When we choose to bind ourselves to a higher purpose we find unbounded freedom. This is how I can justify the Akedah, the Torah Portion we read on Rosh Hashanah. Gd asks Abraham to take his son Isaac for sacrifice. Abraham and Isaac go up willingly to follow the word of Gd. Isaac volunteers to be bound, trusting that he will find freedom through his faith. According to Midrash, he even asks the binds be tight so that he won’t struggle. Then, he and Abraham find Grace and revelation of Gd. What I take away from this potentially devastating story is that self-Sacrifice is not the point, it’s a willingness to be tied to Divine wisdom. When we choose what we bind to, how we practice (Judaism, yoga, every daily action) reflects our intention to move closer to that Divine and grants us freedom to reveal our true inner selves.
The premise of Rosh Hashanah is T’shuvah- to return. Every year we are invited to return to our true selves. How do we do that? One choice is to start on the mat. By turning inward during meditation and being fully present with ourselves. By noticing our tendencies, imbalances, reactions to our practice as we move through asana. As we get to know ourselves better we can start to separate the Ego from Self. Through our actions we can gain greater access to our heart center, the seat of the Spirit. Said another way: our actions can grant us a greater freedom for Gd to be revealed to us.
We talk about the “Book of Life”, who will live and who will die. Instead of thinking about whether I will live or not, I try and concentrate on how I will live. What will I bind myself to in order to find the freedom of true self-expression and a deeper connection to a higher spiritual power? On the flip side, what am I bound to which prevents me from this? What stories do I tell myself that I don’t want in my book of life? After all, we write our own biographies, we get to choose what goes in.