Invisible, powerful, essential to life, close as our breath within, and vast as the heavens above: the Air can be a metaphor for the divine. Ruach
As a rabbi who finds inspiration and solace in nature as well as ancient texts, I’m sharing Jewish wisdom insights and practices that have helped me and may be useful to others, based around the four ancient elements of earth, water, air, and fire / light. Each and all of these can be ready gateways to foster connection with nature, tradition, and our inner lives. Today, I’m considering air in its manifestations of wind, breath, and spirit.
If you went to a Jewish summer camp or youth group, you probably heard the term Ruach to convey the energy and spirituality of heartfelt songs and prayers. Ruach is the power of animation, whether stirring the branches of a tree, lifting an eagle, or enlivening a human being. A related word, Rei-ach, means scent, a sensory experience that holds the key to many precious soul memories, whether we are breathing in the smell of challah baking or of the spice box at the end of Shabbat.
Another Hebrew word for breath, Neshimah, comes from the same Hebrew root as a word for soul, Neshamah. Just pausing to breathe with awareness can instantly center us, reduce stress, and connect us to our inner life. Neshamah (Soul) and Ruach (Spirit) can be synonyms, or in Jewish mystical thought represent different dimensions of our inner lives. Consider what nourishes your Neshamah, the contemplative aspect of the soul, and your Ruach, the emotional, creative aspect. Are you getting enough of each in your life right now?
Here’s a breathing exercise you might like to try:
Find a comfortable position, put aside any burdens (physical or mental) for a while, and take a few deep breaths. Then, just breathe naturally but with attention. As you breathe in, feel your belly expanding, and as you breathe out, feel it contract. If you experience discomfort or tension anywhere in your body, send your breath there. If you like, you can imagine each breath filling your body with healing light or see it as a color bringing relaxation to your body. Or you can simply feel the breath and luxuriate in it. If you like, repeat softly: Elohai Neshamah, My God – My Soul (from a morning prayer thanking God for our breath and soul).
I learned from my teachers Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and Rabbi Arthur Waskow that the sacred, unpronounceable, four-letter divine name YHWH contains within it the breath of life. The sacred name is made up of consonants that are also vowels in Hebrew: Yud (Y), Hey (H), Vav (which was originally a Wav – so W), and Hey (H). Listen attentively to the sounds of your own or a loved one’s breathing and you can feel that God is not far away. The divine presence is as close as every breath. Give thanks for the gift—the miracle of each breath and the spirit from God that keeps us alive.
*Photo taken by Rabbi Julie Hilton Danan, https://wellspringsofwisdom.com