INNER WISDOM Insights by noted author and lecturer Benjamin Rapaport
Take a little moment to have a cup of tea or cup of sanity and explore some of the ways we can soften into the day with these powerful insights. Love and blessings for a very happy Teusday! x S
THE POWER OF SOFTNESS
Before training in martial arts, practitioners stretch in order to be as flexible as possible. The reason is simple: When they get pulled, flipped, twisted, and turned, they do not want to break or tear something. Experience has taught them that being able to bend keeps them from getting broken.
Life is full of flips, twists and turns. Being able to adapt to whatever comes our way is an essential part of staying in one piece. Being rigid constricts our freedom of movement, level of energy, and degree of strength. This is true in all areas of life.
Take piano for example. Pianists whose fingers are rigid play very poorly. But once they loosen up the music they can play is infinitely better. It flows.
There is a comment of Rashi[1] that captures this philosophy. During the plague of hail the Torah[2] tells us that wheat and spelt were not destroyed because they were late in growing. Rashi explains: Because they were soft they were able to stand before that which is hard.
Being able to loosen up, to soften, gives us strength and flexibility. It allows us to find our feet even when the ground shifts beneath us. This way when life sends us its challenges, as it definitely will, instead of getting broken, we can bend and bounce back.
[1] Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, one of the great Torah commentaries
[2] Exodus, 9:32
Check out more by Benjamin Rapaport on Benjaminrapaport.com
Click to share thisClick to share this
