light into the darkness. Moonlight doest not deny or eradicate weakness, difficulty and pain, it acknowledges it and despite the pain, it continues to shine. A healthy relationship is not about perfection alone; it is about sensitively recognizing and knowing how to cope with and illuminate our weaknesses, even our darker sides.

You can truly love only when you are not consumed with yourself. When you are full with yourself, with your own sunlight, you may achieve many good things, but not love. Become a moon, a receptacle, and you can contain and love another. The full moon means being full with another. Your feeling of lack and incompleteness allows you to become the most complete.

Shabbat Nachamu is the first Shabbat following Tisha B’Av, the date on which both Holy Temples were destroyed, closing the window between heaven and earth. “Nachamu, Nachamu Ami – Comfort, Comfort My people,” - the words of the prophet reverberate through the following weeks, the Seven Weeks of Consolation. After the degradation and suffering experienced by the Jewish people, the prophet consoles and comforts them. But the Jews respond by saying that they don’t want the comfort of the prophets, they want to be comforted by G-d Himself.

Why did G-d comfort the Jews through a messenger? By commanding a human being to comfort the people, G-d imbues each of us with the ability and the power to comfort another. It would seem that a mortal can do very little to console another – we don’t have the power to compensate for loss or the ability to change someone’s situation. But, through these words of comfort given to us through a human being, G-d gives each one of us Divine strength to truly comfort another human being who is suffering and in pain.