This week’s MMM will follow Parsha Vaera, and the theme I’ve chosen is Heart of Flesh. That’s basically a prophetic, messianic term that describes how the human race will change from having a heart of stone to a heart of flesh.
I chose this topic because in this Parsha there are a number
of allusions to a heart of flesh. One example is when G-d refers to Pharoah as
having a “hardened heart,” partially self-inflicted and partially done intentionally
by Hashem. The hearts of leaders are, to
a certain extent, guided by Hashem and the story of Pharoah is just one of
them.
The times we are living in now seem to be days when people’s
hearts are hardened and could benefit from being softened toward other people.
So, I’d like to explore this topic, meaning how to develop a heart of flesh.
I have explored this topic a bit in the past, talking about
how to achieve and live from a mind state of heart of flesh. Here are a few of
the tools I use to get into this mind state:
1. Speak from the
heart when you’re talking with other people, and do so in more of a feeling than
an intellectual way.
2. Know that G-d wants to hear from us this way, too – from the
heart more than the brain.
3. Understand that as the heart is the central pumping unit
that keeps all the circulation in the body going, and keeps us healthy, it is
also what keeps our feelings such as love and compassion going in our lives and
relationships. Our heart will help Divine Providence flow and circulate through
us as well as our life’s blood.
4. Feel other people’s hearts and their situations, preferably
from a place of empathy or sympathy, by putting myself in their place, instead
of a place of judgment from my own perspective. A heart of flesh can fill the
gap between us when I can truly understand what another person needs and what
they are saying. That’s what a heart of flesh can accomplish.
5. Share love with another person by just being there with
them, even if you don’t have any solutions to offer them. They will know you
are there with them and that you are putting yourself in their place and making
room for them, for their feelings. This is also a heart-sharing experience.
6. The heart has a wisdom, an understanding we can get by listening to our internal, still small voice. This is something that resonates with our heart and allows us to become a little more passionate as our hearts fill up for the right reasons.
7. A heart of flesh is useful in our art and creativity as
well. When a song, a poem or a painting is coming from a place of heart it’s a
whole different thing than what comes from our intellect.
8. If we can learn the language of heart-speak we can begin
to speak in it, in a whole, new language in our lives. Our sages tell us the
things that come from the heart will go into other people’s hearts. That’s the
acid test. Are we really speaking from the heart? If so, we will know our
expressions will enter other people’s hearts.
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