Time as the Portal to the Sacred -- As Seen in Jewish Practices in Care of the Sick
Paul Solomon, MFA, Professor of Art, Western Michigan University
Time is the portal to the sacred. Time set aside from the world of things and physically bounded spaces allows one to feel God’s presence, or to simply feel at one with what is.
The most sacred practice in Judaism is to observe and luxuriate in Shabbat, in the Sabbath. Shabbat is sacred time. More than just a rest, one emerges from the observance of Shabbat, re-created. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel opens his book “The Sabbath” with a prologue titled, the Architecture of Time. “Most of us labor for the sake of things of space. As a result, we suffer from a deeply rooted dread of time and stand aghast when we look into its face.“ These words fit too well, patients facing pain and illnesses that pose a mortal threat.
Observing Shabbat entails the building of what Heschel calls a Palace of Time. In this ephemeral palace one finds God’s presence. It isn’t surprising that Rabbi Heschel gives time architectural form. The biblical metaphor for God’s care and shelter is that of a house. One is enjoined to live in the House of the Lord. In the New Testament, foundation stones are metaphors for prophets, and the cornerstone, for Christ.
Jewish chaplains help patients and loved ones build a Palace of Time regardless of their physical surroundings. A chaplain I interviewed spoke of “holding space.” She sees herself as a container, like a basket. She is conscious that this ephemeral space must have boundaries and doors. “I don’t have the answers, (but) God is always present in that space.” she said.
In Judaism, God is understood to be everywhere. There are many names for God in Judaism. There is Adonoi, Lord; Elohim, a name that emphasizes power and justice; and Shadai, that connotes what is sufficient or mighty. However, when people come to comfort grief-stricken mourners they use a fourth name for God: Hamakon, the ominipresent God, or “The Place.” They say, “May the Omnipresent comfort you . . . ”Hearing Hamakon, the mourner is reminded that God is in this place at this moment of greatest need.
In this paper I will also discuss how sacred space in health care settings is created by building relationships; how sacred space and relationships are affected by distance (a severe challenge with Covid-19); and how awareness of architecture can help medical providers form clinically more efficacious relationships with patients. To illustrate concepts and practices described in this abstract I will include stories from the Talmud that demonstrate Jewish approaches to visiting the sick as well as stories shared with me by chaplains.
The most sacred practice in Judaism is to observe and luxuriate in Shabbat, in the Sabbath. Shabbat is sacred time. More than just a rest, one emerges from the observance of Shabbat, re-created. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel opens his book “The Sabbath” with a prologue titled, the Architecture of Time. “Most of us labor for the sake of things of space. As a result, we suffer from a deeply rooted dread of time and stand aghast when we look into its face.“ These words fit too well, patients facing pain and illnesses that pose a mortal threat.
Observing Shabbat entails the building of what Heschel calls a Palace of Time. In this ephemeral palace one finds God’s presence. It isn’t surprising that Rabbi Heschel gives time architectural form. The biblical metaphor for God’s care and shelter is that of a house. One is enjoined to live in the House of the Lord. In the New Testament, foundation stones are metaphors for prophets, and the cornerstone, for Christ.
Jewish chaplains help patients and loved ones build a Palace of Time regardless of their physical surroundings. A chaplain I interviewed spoke of “holding space.” She sees herself as a container, like a basket. She is conscious that this ephemeral space must have boundaries and doors. “I don’t have the answers, (but) God is always present in that space.” she said.
In Judaism, God is understood to be everywhere. There are many names for God in Judaism. There is Adonoi, Lord; Elohim, a name that emphasizes power and justice; and Shadai, that connotes what is sufficient or mighty. However, when people come to comfort grief-stricken mourners they use a fourth name for God: Hamakon, the ominipresent God, or “The Place.” They say, “May the Omnipresent comfort you . . . ”Hearing Hamakon, the mourner is reminded that God is in this place at this moment of greatest need.
In this paper I will also discuss how sacred space in health care settings is created by building relationships; how sacred space and relationships are affected by distance (a severe challenge with Covid-19); and how awareness of architecture can help medical providers form clinically more efficacious relationships with patients. To illustrate concepts and practices described in this abstract I will include stories from the Talmud that demonstrate Jewish approaches to visiting the sick as well as stories shared with me by chaplains.