2.7.25 ~ Space Suits

 Good morning!

Many of you know that a special friend of the Faith Works clinic passed away a couple of days ago with the services coming this weekend. Prayer is definitely appreciated for the family.

Most of us have never been to outer space. However, if you ever decide to venture to outer space, there’s one thing that is indispensable and absolutely essential for your survival, that is a space suit. You need a space suit!

In outer space, there’s no breathable atmosphere. There’s no oxygen. If you go to outer space with just your physical body, you will lose consciousness within 15 seconds. Your blood and body fluids will boil. Your lungs will rupture. It won't be a pretty sight at all.

Yet, for a moment, let's imagine if there’s an observer of space and alien (not an A.Lee-un :-) or some other being that’s never seen an astronaut, that’s never seen a spacesuit before and the observer thinks that the end all and be all is there’s a space suit...obviously, that would be a normal conclusion. From their perspective there’s nothing inside the space suit. Little does the observer realize that there’s a living breathing walking talking human being inside that space suit.

Well what do you know, our Neshama, our living souls, at conception, come to planet Earth (Gen, 2:7). It cannot survive on planet earth as it is, because they are so fragile, sensitive, refined, pure, and holy. To help it survive, the Lord encases the Neshama, the soul in a physical body (2 Cor. 5:1-4). But the physical body is not the real us. The real us is the Neshama inside our space suit.

The spacesuit is not the astronaut. The astronaut is the body inside the space suit. Strangely enough we are not physical bodies. We are Neshama’s. We are divine, holy, pure, refined, and sensitive Neshama‘s that are guarded in the physical bodies to protect us in an alien environment. The problem that all of us face is when we confuse the two and we think we’re just physical beings. And though we are, we aren't.

Connecting to the Exodus story and this week's Torah portion, Numbers 15:39-41 tells us:

"And you shall have the tassel/tzitzit, that you may look upon it and remember the commandments of the Lord and do them, and that you may not follow/tur after your own heart/lo ahar levav and your own eyes after which you go a whoring/zona.
And that you may remember and do all my commandments/mitzot, and be holy for your God. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the Lord your God." (Num. 15:39-41)

Why does God want us wearing tzitzit on our space suit? He doesn't want us to think about impure thoughts; don’t let the impure thoughts into you (Phil. 4:8). But, if you're like me, at times it’s almost inevitable. You cannot control the thought that comes into you. We're humans. There’s a field of vision. Sometimes you get stuck and you see something you don’t want to see. It's beyond your control, but the choice that you can make is: don't follow/tur, which means don't remain, don’t let it fester. Don’t let it consume you. That’s the choice you can make and that’s why the Torah says don’t not let the thought come across your mind or the vision in front of your eyes (Num. 15:39). Sometimes you can’t avoid it. It doesn’t say don't see it. Sometimes you can’t avoid seeing it. But what you could choose is, don’t let it take hold of you because you realize that’s not for me. I am a neshamah, I’m not a physical body that goes after trappings of temptation that tantalizes my space suit.

I’m a Neshama and I’m going to proclaim, and I’m going to exclaim, and I’m going to proudly state every single day throughout the day I am a neshamah. I am not a spacesuit. I’m not a physical body. I’m holy, I’m pure. I’m refined and I will be careful of what I take in and if even if it comes in and I can't avoid it I won't let it stay.

Happy Preparation Day in your space suit!

Shalom