Intelligence

INTELLIGENCE

,םָלוֹעָה ךֶלֶמ וּניֵהֹלֱא הוהי הָתּאַ ךוּרָבּ הָניִב יִוְכֶשַּׂל ןַתָנ רֶשֲׁא .הָלְיָל ןיֵבוּ םוֹי ןיֵבּ ןיִחְבַהְל Blessed are You, Adonai, our God, Majesty of the world, who gave the rooster/heart awareness to distinguish between day and night.

LEARNING

Jewish tradition invites us to say blessings on each action as we move through our morning, beginning with the intelligence to make distinctions. When we appreciate that even a birdbrain can make distinctions between light and darkness, we can marvel at the human mind’s refined capacity.

INSPIRATION

The Hebrew word sechvi in this blessing has been translated as both “rooster” and “heart.” Animals instinctively know when to sleep and when to wake up, synced as they are with either their diurnal or their nocturnal circadian rhythm. We humans also have a circadian rhythm, but we often use technology, caffeine, and electricity to shortcut what our hearts are telling us and to trick ourselves out of fulfilling our needs. In this blessing, we thank God for the natural ability to distinguish when our bodies and souls need the alternating states of sleep and wakefulness.

REFLECTION

What will help us to listen to what our hearts, our inner “roosters,” are telling us we need?

PERSONAL PRAYER

Grant me the miracle of seeing the miracle of the past of my life, of my children and my sustenance. To be happy with what was in loss or in love. With growth that allows joy in the present. And to understand and to know that from everything can come good. To dare to touch reality in the way of truth.

— Hila Malovany,

Jerusalem, Israel