Assembling Our School Supply List in Time for Rosh HaShana

It was so interesting watching as the kids started assembling their books and supplies for school this past week. There was a lot of time spent matching their supplies with the official list sent out by the school. What's kind of funny is how detailed the lists really are, everything from the length of the ruler to the color of the folders, and if the folders need pockets, brand of pencil, how many pencils, brand and number of erasers, how many binders, what colors the binders need to be, and of course don't forget the markers, colored pencils (and brand) and clear tape. The lists go on and on. It's quite a project.

Why do the kids need such specific details regarding school supplies? Isn't any colored pencil "good enough"? Or does it matter if a child has a blue folder with pockets or a pink folder without pockets? Truth is that it actually does matter.

The school supplies are the children's tools to be successful in school. Each of these supplies is a 'tool' for a certain task at school. When the teacher assigns the blue folder with the pockets to be the folder for social studies and starts handing out photocopies of the material to be kept in that specific folder - the child had better have a blue folder with pockets... the pink one without pockets won't cut it. 

What's fascinating though is applying it to the mitzvot, the Commandments that G-d gave to the Jewish People. There's certainly a feeling sometimes that the mitzvot are too detailed, too involved and why can't I make due with "good enough".  And the answer is no - it's not "good enough".

The mitzvot are our tools to be successful in our relationship with G-d/HaShem. Just as each school supply has it's task to fulfill, each mitzvah we tackle brings us closer to being successful in creating a world that HaShem wants to dwell in. We are partners with G-d in making a better world. Sometimes it's obvious what needs to be done to make things better - and sometimes it's not so clear. Rather than assume that "any" colored pencil will do the job, perhaps an understanding of why the brand chosen is important. For example, I just found out this summer that some colored pencils sharpen better than others - it's important to know this because when you sharpen this particular brand, it continually breaks and it's quite frustrating.

While sometimes we think we know what has to be done to make this world a G-dly one, it is a good idea to check the "official school list" i.e. The Torah and find out what G-d actually thinks are things we should do and not only rely on our own "good enough" list. Even when we don't understand why one brand is chosen over another, we trust that the teacher knows why we are required to buy that brand. In the same vein, we need to trust that HaShem knows why these mitzvot are detailed and need to be done in a certain way to be successful.

Rosh HaShana gives us an opportunity to get our own supplies in order. We need to take the time to "match up" where we are at with the "official" list. What are our strengths and weaknesses? What small steps can we take to improve our relationships with our family and friends? What small mitzvah can we take on to improve ourselves and create a G-dly world?

Like assembling our school lists, we will always be missing something on the list. We are human beings, susceptible to failure, but also capable of amazing things. 

It's time to get excited. The first day of the New Year is coming. G-d willing, it'll be a great year.

I want to wish everyone a Happy, Healthy and Successful year ahead, full of clarity and blessing.

Shana Tova.

Allowing Others to Exist

The main idea to focus on during Rosh HaShana is that we are crowning G-d/HaShem as our King. What does that actually mean? The mitzvah of hearing the shofar blown is recognizing the "coronation" of our King. But still, what does that mean?

During Creation of the world, G-d in a sense pulled Himself back to allow us and our physical world to exist. (For more information on this concept, click here). While we know that we are supposed to emulate G-d in character traits - for example: slow to anger, helping those in need - we can also follow HaShem's lead in how to deal with other people. 

Many times, especially in our social media age, we cannot allow others to exist - they have opinions we don't agree with, or we don't agree with their world view. We un-'friend' them. We pretend they do not exist, and in our social media world, with a click of a button, they don't exist. Even in the real world, friends and family have even been cut off - and their opinions and thoughts no longer need to 'offend' our sensibilities. Their existence no longer concerns us. 

During Creation, HaShem pulled Himself back to allow us to exist. That is a lesson to us all. It's a basis for our whole physical existence. We have to learn from G-d's example. We need to recognize that we are not the center of the universe, that our opinions and thoughts are not the last word. Perhaps it's okay to be challenged by others, to be someone who learns from everyone we meet, as Pirkei Avos says. We can pull our egos back and allow others to exist.

This Rosh HaShana, let's hear the blowing of the shofar and let that sound enter our hearts. Together we will coronate HaShem as our King instead of our egos.

Being Content is Dangerous... Let's Discuss!

Instead of a book club where we can discuss what we are reading, I am going to pick short videos (about 5 minutes) of different fascinating people who are bringing their brilliance to us. Please watch and comment below what you think. Whether you agree or disagree, I am sure you will enjoy the speakers.

Here is Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski speaking, "Being Content is Dangerous".

I'm Back! Cue the Happy Dance!!!

Today is Rosh Chodesh Elul! Just the right time to get back online. Unbelievably, we are a month away from Rosh HaShanah. I'm not ready, are you?

Here are a few posts to get you in the mood.

My 30 Days of Changing a Bad Habit and Doing Kindness

Aish HaTorah's Elul Inspiration Page

Chabad's Month of Elul: Stocktaking and Introspection

Also - feel free to wander about A Jewish Minute's past articles. I've been busy the last couple years with life and haven't had time to update properly. Hopefully, I'll be able to rectify that.

I'm thinking about leaving shorter pieces on A Jewish Minute's Facebook page, while posting longer articles here. 

Any suggestions or questions? Free free to contact me.

Chodesh Tov!!!

Watch with Me! 2nd Installment

I finally sat down this morning to watch the second installment of Dr. Michael Chighel's video series, called "What Torah thinks of Torah". I think it was about 15 minutes long.

Whoa. Either my brain in completely fried, or there was a lot of information packed into those few minutes.  It could really be both. I hadn't had my coffee yet when I watched the video. The upshot is, that I think I have to watch it again.

The first few minutes I thought were excellent. Dr. Chighel tried to illustrate the question of how an Infinite Being (G-d) could get across information to a finite being (us). His clarity of exploring that question made sense and I could really feel the divide... if a finite being (person) has trouble explaining 1+1=2 to another finite being (dog), than how much more so does an Infinite Being have giving over deeper sociological/ethical/spiritual issues to finite beings. Chighel does a great job on this.

After that, I think my brain wandered... so I will have to watch again and update this post.

I hope you are watching with me - feel free to set me straight!

Get those brain cells moving!

With four kids under the age of 6.5, it's hard to get back into learning... anything. I'm sleep deprived, and generally running around (mostly back and forth from school) doing stuff for other people. I not even quite sure if my brain hasn't atrophied into nothingness. I have no problem with any of that, though I'd love some more sleep please... but it's also important to realize that everyone needs a spiritual "checkup".

I thought about this last week and happened upon a series of videos that looks doable. Interesting, thoughtful and I think I may actually learn something.

Dr. Michael Chighel, a PhD in Philosophy, brings an introduction to Torah and Torah ideas to us. My goal is to watch a video a day (or every other day). His introductory video, is about 18 minutes long - so after I dropped two kids at school, went to a doctor appointment with the third, took him to school, then sent the baby to his bed for a nap, it was time for breakfast and a very much needed coffee, a perfect time to watch a video. And anyone who knows me, that's impressive, I have no patience for videos of any sort. The videos following this introductory one look shorter, about 10 minutes apiece.

Here's the link.
Jewish Introduction: 101 Authors Who Didn't Write the Torah

I'm going to try and watch each of his videos and write up my impression here. If you'd like to join me in attempting to get my brain cells running again and have a discussion in the comment section... please do! Grab a coffee, tea or even water (yes, it's healthy!) - watch the video and leave your comments here on the blog.

Looking forward! Have a great week!

Priorities!

I came across an op-ed article yesterday from the LA Times, titled "It's too expensive to be Jewish". To read it, click here. In the article, the mother is complaining about the cost of bar mitzvah lessons. One quote is for $140/hour, another for $80. Her kids attend a Hebrew school that meets twice a month and reading Hebrew is not part of the curriculum. She goes on to talk about the cost of membership in a Temple that does have Hebrew as part of the curriculum, and the cost of High Holiday tickets.

Now, I get that there are times that being Jewish does cost extra. If you are sending your kids to day school, tuition does not come cheaply, neither does kosher meat. But within the Jewish lifestyle there is plenty that is free and inexpensive. Lighting Shabbat candles once a week, is not an expensive habit. Having a family meal together without the gadgets is recommended by experts who have studied the breakdown of the nuclear family. Making that family meal on a Friday night with some wine and challah make that meal a holy one, something really special. Bringing that meal to a holy level, to connect with all the Jews around the world, all saying the Kiddush will make an impact on everyone at that table.

There are plenty of synagogues and organizations that do not charge astronomical fees for praying on the High Holidays - one just needs to take a quick look around. Chabad, for one, does not. And it's as easy to find them as the 7/11 on the corner.

The question really are priorities. This woman sends her kids twice a month to a Jewish Hebrew school. I applaud her for that. However, does she think that those two times are really going to make a deep impact on her kids? Does she re-enforce the lessons taught at school... at home? Does she read Jewish books with them? Does she light Shabbat candles and have Friday night dinner as a family sans electronics?

The op-ed ends with this thought:

As for Nathaniel, baseball and sleep-away camp and a million other not-so-good excuses have prevented me from setting up his first tutoring session. But it's on my to-do list.

Priorities. She manages to find the money for baseball and camp (and who knows what else) - but not for a Jewish education for her kids. Like I said, not everything Jewish costs money - but some things do... she needs to be honest with herself - if there is limited money (and she makes clear that she did not win the lottery), then how is she budgeting. What is most important to her and her family? Judaism and Jewish continuity or baseball? Perhaps it's a Jewish camp - that would be fantastic. That would be a good use of money. But we don't get that sense from her writing.

I wish her and her family the very best - and I hope that she finds a way to inject a joy of Judaism into her kids and not boil it down to nickels and cents... especially since she's finding other ways of spending that change.