A New You

This article on the portion of the week was originally published in 2019.

The Creator affords us the priceless gift of simply being able to start over. It is out of such great love and mercy we are repeatedly given a chance to dust ourselves off and start again. With the new moon of Aries and the new astrological year beginning by week’s end, the cosmos is alive this week unlike any time of the year. The new moon of Aries offers us this chance at beginning again, with a clean fresh slate. Our pasts are forgotten, and we begin again stronger and revitalized. We commence again facing another year. We arrive unadulterated and pure. Our hearts are open. We are ready to love and ready to explore this world, again. With the start of a new astrological cycle, we forge forward with newfound energy and passion. Life can be whatever we want it to be. This week, we are reborn, renewed, restored, and face the world ready to start again.

"This is a portion of physical healing and renewal."

Our portion of the week is always more than just a portion. It is an antidote, a spiritual medicine, guide, and compass. This week it is the portion of Tazria. Last week, we read the portion of Shabbat HaChodesh. Shabbat HaChodesh is the Shabbat that precedes or falls on the new moon of Aries. It prepares and energizes our rebirth. In Tazria, the priests continue their devoted service to the Israelites. In prior weeks it was purification sacrifices. This week, Tazria is outlined almost like a physician manual in which the Creator explains to Moses and Aaron the treatments of various plagues found on the body. Tazria explains the secrets of healing, cleansing, and restoration for the Israelites, and us today. From the skin, face, head, and body, the priests are trained by the Creator to diagnose, treat, remedy, and cure physical ailments. This is a portion of physical healing and renewal. Science tells us that every seven to 15 years our body is renewed and almost nothing is left of our original bodies. With the onset of the new moon of Aries and astrological year, the portion of Tazria, and Shabbat HaChodesh, our spiritual DNA is renewed and wiped clean of any impurities. We are made whole once again. A rebirth free from mistakes, spiritual maladies, and lethargy. We are given the gift of life and vitality for the coming year ahead.

"The blessings of life are waiting for you."

However, this is not the first time we have been given a chance to begin again. Kabbalists teach that in just a one-year cycle we are given all the tools and opportunities we need to finish the mission of our souls. Yet, for many of us, we have cycled through 60, 70, 80, 90 such years. Have we changed? To take it further, this is not even our first appearance on earth. So, after so many chances to begin again, why do we still need this help? The cure offered by the Creator in Tazria was for the ailed to embark on a spiritual quest and initiate self-realization and self-examination. The sick Israelite was placed in isolation so that he or she could examine his or her actions that led to the ailment. Self-reflection was the opportunity to see past mistakes and recommit to a spiritual path. This created the healing that was needed. This, too, is all the Creator asks of us. That we embark on a spiritual journey and begin the path to self-realization. We need only be open to seeing where we went off course and have the desire to get back on it. In this way, each time we fall, we fall a little less. We are not just renewed each year, but begin it with a little higher consciousness than the year prior. We can use the new year as a springboard to be an even better version of ourselves than the previous year. The Creator will always renew us and give us another chance, that’s the gift of His love. But the question is: will we use it to our advantage? Will we decide this year to begin a spiritual evolution and start a new year with spirit and love as our focus? Will we turn away from our previous year’s actions, away from selfishness and apathy, and step towards love for one another? Will we keep our newly opened hearts open? We face a brand new year and it is in our hands as to what the future holds. The power and opportunity lie with us.

This week in your meditation, build your desire for all that you wish to see manifest in the coming year. Now is the time to begin the planning at the most fundamental level. Compose a list of what you wish to manifest and experience. Now, on a separate list, identify the actions you are willing to take to manifest those things in the previous list. We cannot expect a different year, if we, ourselves, are not willing to be different. The blessings of life are waiting for you. It is when we decide to take the spiritual path, activate our spirits, and begin to finally awaken the Creator within that we are able to manifest them. We have been given the gift yet again to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and start all over again. Let’s make the most of it.