יְ-הֹ-וָ-ה יְ-הֹ-וָ-ה אֵל רַחוּם וְחַנּוּן אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וְרַב־חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת׃
נֹצֵר חֶסֶד לָאֲלָפִים נֹשֵׂא עָוֺן וָפֶשַׁע וְחַטָּאָה וְנַקֵּה
Adonai Adonai El rachum v’chanun erech apayim v’rav chesed ve’emet notzer chesed la’alafim nosei avon va’fesha v’’chata’ah v’nakeh
Adonai, Adonai, a God Compassionate and Gracious, Slow to Anger, Abundant in Kindness and Truth, Extending Kindness to the Thousandth Generation, Forgiving Iniquity, Transgression, and Error, and Cleansing (those who return).
Perhaps we recite these attributes in penitence to God— affirming the benevolent qualities of the divine, and in that sense, invoking and awakening them within our world. And perhaps we are also invoking and awakening these qualities within ourselves, in remembrance of our inherent sanctity as beings created in the divine image. We may not naturally feel an arising of compassion in response to our own or others’ pain— we may actually feel a response of criticism or harshness — and that’s OK! We can engage the 13 Middot as a practice in cultivating our hearts. Each day, we can contemplate one or more of these attributes and plant seeds of love and compassion in the soil of our consciousness.
Cultivating lovingkindness and compassion helps us to enhance the energies of belovedness and unity that are meant to permeate the month of Elul. By infusing the entire teshuvah process with love, we can more easefully be honest with ourselves about where we have missed the mark. Because love itself, actualized in a balance of chesed (loving-kindness) and emet (honesty) is what most effectively supports healing, growth, and repair. Love does not bypass or belittle harm; it holds the truth of our behavior honestly, while also affirming that teshuvah is possible and we can always return. We are returning to our awareness of the sanctity of life, and we are returning to our own loving nature; to the very essence of who we are.
Here is a short, ten minute guided meditation for cultivating compassion as we move through Elul into the New Year.
Meditation for Cultivating Compassion
Transcription:
Invite yourself to arrive more fully into the present moment. Find a comfortable posture — you can be either seated or lying down. Allow your body to settle in, feeling a sense of being both awake and relaxed. If it feels comfortable, you can let your eyes close, soften your gaze, or do something else to allow your attention to come inward for the duration of this practice.
Take a few deeper breaths, breathing in fully and breathing out slowly. Notice the sensation of the ground beneath you, supporting your weight. And just let yourself continually arrive here in the present moment.
Bring your attention to rest on the sensations of breathing, noticing the gentle rise and fall of your belly and chest. There’s nothing to change or fix or control here. Simply rest with the breath as it is, moment by moment.
Now begin to open your awareness to your inner life. What emotions or states of your heart are present right now? There’s no right or wrong, and you don’t need to go searching — simply notice what is already here. Your emotional landscape may feel calm or unsettled, light or heavy, peaceful or anxious. Whatever is here, whatever is true, simply allow it to be known.
You might place a hand over your heart as a welcoming gesture. How does it feel to simply acknowledge what is true with curiosity and care? Whatever is here, this too belongs. This too belongs.
If strong feelings arise, see if you can notice where they live in the body — perhaps tightness in the chest, warmth in the face, or heaviness in the belly. Practice meeting these sensations with kind and curious attention, just noticing and welcoming what is here in the heart and in the body in this moment.
Now you might bring to mind one of the thirteen attributes of compassion — perhaps rachum, tender mercy, or rav chesed, abundant loving kindness. Simply repeat the word of your choosing to yourself, invoking its presence, recalling the felt sense in your body and in your heart when that quality is here.
As you breathe in, you might imagine this quality flowing into your heart. And as you exhale, you might imagine it gently surrounding whatever feels tender or difficult within you.
You may offer yourself some quiet words of loving kindness, such as:
May I be held in compassion. May I find ease. May I meet this moment with kindness. May I return to my innate loving nature.
Just rest here, allowing this compassion to touch whatever places within you are in need.
Now allow your heart to widen, to expand. Bring to mind someone in your life who you know might be struggling right now. You can imagine seeing their face or hearing their voice, invoking their presence as you hold them in awareness. With each breath, extend this compassion toward them, perhaps with the words of your choosing, or with phrases such as:
May you be held in compassion. May you find ease.
Imagine them opening to receive this love. You might expand even further, encompassing loved ones, community, or even all beings everywhere — feel that your heart is spacious enough to hold it all.
As we come to a close, invite your attention back to your own body, your own breath. Feel the ground beneath you, supporting you. Take a moment to acknowledge and thank yourself for this time of practice, for meeting your own heart with honesty and tenderness, and extending compassion outward.
As we prepare for the Yamim Nora’im, may we remember that compassion is something we can cultivate each moment that we pause to become aware and to welcome what is arising in our hearts with kindness.
We’ll close our practice with a few deep breaths. When you are ready, you can gently open your eyes if they have been closed, or flutter your fingers or toes to transition out of your sit.