"Words are so significant. Every word tells a story," said Rabbi Levi Meier. He was speaking by telephone from his office at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where he is chaplain.
Was he talking about comforting words spoken at the hospital or the Jungian psychology he might share with clients in his work as a clinical psychologist? No. Meier was talking about the words found in the Bible, and in particular in the five books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.Meier has written what may be the most subtly powerful and enlightening religious book a believer can lay hands on.
He combines the best of two worlds: knowing and doing. He is both a biblical scholar and a comforter of the sick, physically and spiritually. Meier is profoundly spiritual and profoundly practical.
Many scholarly writers find that their Ph.D. brings theological doubt a la "The Jesus Seminar." But to that question Meier said, "Oh, no. With me, the opposite is true. The more I'm involved in psychology, the more I deeply, deeply believe in God."
As he writes his way through the Torah (as Jews call the Five Books of Moses), Meier lingers over words to explore the meanings often missed in hasty chapter-a-day readings. As he discusses God telling Abram "I will make of you a great nation.. . . I will make your name great and you shall be a blessing," Meier probes the Hebrew meaning of "blessing." He writes: "The Hebrew word for `blessing' is bracha, which happens to be related to braycha, meaning `spring of water.' Tradition suggests that if you act in a certain way, you will be like a spring of water, allowing divine energies to flow through you. In other words, you are to conduct yourself in such a way that you will be a conduit for divine energies.. . . This is what is meant to be a blessing."
Meier's book begs to be read with a pad of Post-It notes and a marking pen. Readers will find insights that increase their faith in God's word and will also point the path to using those insights. After all, Meier said, the point is not just to understand the words of the Bible but to live them.
After Jacob's dream of the angels ascending the ladder to heaven, Jacob resumes his journey. But Meier notes an unusual phrase: "Then Jacob lifted up his feet." He quotes the famous biblical commentator Rashi, "who explained that once Jacob knew that God was with him, `his heart lifted up his feet and it became easy for him to walk.' A revelation: On the spiritual journey, we don't walk with our feet but with our hearts."
In the telephone interview Meier noted, "Only because Jacob really believed in the divine communication was he able to `lift up his feet.' If God is with you, you can endure and rise to the occasion."
Meier's chapter on "The Wounded Healer" had a profoundly Messianic meaning for this reviewer. Asked if it bothered him as a Jew that a Christian found such joy in what he wrote, Meier replied, "Anything I say has to be true for everyone, no matter what culture. It's all about how to bring spirituality and understanding to everyday living.
The dust jacket on Meier's book sports praise from actress Kate Capshaw and Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg as well as from M. Scott Peck. He noted, "I've really been honored that these people have been in my life. As a rabbi and counselor, every person I have helped has opened up new windows for me."
Praise for Meier as the writer of "Ancient Secrets" can also be found in the words of Hillel: "One who has acquired Torah has acquired eternal life in the world to come."