Towards a Better Human

As I enter my Shmonah Esrei, I enter into the same position, focus, form that our ancestors have assumed in our unique prayer for two thousand years. And deeper than that connection with the sacrosanct traditional form is that my kavvanah - my conscious approach, intention, aim - in pronouncing Adni-Elokeinu, accesses the same calling that my grandfather, great greats, all of our fathers and mothers have screamed into the Ein Sof for the entire span of this world's relationship with the all-infinite Creator. I, You, We all step into an unbroken chain of yearning, seeking, and calling out. This embodied striving in the world of prayer has guided our people in a compelling history through both the lowest and highest conditions the world has seen, from the missing pages of our family trees to the wedding canopies in Yerushalaim. And not only are we standing atop our human ancestry, but, in the image of Rav Kook, we ride upon the crest of a wave, whose depth and support is the entirety of the evolutionary chain before us… from cells to trilobite, trees to dinosaur, Adam to Noach. We stand here in prayer as the humble, grateful representative of the creation before the Creator.
A beautiful image no doubt… and have we looked around lately? I wanna know what this world is coming to.
For after we beg, plead, and implore for our fixing-the guidance, help, leadership, purity, and strength to change-we take leave of the King? Well, that's actually impossible, but we do embark into the world of action, becoming the creator that Hashem granted Adam the responsibility to play-with the warning, "pay heed that you won't destroy this beautiful creation," albeit that others will see it as their dominion, playground or trash-heap. When I pray for this world, to the degree that I open to and speak for the world, the sages say, the whole world is created for me. An Awesome Relationship.
And a relationship that clearly has been soured. I mean, reaching that ultimate level of conciousness? Three times a day is one thing but in all our actions? … So we have halakhah and ethics that help us set routines, standards of general practice for how to act in the world-crutches for the constant level of awareness mandated by the power of our actions in a sensitive and interconnected world. Hashem praises the creation as Tov (Good). This word teaches that the ideal is in relationship. Adam by himself, without a real companion in the world is "Lo tov" (Not good). The "good" refers to togetherness, unity between differences, an individual proclaiming Shma Yisrael. This yeshiva is good because there are different opinions relating and working it out, not just ignoring each other. This world is good when it relates back to the Creator.
The focus on relationship-its purity, truth, and mutual sustainability-is Jewish mindfulness. In this awareness, the code of conduct permeating through all our interactions derives from the inherent sanctity of the world.
To live this way, does not lead to a world where one eats the fruits, but chops down the forest. This consciousness will not confuse means with ends, and will not denigrate family values in the name of material gain. "If not for the covenant of relationship day and night, the structure in the sky and land I would not have placed." (Jeremiah, 33:25) All around us, the basic relations of man/woman, society/earth, mother/t.v./child, are turning at odds. In all too many frightening ways, the Matzav (situation) is growing worse. And if we are not engaging these deepest troubles through our daily covenant, we are not holding our end of the deal.
In these thickly dark moments of our winter, we can learn from the trees. Their New Year's bash sends a crucial reminder that, though the winter is still here, the fruits of the springtime depend on the rising of our inner fire. The hebrew word for "sap", whose rising makes this the tree's new year, shares the same root as the word for "burning". In seven months I will shake an etrog in a celebration for Hashem, with all the peoples of the world, in a world rebuilt on divine vision, a universal culmination and achievement in fixing that is rooted in each of our personal services today. The trees' are the ultimate mentors in achieving long term goals, pouring every ounce of energy and rain they receive into a growth that provides oxygen for the whole world. The fruit, etrog or air, is ultimately to be shared. The process is in my hands.
We can invigorate the task of building redemptive consciousness every moment. Take a walk outside and let Hashem's beautiful world remind us of the standard of beauty that nature shows us. Remember, the simple sense of being an Adam on this planet. Then realize that we are also Yehudim, incredibly blessed with a tradition and dedication to the uplifted communion of the whole creation. We are woven into the centerpiece of the picture.
In this time when every five seconds a woman is raped, when fifty percent of Jews will be gone without a shot being fired, when one hundred fifty <<<<< children enslaved… whichever hits YOU hardest… In this time, we need to redisover that the glory, vision and beauty offered in our own heritage is the root to all we have. Our path brings forth a particular light of the creation, and your dedication is a crucial prism. Our standing still in prayer may be as close as we come to achieving a tree's oneness, but our expressions in the world of movement taste the Tree of Life.
(Thanks to the MOST HIGH, R. Daniel, R. Erez, Derrik Jensen, Eliyahu B, EarthFirst! and, of course, the Bat Ayin Yeshiva)