Dear all,
I was recently at a museum where there was a mirror created from shards of broken glass. As I saw my reflection, I was reminded of the many broken images in Jewish tradition:
The broken glass at the wedding.
The broken matzah at the Passover Seder.
The broken sounds of the shofar at Rosh HaShanah.
There is a mystical teaching that when the world was created, sparks of God’s Divine presence went to every corner of the universe. Every spark, every element of the world that is a little shattered …. they all are part of a holy vessel.
Every soul that has been broken is holy.
Every heart that has been crushed is holy.
Every body that has been wounded is holy.
Every mind that has suffered illness is holy.
Our mission on earth is to gather these holy sparks and create whole (or rather – to create holy) out of the brokenness. It starts when we take a moment in time to do our part to mend the world. And it can begin with a smile.
What will you do …. today … to begin to make the world whole?
With love and Shalom,
Rabbi Zach Shapiro
