As we feel ourselves on the cusp of spring, and communal re-emergence, I am appreciating more deeply the ritual model we inherit from the Book of Leviticus for seasons of transition. In detailing a process of isolation and reentry prescribed for a number of circumstances, from childbirth to recuperation from nasty skin diseases, Parshat Tazria offers us wisdom, albeit in a somewhat grotesquely-described fashion, for how to balance two kinds of sacred calls. On the one hand, the call to the communal gathering and public celebration, and on the other, the call to draw inward, rest and replenish, when our bodies experience a profound shift. Both are treated as important needs, and shifting between the two states, retreat and regathering, is normalized by all in the community.
As we each make our own calculations about how and when to “re-meet” rhythms that we used to take for granted, I’m reminded that whatever the season or weather, we are always responsible for listening to our inner weather. We get to honor how special it is when we feel able to participate actively in public life, and we may still choose isolation for specific reasons at times, when we may feel the phenomenon that Author Katherine May describes as “Wintering”. Periodically, she notes, we need a time for reflection and recuperation, for slow replenishment, for putting your house in order. Doing these deeply unfashionable things — slowing down, letting your spare time expand, getting enough sleep, resting — is a radical act now, but it’s essential.” She teaches that our winterings are asking something of us — “we must learn to invite them in.”
Even as I feel Spring’s increasing excitement to gather with others, to recover traditions of Shabbat lunches with friends and evenings out at restaurants, I’m reminded that any transition benefits from mindful balance. Periods of intentional rest and recuperation prepare us well to embrace this new season, full of possibility for blossoming new connections, and deepening communal belonging. How is this season moving you to connect? What replenishes you as you are drawn more and more into social rhythms and public life?
By Rabbi Laura Rumpf