December - Rachamim (Compassion)
In Hebrew, the word “rachamim” shares the same root with the word for “womb”. In English, the word “compassion” comes from the Latin words for “with” and “suffer”. “It is the boundary-less love of a mother for her child, a love that stems from the deep knowledge that the child is both of her and not of her.” Sefaria.org .
Enjoy this video. While it is an excellent resource for savlanut (patience), I offer it here as an insight to rachamim in our daily lives. Both the need and desire for connection help fill the wells of perseverance and patience and allow them to access loving sympathy in the face of human frailty.
Practice:
- Watch the video. In what ways did Yonatan show compassion for his mother? In what ways did he show compassion for himself?
- If you don’t get a chance to see the video, try a daily routine of noticing an instinctive reactivity to something or someone and relax your judgement before responding.
