24/7 a vertical column of smoke towered over the tent of time- ,the light in the kitchen - the altar - was always on. Each dusk and dawn a lamb would be offered and burnt whole, two lambs daily, to turn on and off the daily sacrificial duties. Specific attention was given to the ashes, these sacred remains that would require a particular priest, in specific uniform and choreography, starting each morning by honoring the past and handling the remains of the day: “The priest will strip off his garments and clothe himself in other garments, and will bring the ashes outside the camp, to a ritually-pure place.” (Va 6:4) And while most translations specify ‘ashes’ the original Hebrew term ‘Deshen’ actually implies that this is not just the ashes - they are to be used as fertilizer, perhaps an early reference to recycling organic matter into compost? Ashes have been recycled for sacred use for thousands of years worldwide, including by Hindus, with priority given to human remains from pyres, the ash, called vibhuti smeared or painted on faces to honor the God Shiva and the cycle of life and death. Catholics observing Ash Wednesday’s rituals also echo these primordial fascinations with the liminal.
The daily routine of removing the sacred trash echoes as a way for each of us to begin each day with farewell and appreciation for yesterday, making room for a new day.
In 19th century Germany, Rabbi Samson Raphel Hirsch wrote: “What remains of our labor from the day before must be cleaned and removed, so we can begin each day’s new labor with a renewed sense of being, and with room for what’s ahead.”
Taking care of our trash, in all its manifestations, is another way to celebrate life’s fullness, including the ash of our aspirations, the death of each day and our dear ones, and ours, the cycle of consciousness and continuity, 24/7, again and again, on our altar of grief and growth.
What would this morning ritual look like for you?
24 שעות ביממה עמוד עשן עלה מעל אוהל מועד - האורות דלוקים במטבח - עולת תמיד על המזבח. כל בוקר וערב הוקרב כבש לאתחל ולביים את עבודת היום. כהן מיועד, במדים מיוחדים, השכים כל שחר לכבד את העבר ולרענן את שאריות האתמול: ״וּפָשַׁט֙ אֶת־בְּגָדָ֔יו וְלָבַ֖שׁ בְּגָדִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֑ים וְהוֹצִ֤יא אֶת־הַדֶּ֙שֶׁן֙ אֶל־מִח֣וּץ לַֽמַּחֲנֶ֔ה אֶל־מָק֖וֹם טָהֽוֹר״ האפר כבר מסומן כחומר דישון - יש לו תפקיד מקודש. אולי קומפוסט קדום? בתרבויות רבות משמש האפר כסמל חיים. השימוש באפר המתים רווח בהודו, כולל מריחת הפנים או ציורם, בסגידה לשיווה, למעגל החיים והמוות. האפר המקודש מתחיל את מעגל ימי הפסחא עבור קתולים. טקס יומי של סילוק האשפה מאמש מהדהד מתוך הנוהל העתיק הזה. בפרנקפורט של המאה ה19 פירש רש״ר הירש: ״שרידי עבודת יום אתמול טעונים פינוי והרחקה, כדי להתחיל עבודת היום החדש במקום מחודש ופנוי.״
איך נוכל להקדיש רגע יומי לסילוק האפר של יום אתמול, להערכת היש והאין, על מזבחותינו הפנימיים של יגון וצמיחה, תום והתחדשות? איך יראה טקס בוקר קצר כזה עבורך?
Image: ShivaRatri, Matt Hahnewald 2017
#ashes #sacredtrash #leviticus6 #vayikra #eternalflame #ashwednesday #Hinduism #vibhuti #Shiva #ash #mishkan #jewishinnovation #dailypractice #sacrifices @MattHahnewald #lizzo #lizzoapology #publicsocialdrama
hebrewmyth# #929 #torah #bible #hiddenbible #sefaria #929english #labshul #929project #myth #belowthebiblebelt
I think about how the fruits of my pride, fear, and hesitation are prized possessions that I must sacrifice to God in order to purify myself with more soulful and supple way's of being. Sometimes this ritual is "remember to meditate," or "do the laundry." I think that the process of sacrifice creates a form of spiritual ash that nourishes and deepens my sacred soil of being, the place where God's lessons take root and being me into a stronger and more loving person.
I keep needing to re-cycle through the same lessons over and over I need to remind myself of past sacrifices and prior rituals of growth, that way I see the progression of my life is goes back further than the past week. In peering into the ashy well of time, I see how much I have done, and suddenly the soul work in front of me seems more approachable. Well, back to the laundry for me. 😉
Blessed are the ashy legacies of our struggles, for they become the divine dirt of God's Garden.