Silence is Golden

Receiving the Ten Commandments was so intense that some Sages tell us the Israelites couldn’t handle it, and instructed Moses to hear them alone. Other said that they heard only the first commandment and became awed. Still others said it was the first word that frightened them. Or, that they heard only the first letter of the first word. That letter is “Aleph,” a silent letter. Silence can bring about awe. Silence can be frightening. But just as that first silent letter of the Ten Commandments led to a vision of a better world, silence can provide each of us with a vision of a better self.

 

Last month, my wife, Michelle, and I spent a weekend at Brandeis Bardin Institute on retreat with the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. Other congregants were there, too: Jayne Zakheim, Bob and Judy Jason, and our rabbinical intern Sara Abrams. The retreat is designed to explore how the practices of meditation, yoga, and silence, can deepen the Jewish spirit. I was especially moved by practicing silence. From the end of the evening program at about 9:30, until after lunch the next day, we were asked to be silent…to refrain from interaction with anyone or anything.

 

Silence is difficult to do…no reading, no music, no writing…Just being…calming that voice that continues in the head. Rabbi Jonathan Slater warned us that it will seem like we are in a closed phone booth with a maniac screaming at us. He told us not to judge that voice, not to judge ourselves that we weren’t doing it right, just to notice it. The practice forced mindfulness upon me. I had to pay attention to my food, my posture, my walk. It allowed me to pay attention to my breath, and the sounds inside of me. It released me from the thoughts about what I had to do next, and allowed me to listen to another voice that seldom comes through the chatter of my day. That voice helped me to understand myself better…to judge less…to merely notice.

 

Silence is only quiet on the outside. Inside it is the sound of you. Don’t be frightened of it.

 

Rabbi Jonathan Aaron

 

Comments

[Enrietta Lee]

I love your emails! The articles, the wisdom in here are priceless. I live in O.C. for now, but my little Granddaugter attends your school. This article by Rabbi Jonathan Aaron on Silence Is Golden, is amazing. It totally speaks to me.