Elul – 40 days to a New You in a New Year

Our secular New Year is a time for setting goals. We wake up all the sudden and want to make a change. We make resolutions- and think of ways we are going to better ourselves. January 1st comes and we resolve to… be a better person, go to the gym everyday, etc. Rosh HaShanah asks slightly different questions of us… What needs to be fixed or repaired to help us live our best life with others in the coming year?

Whatever question you ask, the problem usually isn’t the coming up with the answer but rather how can I follow through and make it, whatever your it is, happen?

Elul. Elul is the secret. Elul is an underutilized, little known gift. So what is Elul? Elul is the month before Tishri. It is 30 days that can change your life, literally. Each morning, in a traditional shul, the shofar is blown. We don’t wait until Rosh HaShana to hear its clarion call, instead we use it to wake us up from our spiritual slumber, a little bit at a time. This way by the time the gates close as symbolized by the Ne’ilah service of Yom Kippur afternoon, we will be a different person than we are today. We will be awake.

How can we use this gift? I recommend picking one aspect of your life you want to change, one thing you want to do better. It can be a really big thing, or something tiny. It can be something you want to do more of or something you want to do less of. Something you want to start doing, or something we want to stop doing.

Whatever you choose, 30 days is the perfect amount of time to make it a new habit.

Earlier in the summer I decided to eliminate Gluten and Dairy from my diet. In the book I am using as my guide Dr.Mark Hyman suggests eliminating these two items for 6 weeks, 42 days. In doing so you can discover if your body can process them or if you have an allergy or intolerance. If you do, 6 weeks is enough time to heal your body from past damage and to experience life without gluten and dairy. At first it was hard, and I live with two people who have to be on a gluten free diet, so I thought it wouldn’t be so bad. I would make mistakes and eat something that had diary in it without even thinking about it. Then it got easier and now I’m thinking about staying this way for a while.
Research varies – I’ve read it takes a minimum of three weeks to form a habit, some sources say 28 days and others 40 days.

So how do we pick. One way is to think about a trait you want to cultivate. Generousity- Nedivut. Decide to give one thing away everyday for 40 days. Give away $40 dollars a day, or $400 a day. Pick 40 different charities and write 40 checks. Try to write one a day, not 40 all at once. Get into the daily habit of giving.

You want to be more sync with nature. Brown bag your lunch for 6 weeks. Get a reusable wrapper, a eco-friendly tote. Think of something you can do daily. Of course it is good to change your lightbulbs to more energy efficient ones, but once you have done that, it is done. But how about composting your leftovers, or turning off the lights, riding your bike to work or to run errands. Something you do everyday.

Eating is always my favorite daily activity. So deciding to eat or not eat a certain food can be a daily habit.

I think writing more will really help me to grow as a rabbi, so that is probably what I’m going to do this year. I did it with a lot of success in Elul about three years ago. If I could write for ½ hour each day or 3 pages, I would be very excited.

Maybe you’ve been thinking about exercising or walking or taking vitamins. Maybe you would like to phone a friend and catch up with the people who have drifted into the periphery. Pick 40 friends, and call one each day.

Let me know what you decide to you.

But the gift of Elul doesn’t stop after 30 days, we are given an extra ten days to solidify our new habit, and this time we feel the support of our community. Through our communal prayer on Rosh HaShana, Shabbat Shuvah and then again on Yom Kippur, through our holiday meals surrounded by family and friends, we are able to make our hope, our resolution into a reality. And remember this is a time of forgiveness.
So if you miss the mark and don’t do it everyday for the 40 days, forgive yourself.

Enjoy the gift of Elul.

The Gift of Receiving

Shavuot is one of the three festival holidays- (Sukkot and Pesach are the other two.) On Shavuot we celebrate the revelation of the Torah on Mt. Sinai. We celebrate the idea that we, each and Jew, past,present and future, born Jewish or chosen later in life, all of us were standing at Sinai. The agriculture link it to the barley harvest and Shavuot culminate the counting of the Omer. We traditionally eat diary foods (and we will be serving Blintzes and Cheesecake tonight) to connect us to Israel, which is described as a land flowing with Milk and Honey. The ceremony of Confirmation is linked to Shavuot as it is a time to reaffirm one’s connection to Judaism and to the Torah. We are so proud of our 10 confirmands who eloquently affirmed their connection to Judaism this past Sunday. The Book of Ruth is read on Shavuot- in which accepts Judaism and becomes the first Jew by choice with the words, “wherever you go, I will go... your God, will be my God.”

Shavuot is the holiday when we celebrate the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai. And a lot of what we teach about Judaism is about giving - giving Tzedakah, giving our time, giving of ourselves. But another event is celebrated on Shavuot - the receiving of the Torah. While giving can be difficult, human beings seem to find it even harder to receive.

We receive gifts, news, grades, critiques. Often, when we are receiving things we get defensive or embarrassed. Even when receiving a compliment, we find fault with the remark saying, “Oh, this old thing.” or “I didn’t really do anything.” I remember reading an Ann Landers column when I was a teenager which made a tremendous impression on me. Ann advised, when someone gives you a compliment, just say “thank you”. If you respond by diminishing the compliment and putting yourself down you actually hurt the feelings of the person trying to compliment you, for you are saying that their judgment must be faulty. Just graciously receive the compliment.

On Shavuot we will be celebrating the giving and the receiving of the Torah. Were the Israelites able to receive it graciously?
One source says the only reason the Israelites accepted the 10 commandments was because God held a mountain over their heads as they were offered. Even the Israelites had trouble just saying thank you, and this was God doing the giving.

But another Midrash teaches:
First the Almighty went to all the nations of the world and offered them the Torah.
"What does your Torah say?" they demanded to know. "We don't sign blank checks!"
To one nation, God said, "Do not murder."
"Such a Torah is not for us!" they cried.
To another nation, God said, "Do not commit adultery."
"No thank you" they replied.
To another nation, God said, "Honor your parents."
"Come on! Isn't Mothers' Day good enough??"
Only the Jews accepted God's word unconditionally. (Midrash - based on Deut. 33:2)
Na’aseh V’nishma - was their response , “we will do, and we will listen” Without knowing the details they said okay. This is for us. We will accept this gift in the spirit it was given and then we will try to understand it.

We need to be more like the Israelites in this second story. We also need to think about that God is doing the giving for everything we receive. We should cultivate appreciation of the the little things we are given and the larger ones.

When we are ill, it is difficult for us to accept help from neighbors and friends. We are so busy worrying about not imposing and not bothering others. Our unwillingness to receive help, denies those who want to help us, the chance to do so. We can turn our reticence around. When we accept graciously we allow another to fulfill the mitzvot of giving Tzedakah- doing the right thing, bikkur cholim- visiting the sick and of gemilut chasadim- acts of loving kindness. Come talk to me if you would like to help create a Bikkur Cholim group or a Caring Community at Temple Beth Torah. If that way we will be able to reach out to others and allow them to receive blessings from us in the form of much needed help.

On this Shavuot may each of us be blessed with the ability to receive not only God’s commandments, but whatever we need.

Rabbi Susie Heneson Moskowitz
June 7, 2011 5 Sivan 5771

Freedom

The Israelites thought they were free when they escaped from Egypt. They entered the Midbar- The Wilderness, vast and expansive, no limitations. But one of the most significant events that happened to them in the desert was the receiving and accepting of the law. Eventhough these laws were a new kind of limitation the Israelites did not see them as a restriction but rather a new type of freedom. Without any limitations we really wouldn't be free. We would always be wondering where the boundaries are.

In yoga we learn to set boundaries with parts of our body in order to create more freedom. If we build a firm foundation by rooting our feet and legs into the ground and by tucking our pelvis under and engaging our bandha's then we find that we can stretch upward and reach much higher heights.

The laws restrict us and limit our freedom, but these restrictions ultimately lead to more freedom. Boundaries allow us freedom to travel within them by creating a safe zone. Anyone who has reared a child knows that kids push the limits until they are satisfied that they have reached them and then settle down within the borders.

The Israelites were free to become a people once they had a clear definition of who they were. Once they defined themselves as "people who follow this set of laws" their national identity took hold. The boundaries of these laws continue to be flexible but nevertheless they create a framework within which we can function as a people.

Be Blissful, It's Adar

We are in the middle of my favorite Hebrew month and this year we have 2 of them- Adar Alef and Adar Bet. That fact that my Birthday is in Adar (Adar 22 which this year falls on March 16, so if you missed my March 6th Birthday you now have another opportunity to celebrate with me) of course of one reason I like it so much but the other has to do with the energy of the month of Adar. Adar is a time for celebrating JOY! We are told to Be Happy, It is Adar! Mi Shnichnas Adar, Marbim b'Simcha - When Adar comes in our joy is increased!

In the past when I have planned yoga classes for the Hebrew month of Adar I have put together play lists with music that made me happy. Jonathan Edwards- Sunshine (Go Away Today), a song that makes me think of my year in Israel, and Sweet Home Alabama which always make me smile. Usually my mixes are a bit more Jewish but these work with the them of joy in Adar.
This year I'd like to do something different. In class we will look for ways to access our bliss bodies. Each of us is created as a holy being, pure and full of joy. Life happens and sometimes this pure essence becomes obscured, or covered with schmutz as my teacher Alan Morinis says. Our job is to wipe away the schmutz so that our holiness can shine through. We will do a series of yoga poses that focus on opening the stagnant areas in our bodies and help us access the joy of being alive and able to move our bodies.
In the daily prayer liturgy we thank God for giving us bodies that work. But not just for the sake of having a body. The full prayer thanks God of giving us a body that functions in order that we can praise God. When all of this comes together, our kedoshim-holiness, our gratitude, our openness and our connection to God, then we can feel bliss.
Be Happy, It's Adar.

Rabbi Steven Moskowitz: Obama And Libya

Steve has found and written some very apt comments about the situation in Libya and our role.

Rabbi Steven Moskowitz: Obama And Libya: "Why Doesn't Obama Have A Plan To Assist The Country In Its Emergency? | TNR by Leon Wieseltier Again I quote from Leon Wieseltier's most re..."

Notes From The Delegation: Is Spiritual Power The Most Solid Foundation? by Vered Harris | Jewcy.com

This is an interesting article on spiritual power and connects with the notion of service as a way of serving God and enhancing our Judaism.

Notes From The Delegation: Is Spiritual Power The Most Solid Foundation? by Vered Harris | Jewcy.com

How May I Serve You?

I recently read an article McChrystal: Why America Needs National Service - Newsweek about how we applaud people who are in the military serving our country, but we consider their obligation to be theirs and not ours. Stanley McChrystal reminds us that addition to the idea that as Americans we are entitled to inalienable rights we also have responsiblities.

But as important as those inalienable rights are, there are also inalienable responsibilities that we must accept and fulfill. Those responsibilities are wider than are often perceived or accepted. Just as we have allowed the term “service member” to apply solely to the military, we have allowed the obligations of citizenship to narrow.

Even the most basic responsibilities of being an American are considered optional by many. In the seeming anonymity of modern life, the concept of community responsibility has weakened, yet is needed more than ever.

He calls for a service corps which would be part of every Americans obligation of citizenship.

As Jews we are constantly reminded of this notion, but not just through Tikun Olam, repairing the world, which is a Kabbalistic idea. The idea of service to the community is pervasive in Jewish life.

We celebrate that the world stands on three pillar, Torah (study), Avodah (worship) and Gemilut Chasadim (acts of loving kindness/helping others). Well the third one is obvious but the pillar that caught my attention was the second one. Why do we translate Avodah- which literally means work, as worship or prayer. We have to go back to the time of the Cohanim, the priests, to understand this term.
In the days of the Temple in Jerusalem, when you wanted to communicate with God you brought a sacrifice to offer in the Temple. This was a lot of hard work for everyone. The offerer had to carry the animal. The cohanim had to slaughter it, barbeque it, and serve it, all the while following a specific set of rules to insure that everything was done properly and that the offering would be accepted by God. This was a lot of hard work- avodah.
When prayer replaced sacrifice the name stuck. It still continued to be called Avodah (and it is still, hard work, albeit in a different way.)
These offerings are called sacrifices because you had to literally sacrifice something of value to you. They had to be from the best of your flock or crop. You had to give up something, and in return you gained a blessing.
Sacrifice today is still about hard work and giving up something precious to us whether it is time or the ability to earn more money or money itself.

My father-in-law, Carl Moskowitz, is an amazing volunteer. In his retirement he volunteers for the Red Cross on a weekly basis and FEMA when there are crises. But it didn't start there. When I first met him, 25 years ago he was President of his Temple, Shaare Emeth. And I would hear stories about when in was a volunteer fire fighter in NJ. The only reason he stopped was that they didn't have volunteer fire departments in St. Louis. He believes that it is his responsibility to get involved and to make his community better.

I'm amazed and proud (and grateful)to all of the people connected to Temple Beth Torah who are Volunteer Fire Fighters and EMT- Debbie Archer, Chris and Marilyn Byron, Josh Nachenson, Howard and Amy Kaplan, and Elyssa and Nikki. If I've left people out, just let me know and I'll add them here.

Charlie Cicio is another volunteer hero. He is a retired police officer and is a constant volunteer at the Gerald Ryan Outreach Center and the Mercy INN soup kitchen in Wyandanch. When he came to speak to our JTV kids about feeding the hungry, he was getting ready to leave to go to Haiti to volunteer there.

My friend, Judy, is on her third or fourth trip to Volunteer in the Israeli Army.

Dr. Stephen Harris travelled to Peru with the organization Medical Missions for Children and more recently to the Ivory Coast with the organization Global Smiles Foundation. He describes what he does, "As part of the surgical team, I have the privilege of repairing cleft lips and palates in infants, children, and adults." His whole family has gotten involved, and through them his kid's Chavurah group got involved raising money, collecting goods and creating awareness. The Ripple Effect of helping others.

Both our Jewish values and our American values require us to give back to the community. Doing so takes sacrifice. Fortunately it doesn't have to feel like a burden, but it is hard work. There is always something else one could do, too little time, not enough money. When we want to find excuses not to get involved, it is easy to find them. But let's not do that. Yes, it will take some work, but this is the holiest kind of work, Avodah. McChrystal called for an American Service Corps to be created, Judaism has always called for a Service Corps- here are some ideas. Click on the names to go to their websites

Get involved in your Synagogue and local community centers. (At Temple Beth Torah we are constantly offering ways to get involved)

American Jewish World Service (AJWS)-offers voluntourism, travel experiences in places where there is a great need.

Volunteers for Israel - spend a week or two on an army bases helping with stock and supplies to free the soldiers up for their jobs.

URJ Adult Mitzvah Corps- currently they do not have any trips scheduled, but they have gone to Louisiana, Calif, Vermont.

Our Bodies, Our Souls

Yogic philosophy emphasizes "oneness." We are all one with the universe. I have always found this to be a challenging notion. I mean, I'm me, you're you, we are distinct beings, how can we be one?
The first thing that helped me grasp this concept was that I had been praying the Shema my whole life and isn't that what is says. Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai ECHAD. God is One. This central prayer affirms God's oneness, and since I believe God resides in each one of us, I could begin to imagine how we are all part of a larger whole.
In an earlier post I pondered the idea of limits and how limits actually give us more feedom (ie. Shabbat, laws, rules). Well our bodies serve as a type of limit as well. If we imagine the world, the cosmos, to be a miasma of energy swirling around- ONE giant energy swirl. And imagine our bodies to be temporary containers of the this energy, holding it long enough to allow us to experience the world, then we can see how we are all one. If you made a jello mold and scooped out portions into bowls- the jello would still be the same substance, just put in smaller containers. If you then poured the jello back into the original bowl, you'd still have one large jello.
Okay that is a goofy analogy and I haven't eaten jello in forever but it worked for me.
We need our bodies to help us experience the oneness of the universe. Without a body our souls would have no boundaries and without boundaries we would not be able to experience a distinction. It is this sense of being distinct that helps us appreciate our connection to every other being.

First Jewish Service Broadcast on Nazi Soil

This video of a Jewish prayer service during WWII is pretty amazing.

Practicing

I love knitting because all the sudden you look down and there is something there that didn't exist until I created it. It is the most satisfying feeling. I imagine painters feel the same way. One minute there is a blank canvas and then there is an image, a painting. Wow! This act of creation does take persistance. You have knit a lot of stitches, which can be very monotonous, to get your creation. And sometimes you have to rip out all the progress you made and start again to get the results you want to acheive.
Yoga and religion also require regular practice (a word that is used to describe both - one practices yoga and one practices Judaism)*. The product can be more difficult to see, but if you keep at it, the results just appear, all of the sudden.
One day, a year or two after I began practicing yoga, a realized I had muscles you could actually feel (well I don't let too many people do that) on my sides. They had not been there before. When I'm too tired to practice, knowing that I created newly defined muscle structure, gets me back on the mat. I wish I had taken pictures of myself when I started practicing because it is hard to see all the progress and changes I've made. But photographs would only show the physical progress, I have to look at my increased energy level, my ability to handle stress and access my inner strength, and remember that yoga helped in these areas too. Through my yoga practice I was able to create a new me.
Likewise, it can be hard to see the benefits of practicing Judaism. You could get discouraged coming to services every week and not feeling a connection to God or feeling more spiritual. But let's say one week you feel that connection, that contentment. If you hadn't gone all those previous weeks and laid the groundwork for connecting to God, it might not have happened that week either.
Judaism reminds us to practice being the best person we can be - to keep learning, to help others, to give Tzedakah, to take time to pray. Some times we do a great job and other times we get need to get back on track. But each step of the way, Judaism can serve as a guide as we work to create the best world we can.

*By the way- I love that both yoga and Judaism are practices, that means I'm not expected to get it right, everytime.

Picking a name

I'm still trying to come up with the right name for my blog. Something that captures my rabbi/spiritual side, my yoga (also spiritual) side, my love of arts and crafts, of spiritual direction, etc.

If I had a personalized license plate it would say Rabbi Eema, but that is not the right name for my blog, since I'm not going to spend too much time writing about being a Rabbi Eema. Although I will share with you now where that name came from.

When Shira and Ari were in Nursery School at the wonderful David Joshua Berg NS at Temple Beth Torah, whose 20th anniversary we will be celebrating at a festive affair on May 13th, their friends would call me Rabbi Susie or Rabbi Moskowitz, but Shira and Ari called me Eema. (Hebrew for Mommy.) And then it was a combination of Danielle and Nike, with Dominic's help, who coined my favorite name yet, Rabbi Eema. If Ari and Shira were calling me Eema, why couldn't they?

Anyway if you have any good ideas for a name, let me know. So far the top choice (created by Shira) is RavYogArt. Let me know what you think.

Ethical Wills - Part II

I recently taught a class on ethical wills and gave the assignment to write an ethical will. I procrasinated but realized that it would be bad if the teacher didn't do the assignment. It was actually a lot of fun, so here is my draft, for now. I hope to have many years to revise it.

Susie Heneson Moskowitz January 1, 2011

Look for the good or the kadosh, the holy, in everyone. I truly believe it is there and when it is hard to find it is because the person has been wounded. It is not your job to take care of everyone or to fix everything, but when you can help people, try to help them and when you are in a position to be tolerant and patient, be that way.

While I believe in righteous indignation and that there are things worth fighting for and wrongs that need to be corrected, I don’t in general think being angry or intolerant is a worthwhile use of time. Instead be patient and remove people from your life who give you ajida (whenever possible). Life is too short to waste your energy on meanness or stupidity.

Be involved in the world, however you choose to define world. It could be your own little corner of the world or you can make a difference on a global scale. I have always been content focusing on my narrow portion of the world and hoping that some of what I do and the ways that I touch people will have a ripple effect.

Nice has gotten a bad reputation; but it is okay to be nice.

Steve, Shira and Ari - Know that I couldn’t love you more. You are amazing people and I have so much respect for you. If I ever criticized you or harped on something it was only because I wanted to help you be the best person you could be and to rise to even higher heights, not because you were deficient in anyway.

Love your family (no matter what).

Money- Give as much of it away as you can. Too much money makes one complacent. Keep enough so that you can be comfortable, be educated and have the opportunity to travel. And then give the rest to the tzedakah projects of your choice. I like to support Israel, women’s rights (especially micro-loans and reproductive health initiatives), diseases that family and friends are afflicted by, Jewish camping and my temple and my schools. Secondarily, I support the environment, museums and culture. But give generously even when you are not sure if you have enough money.

Believe in God and in the oneness of the universe, it makes life more meaningful.

Ethical Wills- Part I

We are pretty good at at writing wills and making sure that our financial affairs will be tended to after we die. But writing a spiritual-ethical will is not common practice. This Jewish concept of leaving an ethical will, laying out values and principles that guide ones life goes back to the Torah, when Jacob leaves each of his children a specific blessing. This practice was popular in medieval times, and there are examples throughout the centuries.

I am blessed to have my grandfather's "Life Lessons" that he recorded in 1999 for his 89 birthday. I don't think he set out to write an ethical will, but this document, written in long hand, though he was quite comfortable on the computer, is a wonderful record of the ideals he valued and the principals that guided his life. I share some of what he wrote here.

Love, Life and Money

Our life is but a twinkle of a star in he infinity of time. A happy productive life depends upon good health, security and a good relationship with others.The evaluation of the important things in life is essential so that we can apportion our time and energy accordingly. Good health requires sensible living, avoiding excess and abuse of our body, obsessions, tensions and anxieties. Our relationship to others should include respect, consideration and compassion. We should have pride in ourselves; conduct ourselves with dignity and avoid envy. We should profit by our mistakes and accept them with equanimity.
Love is the greatest motivating force in life. This includes the love of people, the love of country, the love of occupation, the love of nature and the love and pride in one’s religion. The most important love of husband and wife is a buttress against the misfortunes and hardships that may occur in the course of living. It is the sustaining force in adversity and can with stand the test of time. This love should not be threatened by indiscretions or the unwillingness to make concessions. The exhilaration of living together far exceeds living side by side.
In discussing money, it is apparent in our civilization that this is a necessity for living, raising and educating a family and providing for old age. However, it should not be an all-consuming obsession but rather takes its place in relative importance. A person’s occupation should not be a chore engaged in solely for remuneration. One should derive pleasure in his job with a feeling of accomplishment and pride.
Utilization of one’s money is often a perplexing situation. Earning money may be easier than holding on to it. Actually there is no honest way of easily making money. Disaster frequently is the result of greed, a trait which causes a complete loss of perspective. Money is a trust which we partially use for ourselves and for charity, eventually turning it over to our descendants with the hope that they will use it wisely.

Dr. Justus Irving Kaufman- February 13, 1999