The l'vav-WHATS? Part 2

This morning, two quotes have come to me that speak to this concept of being a lamed-vavnik.

1. "I am done with great things and big plans, great institutions and big success. I am for those tiny, invisible, loving, human forces that work from individual to individual, creeping through the crannies of the world like so many rootlets, or like the capillary oozing of water, which, if given time, will rend the hardest monuments of pride."

(William James, 1842 – 1910)

 

 

 

2. "Don't fake it until you make it; fake it until you become it." 

 

 

These two quotes really handily summarize my entire concept of being a l'vavnik. 

 

First, being a l'vavnik is about the tiny, kind, almost invisible acts we have the opportunity to do throughout the day every day. The trick to it is in getting out of our small worlds of me-ness. What is on my schedule, how much of a hurry I am in, and the myriads of ways in which we are so focused on a world in which we, and our concerns, are central. We truly live as if we are the only ones who matter, or our opinions are the right ones.

 

This last point came through to my thick skull last night as I found myself speaking about someone in diminishing terms. I didn't denigrate the person, nor did I speak any untruths, but I made it clear that I did not personally care for or approve of their particular plans going forth. Before I realized it, I was speaking about someone in a diminishing way, and that just needs to stop. I can have my thoughts and opinions, but I do not need to speak them aloud. Really, what is an opinion? My opinion is only my opinion. And usually, it is some form of judgement, always skewed to favor me in some way.

The good point here is that I am more aware than I once was, and knew almost the second it came out of my mouth that I was diminishing someone and should not do that. 

 

Having an opinion and keeping it to myself is one of the invisible ways I can act like a l'vavnik. Eventually, the opinions (judgements) calm down and become smaller and fewer and much quieter in my head. This new way of thinking with less judgement and fewer opinions that serve me and my perspective. Opinions and judgements keep me closed to looking for a different in-your-shoes perspective. My opinions, even the tiny ones, usually carry some negative energy with them, and being a l'vavnik is about redeeming the negativity of the world, about spinning the threads of negativity into garments of light and love and positive energy. 

 

Perhaps this notion of keeping my mouth shut more and my ears open, when it comes to my opinions, is one of the kindest acts we can take?

Too often, when we hope to change the world, we look for the big acts and major plans which will have a significant impact. But what if we broke it down into tiny particles of change that begin from our deepest, innermost core of being? What if we changed our thought patterns first, and let other changes flow from there?

I'm excited about exploring this, and I truly believe it is how a l'vavnik might do it. Really, I'm guessing, because I'm not a l'vavnik; I'm just trying to act as if I could be.

Which brings us to our second quote: "Don't fake it until you make it; fake it until you become it."

 

I think it speaks for itself.  It is a lifelong project. But what a different world we would live in if we all acted as if we could apply for the task of being a l'vavnik!

This is truly elevating the world, redeeming the shards of Holy Sparks of Divinity that are trapped in the thick shells of ego. The Kabbalists taught that our task is to redeem these holy sparks, paving the way for the messiah. When will the messiah come? As the saying goes, the Messiah will come one day after she is no longer needed, because we will have perfected the world by redeeming the holy sparks of divinity we find within ourselves.

 

How do we repair the world? By these tiny, invisible acts of radical kindness and compassion.

So my challenge is to keep faking it until I become it. What an adventure!