The Havdalah service had just ended and the men were making their way out the door from the Synagogue to be with their families for the Saturday night Melave Malka (escorting the Sabbath Bride) meal. “Shmuel, hurry, do you see the elderly man with the cane, run up to him and kiss his hand!!”, my dear friend Eli exclaimed. After years of knowing Eli, I have begun to trust his intuitions and occasional strange requests he makes . I walked quickly past the congregants and approached this elderly man and bent down to kiss his hand. Truth to be told, I had noticed something interesting about this man when he walked into the synagogue for the evening prayers. He had this strong aura about him and appeared to create a warm calmness to all those that came into contact with him. Strangely enough, as I bent down to kiss his hand , he quickly withdrew it and continued on his way to the door.
A bit perplexed by the whole scene, I walked back to Eli to tell him what had transpired. “Don’t give up, this may be your last and only chance to get a blessing from him. Seize the moment. Don’t you realize that he withdrew his hand because once you kiss the hand of a Tzaddik, he is forced to give you a blessing. That blessing must be specific and appropriate for you and requires great spiritual insight and energies. In his modesty, he obviously felt he couldn’t be that vessel for your blessing. Go to him again and demand a blessing from him.”
Although I am not one to force myself on people, I mustered up the chutzpah to stand in front of this timeless, ageless saint and managed to kiss his hand. Without asking, he placed his hand upon my head and started to bless me with the words of our ancient texts. Suddenly, I was transported to worlds of light and love. I felt my heart pounding and my face becoming flushed.I recalled a similar feeling with Dr. John Upledger when he placed his hands on my head performing a still point. (Gee, Dr. John, I thought to myself, you’ve just been giving blessings to thousands of people all these years with your CranioSacral Therapy). I don’t recall all that was said, perhaps something about health, wealth and wisdom, but I left his presence feeling as if my whole body was vibrating with energy.
“Who was that saint?”, I asked Eli. “I told you to seize the moment, the divine moment, for that was the famed Medical Kabbalist that Neurosurgeons all over the world seek out his advice, and from the looks of you, it appears he opened up your mind a bit!”
Just a day has gone by since that divine moment, and I am just beginning to feel the effects. For one, after years of telling myself to sit down and start writing, today’s the day that I have just begun.
One doesn’t need to be a Kabbalist to give a blessing. Several years ago, I was privileged to meet one of the most sensitive ,brilliant souls in America, Thom Hartmann during an International Conference on ADD/ADHD where I was a lecturer and he was the keynote speaker. Thom mentioned that he would often hold open his hand and anonymously bless people as they walked by. Without knowing why, people around him became more patient, caring, loving, and calmer. I tried it, and believe it or not, it really works. A blessing could be just good wishes, loving thoughts, or some other positive energy. Why don’t we try it on a daily basis-it doesn’t cost anything and I guarantee that you’ll be feeling alot better at the end of the day.
