Much of life is about alignment. When things are “out of alignment” life becomes more challenging.
Our vehicles need to be “in alignment.” When they are not, the car pulls to one side and that affects not only the function of the vehicle and the health of its parts, but also our safety.
Our bodies need to be “in alignment.” When our head, shoulders, spine, hips, knees, and ankles are not aligned, we subject ourselves to more pain and decreased flexibility and function.
Our relationships need to be “in alignment.” When members of a household or a workplace are not aligned, that places a significant strain on the potential success of the venture.
In all cases, when things are “out of alignment” we need to make adjustments, often using the services of a professional in that field.
What about our relationship with Hashem? What sort of alignment would be needed to have an optimal relationship with Hashem?
We have a soul and a body. We have intellect and we have feelings. We have sensual experiences, and we have spiritual experiences. When all of these are unaligned, that could pose a challenge to an optimized relationship with Hashem.
My soul tells me the best thing I could do on a weekday morning is go to the Synagogue for Minyan. My body declares it needs another 30 minutes of sleep. My mind tells me to get a head start on my workday so I can make more money. My heart says jump on social media and scroll for a bit before starting my day. My senses are screaming coffee, while my spirit wants to immerse itself into the words of prayer or study.
Is there a chiropractor that can adjust this misalignment? Does anyone know of a mechanic that can take care of this and “get me on the road in 30 minutes or less?”
Actually, Chassidus offers some insight into this issue. One of the benefits of action based Mitzvahs is that it helps us with our alignment challenges. How can we get our soul, mind, heart, and body aligned for the same purpose?
The soul pushes for a Mitzvah to be done. The ideal process of Mitzvah performance looks like this. We begin by using our mind to meditate on the meaning/value of the Mitzvah. We then begin to feel moved emotionally by what we are learning/meditating over, this brings to a state of passion and enthusiasm for doing the Mitzvah and the meaning/value associated with it. At that point our body springs into action to do the Mitzvah and we are in perfect alignment.
There are some Mitzvahs whose process is a study in alignment. Take Tefillin for example. We place the arm Tefillin near our hearts to align our heart with our soul. We then place the head Tefillin near our brain to align our mind with our soul. The motions of wrapping and tying the Tefillin aligns our body with our soul, rounding us out in perfect alignment. Of course, when we take the time to briefly meditate and feel what we are doing, that is even better.
So now you know how to perform a DYI alignment on the most critical aspect of a successful life.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin