This year more than in any year prior, Rosh
Hashana is upon us and I feel unprepared to show up with the proper mindset for
this holy day. With the first night of Rosh Hashana falling out on Labor Day
this year, I find my thoughts are still in summer / getting-the-kids-ready-for-school-mode,
while my inner me is struggling to focus on and connect with the real themes of
our New Year.
The Gemara in Rosh Hashana (16a, 34b)
recounts that on Rosh Hashana Hashem instructs us to recite before Him Malchuyos,
Zichronos, V’Shofros, - translated as, verses about G-d’s Sovereignty, Remembrance
of all events, and Shofar blasts. The Gemara continues, “Sovereignty so that
you should make me your King; Remembrance so that your remembrances should rise
up before Me for your benefit; and through what? Through the Shofar.” It is these very words that lend structure to the
Day’s Mussaf prayer.
Although there are many themes to explore,
the primary theme of Rosh Hashana is G-d’s Malchus, or sovereignty. Through
the pesukim we recite during the Mussaf Tefilla, we in effect proclaim G-d
as our King, accepting our role as his subjects, and thus join in G-d’s
mission for creating the universe. Traditionally when we consider these themes,
we are inspired to feel awe and perhaps fear of G-d’s magnitude. This year in particular,
I seek a more relatable avenue to connect with G-d and his Kingship– a G-d whose
presence I try to find as a very real part of my day, and my day-to-day life.
Each year we are gifted 48 hours where we
have the opportunity to pause our lives, our work and other physical
distractions, and hone in on our connection with our Creator. How blessed we
are. The modern world has apps and retreats galore dedicated to meditation, while
we are gifted three full days during the Yamim Noraim set aside just for
this purpose - to pause, quiet our minds, release resistant thought, and
connect with our Source. If we can channel our energy and focus during these
upcoming days and show up vulnerable and honest, we will review our past
actions and set goals for growth, dedicating thought and effort to strive to
show up and do better in the coming year – better as children, better as
parents, better as spouses, siblings, friends, and community members.
During the moving Tefila of Unesane
Tokef in particular, many are moved to tears as we recall the challenges that
we, our friends and our family faced in the prior year, and as we heartfully
pray for an upcoming year of life, a year of health, a year of peace, a year of
serenity and a year of abundance – for ourselves, our families and our friends.
As I consider the unlimited, infinite
abundance, rachamim and love that Hashem has for each one of us, his
children, heading into Rosh Hashana and the Yamim Noraim this year, I
pray that we be able to tap into the shefa, the ever-flowing source of
abundance, that G-d has in store for us, and allow it into our
lives. When we crown G-d our King on Rosh Hashana, in reality, we acknowledge
that He is the Source of all blessing and the Source of all that is good, and
we attribute all that is good in our lives, and the blessings we enjoy, to Him.
For those of us who seek Him in our daily lives, we find him. We know intuitively
that “Coincidence” is only G-d’s way of remaining anonymous, and the daily
miracles in our lives, big and small, abound.
How do we allow G-d’s shefa and
bracha into our lives? Many (most!) of us unwittingly practice the art
of resistance, rather than the art of allowing. We focus on scarcity, on fear, on
anxiety – we are subconsciously stuck in a survival mindset.
In contrast to the scarcity mentality, the
Art of Allowing, is a practiced process of deliberately choosing the
subject of our attention, limited only to subjects which allow connection with
Source, with an awareness of how that perspective feels to us, When we are
allowing we always feel good because we constantly allow the blessings that
flow from Source into our lives. By
deliberately choosing thoughts that feel good, we achieve energetic alignment
with the Source of feeling good (G-d). This means we join G-d as Co-Creators
and become active participants in our own lives, rather than the victim of
life’s circumstances. As Deliberate Creators we harness focused intent to be
consciously aware of our energetic state, and connect with our Source (G-d).
Shifting our outlook to the Art of Allowing
and Deliberate Creation means prioritizing how we feel above anything
else. If we are choosing thoughts that feel good, we are allowing G-d,
the Source of all that is good at every and any given moment into our
lives. In any given moment, there exists a split second during which we have a
choice – do we go upstream, against the current of blessing and choose
resistance, or do we go downstream, flowing with the current of blessing
and choose allowing? During our daily interactions, which end of the “stick”
do we choose – that which we desire, or the lack of it? Do we choose Anger
and resentment or Appreciation? Disappointment or Joy? Scarcity or Abundance? Fear
or Faith? Loneliness or Love?
Sometimes making the choice between that-which-we-want
versus the lack-of-it is easy. Other times it can be a real struggle. When
heavy challenges come our way and our desires and dreams seem far away or even
impossible, we can focus on our Emunah, our unwavering belief in G-d, and deliberately and intentionally hold
ourselves in high consciousness, no matter what the appearances are.
The Universe in which we live and breathe,
the very same Universe over which we accept G-d’s sovereignty on Rosh Hashana, is
governed by the Law of Attraction, which states: that which is like unto itself,
is drawn. This governing law means that whatever it is we focus on, or think
about (for at least 17 seconds), attracts unto itself other feelings and
thoughts that are like it.
We all want to uncover the secret sauce for
manifesting our dreams and desires. The secret to manifesting our desires is the
Art of Allowing. Everything we could ever wish for ourselves and for others
(life, health, wealth, and the rest of G-d’s blessings), already exist in our
Universe. We believe that G-d is shefa, the ever-flowing source of
abundance, which like a stream, never ceases to flow. All we have to do is “let
go and let G-d do the work” and allow it into our lives. How do we drop
resistance and allow G-d’s blessings into our lives? By focusing our energy,
thoughts and attention on things that make us feel good. If we are feeling
good, we are in alignment with that which we want to attract, and by the law of
attraction, our desires will then be attracted to us.
True joy is ours when we achieve a state of
calm and eager anticipation in every moment for that which is yet to come.
Meaning, it is not the manifesting itself that brings the truest joy (although
manifesting is enjoyable too!). The truest joy is achieving the belief and absolute
certainty that G-d provides us with all that we need and desire, that
everything is alright (ALL right), and that we are too blessed to be stressed -
because we know that the bountiful blessings that G-d has in store for us are
just around the corner. It is done now.
With the power of focused thought and intent,
and the choices we make in each moment to focus on the positive end of the
“stick”, that which we desire rather than the lack of it, we can feel
our way to a state of alignment with Source, all that is His and that which He
wants to shower us with – peace, abundance, prosperity, health and serenity.
For 5782 and beyond – Dream Big. Bring
yourself into energetic alignment with your dreams and it will all flow to you.
It is law.
Rosh Hashana is an ominous day; it is
referred to by the Sages as Yom Hadin – Day of Judgement. This year though,
I choose to focus on the aspects of the day that inspire a deep
connection with G-d, which bring me closer to, and allow me to connect to Him, my
G-d, my King. For me, that means focusing on the G-d that is the Source of all
that is good.
These are thoughts I will take with me into
these 2 upcoming days of coronating G-d and accepting G-d as my King. I hope
and pray that connecting with G-d in this way will carry me through the day’s
inspiring tefillos.
May this year be the year that we release
resistant thought, sync up with Universe, and allow into our lives all the brachos
G-d has in store for us. May all of our dreams for the coming year manifest
with ease, and the mishalot libeinu, the wishes of our hearts, be
fulfilled.
A special credit goes to Abraham Hicks’s “Ask and It Is Given”
and her teachings on the Law of Attraction, the Art of Allowing and
Manifestation, which provided many of the concepts in this article.
Alanna Apfel is the founder and patient
advocate
at AA Insurance Advocacy, which helps
therapy patients,
individuals, couples, and children, save
thousands
of dollars annually on their out of
network
mental health therapy bills. In the
months that AA Insurance
Advocacy has been advocating on behalf
of patients,
clients have collected anywhere from
$5,000 to
$45,000 a year in reimbursements,
depending on the
cost and frequency of therapy. If your
preferred therapist
doesn’t take your health insurance, we
can help
negotiate with your plan to cover your
out-of-pocket
therapy costs. For further information,
please contact
aainsuranceadvocate@gmail.com.
????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
