{"id":56825,"date":"2020-09-11T16:05:08","date_gmt":"2020-09-11T22:05:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/?p=56825"},"modified":"2020-09-11T17:08:26","modified_gmt":"2020-09-11T23:08:26","slug":"off-the-pulpit-quiet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/off-the-pulpit-quiet\/","title":{"rendered":"Off the Pulpit: Quiet?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By RABBI DAVID WOLPE<\/p>\n

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There is another way of being in this world described in our tradition. The three Hebrew letters for \u201cme\u201d \u2013 aleph<\/em>, nun<\/em> and yod<\/em>, can be rearranged to spell \u201cayin\u201d which means \u201cnothing.\u201d When I was learning counseling I read of the practice of \u201cbittul hayesh\u201d \u2013 nullifying the self, in order to make space for others. It is not a lack of belief in one\u2019s own worth, but a lack of need for constant assertion and expansion.<\/p>\n

Judaism has a powerful model of contraction, tsimtsum, in human relations. The kabbalists teach that God contracted to permit room for the world, as parents must step back to allow children to grow. Sometimes the self is better served by restraint than by overflow.<\/p>\n

In her marvelous book \u201cQuiet,\u201d on the \u201cpower of introverts,\u201d Susan Cain describes how rich is the experience and contribution of those who are often seen as sitting on the sidelines. Given the teachings of Judaism it is no surprise that she dedicates the book to her grandfather, a Rabbi, who \u201cspoke so eloquently the language of quiet.<\/p>\n

(Rabbi David Wolpe is the senior rabbi of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles.)<\/em><\/p>\n

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