On Facing Our Fears Mindfully: When The Well Dries Up

In this week’s Torah portion, Chukat, Bnei Yisrael—the Children of Israel—complain in the desert after Miriam’s death, when their well of water suddenly dries up.

According to tradition, it was through Miriam’s merit that the people had a well that continuously provided water. Without it, they feared they would not survive.

They cry out to Moses and Aaron:“Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?”

Their words place blame on Moses and Aaron, rather than recognizing a larger divine plan.

Up until this moment, they had never experienced a lack of water throughout their desert journey.

They were afraid.

Their fear—and, some would say, a loss of faith—shaped their reaction.

And this is deeply human.

Our brains are wired to focus on fear in order to keep us alive.

For early humans, this was essential. If our ancestors didn’t react quickly to every sound in their environment, they could have been attacked by a predator.

Today, however, most of us are not facing life-threatening danger on a daily basis. Instead, our stress is triggered by things like an overflowing email inbox, traffic, work deadlines, or tension in our relationships. These experiences can still create a powerful sense of anxiety and fear.

According to Robert Sapolsky, a professor of biology and neurology, chronic stress has a significant impact on our health. In fact, we’ve evolved to the point that we can literally “worry ourselves sick.”

In his research on primates—many of whom live with relatively few real threats—Sapolsky found that those under chronic stress often have elevated levels of stress hormones like cortisol, even in the absence of danger. Their bodies remain in a constant state of activation. As a result, their health suffers: healing slows, blood pressure rises, and their overall functioning declines.

As he famously put it:“99% of the beasts on this planet scream for three minutes on the savannah when they are afraid—then it’s over. We turn on the same stress response for a thirty-year mortgage.”

Stress itself is not the problem. It’s a natural and important response.

The difficulty arises when our internal alarm system is constantly activated—when every challenge feels like a threat.

Returning to the parsha: the people were indeed thirsty. Their fear made sense. And yet, they had already witnessed profound miracles—being taken out of Egypt, the splitting of the sea, and the daily provision of manna. They had reason to trust that water, too, would be provided.

How might mindfulness have helped them in that moment?And how can it help us today?

Like all emotions, fear can overwhelm us—but mindfulness offers a way to steady ourselves within it. It helps us see more clearly, to distinguish between real danger that requires action and perceived threats created by the mind.

Let’s explore a simple mindfulness practice for working with fear:

1)We can start our practice by naming our fear or whatever we’re feeling

Also known as name it to tame it: naming the emotions creates a distance between you and the reaction. You recognize that you’re experiencing an emotion, but you don't have to be caught up in or controlled by it.

Noticing and labeling emotions as they’re happening by saying to yourself:

I’m feeling ____________(fill in the blank)

2)Acknowledge the fear, perhaps by saying to yourself “I’m afraid or I’m suffering right now”. Sometimes admitting we are scared is harder than the actual fear.

3) Bring awareness to your body sensations. Simply noticing what sensations you’re experiencing in your body can soften the sensations and feelings and reduce unhealthy thoughts.

Take a moment; take a few breaths, and do a scan of different parts in your body to observe any sensations arising. Simply noticing without trying to change the sensations.

4) Befriend your fear, also known as "leaning into fear." Rather than avoiding it, see if you can gently lean in.

Allow the feelings to be there, noticing them with curiosity.If helpful, label them again: fear, tension, worry.

Approach your experience with kindness.There is nothing wrong with feeling afraid—it is part of being human.

See if you can notice how the fear shifts over time—rising, falling, changing.

This practice helps us relate differently to our inner world.We become less reactive, more aware.

As we begin to recognize what is happening in our body and mind—and in doing so, we send a signal to our nervous system that we are safe.

And from that place, a new story can begin to emerge.

Listen to this practice on Insight Timer:

https://insighttimer.com/skeinon/guided-meditations/facing-our-fears-mindfulness-and-parshat-chukat

Or on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/31bcmlESEvISXWsEgUiTxa?si=yCwFvy6rSpWebD6RHma1mA&utm_source=copy-link

To learn more about the next mindfulness course or workshop: https://www.mindfulnesswithsusie.com

Mindfulness With Susie