Praise For Creation Author of life, Architect of creation, Artist of earth, Your works declare Your Holy Name. Mighty rivers, Turbulent seas, Towering mountains, Rolling hills, Vast spaces of brilliance and grandeur. You created palette and paint, Color and hue, Shape and form, Abundant and beautiful, Glorious and majestic, Full of mystery and wonder. Blessed are You, With Divine love You created a world of splendor. Praise For Creation Author of life, Architect of creation, Artist of earth, Your works declare Your Holy Name. Mighty rivers, Turbulent seas, Towering mountains, Rolling hills, Vast spaces of brilliance and grandeur. You created palette and paint, Color and hue, Shape and form, Abundant and beautiful, Glorious and majestic, Full of mystery and wonder. Blessed are You, With Divine love You created a world of splendor. Opinıon The Jewish Special Edition Post Presenting a broad spectrum of Jewish News and Opinions since 1935. & Volume 90, Number 2 • December 1, 2023 • 18 Kislev 5784 www.jewishpostopinion.com • https://go.usa.gov/xn7ay A Focus on Healing A Focus on Healing Cover art by Jackie Olenick Prayer by Alden Solovy (see About the Cover, p. 4).
2 The Jewish Post & Opinion – SE December 1, 2023 Meditations for Hanukkah Shortly after I had read a story about a priest who left only five possessions when he died, I got the following message,“Travel light, live light, spread the light, be the light.” No, it wasn’t in a fortune cookie. It was on a small piece of paper stapled to the string at the end of a tea bag. I find these short quotes to be uplifting and wise. This message is appropriate for any time of the year, but especially during Hanukkah with shorter days and longer nights. Also during this time of year, so much focus is on material things. The other messages we receive from manufacturers and retailers make us think that we cannot be happy unless we have every new gadget, appliance, technical device, automobile, jewelry, and a piece of clothing that comes into style. To bring the spiritual back into the picture, and because in my part of the world it is very cold and dark, I decided to create the following eight meditations for Hanukkah. These can be done before the candles are lit, after the blessings and songs are sung when the candles are burning or even after they go out. First night: Imagine bringing the light from the one candle to any place in your body where there may be a health concern or simply little aches and pains. Let the warm sensation from the light relax the tight muscles around the pain. Feel the area improving from the healing glow of the light and all stiffness and soreness is releasing. Second night: Feel free to repeat the first night meditation knowing that the light is double in strength. Now think of any emotional pain you are feeling. Are you missing a close friend or relative who had been celebrating Hanukkah with you every year? Were you expecting a raise or simply a holiday bonus but did not get it? Let the light from the candles whirl in your mind, dissolving all of the sadness and bitterness replacing it with the thought that something good is just around the corner. Third night: One can repeat night one or any of the previous night’s meditations on any of the upcoming nights as needed, knowing that the light will be even brighter than it was the first time around. Now that you are feeling stronger, think about any concerns with your family or close friends. Is one of them in harm’s way? Grieving a loss? Not getting along with a spouse? Shine the light all around them bringing with it a sense of love and peace. Fourth night: Are there challenges in your neighborhood, your synagogue or the city where you live? Some congregants want to allow women on the bimah and others do not. Some Jews want a menorah in a public place and others oppose it. Let the light swirl around the dark places where differences of opinion are. Imagine it shining brightly over the situation bringing new ideas to encourage a solution or compromise. Fifth night: As the lights continue getting brighter, think about the state where you live. Are there challenges in your state? Some citizens want prayers before the legislative sessions and other want separation of church and state. Let the bright light swirl around those citizens with opposing points of view and help them to see both sides of the situation and resolve to make an effort to understand each other. Maybe a solution will eventually come from that. Sixth night: The bright lights from the candles are filling up the room. Are there challenges in your country? Let’s see. No shortage here: the economy, the stock market, the bailouts, adjusting to the new administration, gays and lesbians struggling for equal rights, racial prejudices, to name a few. Let the bright lights shine over these very difficult topics and bring with it the needed patience and compassion to work through them. Seventh night: Even brighter lights are just in time for the planet’s woes. What about the challenges facing the world that we all share together? Again no shortages: the environment including safe drinking water and global warming, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Let’s all shed some light on these ordeals and see what becomes visible when the darkness is dispersed. Maybe some fresh insights will come. Eighth night: Tonight the lights are very bright! We have experienced how the warmth and glow of the lights have been a source of comfort and joy during this dark time. This is how it was when God was creating the world and it was very dark. Then God said,“Let there be light!”That same powerful light is available to us now in this dark, cold season and in this difficult time to help us heal ourselves and heal our world. May you have a light-filled, Happy Hanukkah! Jennie Cohen, December 1, 2023 (This was my editorial for our December 10, 2008 edition. Fifteen years have passed since then but not that much is different. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have changed to Ukraine and Israel, so, unfortunately, these meditations are still apropos.) ✡ BY JENNIE COHEN
December 1, 2023 The Jewish Post & Opinion – SE 3 plants, and animals. Otherwise, these talks are about current events. For example, he will give a brief explanation on the history and practice of a religious holiday that takes place on that particular day. To help put things into perspective, recently one of Bob’s talks was facts about our universe: It is 13.7 billion years old. Astronomers estimate that there are 2 trillion galaxies in our universe and 10 billion trillion stars at a minimum. The grains of sand on world beaches and the number of stars in the observable universe are the same. Think of the stars as the size of our sun. The sun is so big you could squeeze 1.3 million earths inside of it. When a massive star explodes, its scrunched-up core forms a Neutron Star. That star is so dense that just a teaspoon of its material would weigh more than all of Mount Everest. The explosion can spin the Neutron Star to mind blowing speeds of up to 43,000 rotations per minute. The stars you see in the night sky are so far away from us that the starlight we see now has taken a long time to travel across space to reach our eyes. For example, the bright star in the constellation of Orion is 640 light years away, meaning the light we now see from it left that star in the year 1370 compared to the light we now see from our sun that left eight minutes ago. The following is an excerpt of a talk on maintaining our health that Bob gave the day after Thanksgiving: “…A study from a year ago in the New York Times suggests it takes far less exercise than was previously thought to lower blood sugar after eating. Walking after a meal helps clear your mind and aids digestion. Scientists have also found that going for a 15 minute walk after a meal can reduce blood sugar levels. But as it turns out, even a few minutes of light walking after a meal in as little as 2–5 minutes increments had a significant impact on moderating blood sugar levels. Although light walking at any time is good for your health, a short walk within 60–90 minutes after eating a meal, can be especially useful in managing blood sugar spikes as that is when blood sugar levels tend to peak.” Either before or after the meditations, Bob offers inspiring quotes and poems such as this one by Howard Zinn: “To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, and kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places – and there are so many – where people have behaved magnificently, this The cover for this Special Edition was originally featured on our August 19, 2016 National Edition. I chose to repeat it now to demonstrate that we live in a world with the ability to experience great pleasure and painful sadness at the same time. While unspeakable things are taking place in the Israel-Hamas and Ukraine-Russia wars, we can and should simultaneously experience incredible joy, love, and comfort in nature and elsewhere in our daily lives. In our last edition (Sept. 16, 2023), I wrote about asking Rabbi Amy Eilberg how to cope with grief, and her answer was this. “The time of grieving both before and after the loss is the time to call upon every conceivable source of support that you have in your life and to look for new ones. It is a time to turn to family and friends, professional caregivers, and spiritual resources.” One resource for me that has been so comforting during these challenging times is twice-daily group meditations on Zoom. I had learned Transcendental Meditation in college, so I have been doing twicedaily meditations for decades. I will not go into all the benefits of meditation here because I have mentioned this before, but suffice to say I would not have continued for this long if it was not helpful. When COVID hit, Bob Roth, the CEO of the David Lynch Foundation, started offering these group meditations on Zoom. At the beginning it was only going to be for a couple of weeks, but they were so well received that he has continued leading them since March 13, 2020. Anyone can listen to these by going to: davidlynchfoundation.zoom.us/j/177174913. I first learned about these group meditations on June 26, 2020, and have only missed a few since then. This is partly because Bob has arranged to record and replay them several times a day so that someone in Australia, for example, does not need to get up in the middle of the night to hear them. Therefore, if I am busy during the original recording, I simply listen to it later. Visit: TM-Meditate.org to see call times for the meditations and the replays. Besides helping to diminish the feelings of loneliness that went along with not being able to get together with others in person during the worst part of the pandemic, Bob has made these group meditations interesting – and often humorous – by giving a talk for the first few minutes on what he calls,“the genius of nature”. He reads through scientific journals and health newsletters, to share the latest news on all kinds of fascinating subjects related to science, nature, health, the environment, Editorial Inside this Issue 1389 W 86th St. #160 Indianapolis, IN 46260 email: [email protected] website: www.jewishpostopinion.com publisher & editor: Jennie Cohen graphic designer: Charlie Bunes Post&Opinion The Jewish Jewish News and Opinion since 1935. Jennie Cohen: Meditations for Hanukkah ..................2 Jennie Cohen: (Editorial).........................3 Amy Lederman: (Jewish Educator) L’Chaim! – A Jewish View of Health and Healing.............................4 About the Cover......................................4 Rabbi Brett Krichiver: We Always Have a Choice in How We Respond ..........6 Melinda Ribner: Enhance Healing with Ten Suggestions ..........................7 Rabbi Rebecca Yael Schorr: Bikkur Cholim – Immeasurable Reward.......7 Miriam Zimmerman: (Holocaust Educator) Healing After the Holocaust, Pt.2........8 Rabbi Hal Schevitz: Peace and Good Health Go Hand in Hand.................11 Rabbi Simkha Y. Weintraub: Two Mi Sheberachs..............................12 Jennie Cohen: Beit T’Shuvah........................................13 Rabbi Billy Dreskin: Is Help From a Higher Power Waiting for Us?.........14 Rabbi Mira Wasserman: Healing of Spirit, Healing of Body .....................14 Rabbi Samuel Silver: A Prayer During Illness ....................15 Debbie Friedman: Sing a Prayer for Healing.................15 Rabbi Helen Cohn: Reconciliation and Healing .............16 Jennie Cohen: How to Stay Healthy .........................17 Reuven Goldfarb: Poem for the New Year......................18 The Blue Dove Foundation: The Mental Health Menorah ............20 (see Editorial, page 5) See Historical Digital Issues of The Jewish Post & Opinion since 1930 at https://go.usa.gov/xn7ay, Searchable issues since 1933 at: nil.org.il/en/newspapers/indianajpost Read recent digital issue online at: www.jewishpostopinion.com Follow us on Facebook at: Jewish Post & Opinion, newspaper Follow us on Twitter at: #JewishPostOpin
4 The Jewish Post & Opinion – SE December 1, 2023 Jewish Educator BY AMY HIRSHBERG LEDERMAN L’Chaim! – A Jewish View of Health and Healing When my husband, Ray, was diagnosed with lung cancer two years ago, it came as a total shock. We were still basking in the glow of our trip to northern Italy; images of the lush Piedmont countryside and Lake Como still fresh in our minds. Ray’s voice had gotten hoarse during our travels but we were too busy exploring Florence to give it much thought. When we returned, he saw the doctor who ordered the X-ray that changed our lives forever. Within less than two weeks, we went from drinking wine and eating truffles to waiting for CT scan results and scheduling surgeries. To say we were unprepared for the challenges that followed is an understatement. But then again, I have never met anyone who was. We faced it like soldiers entering a war zone – determined that we would fight this battle together. But instead of guns, our weapons consisted of love, family, faith and hope which, when combined, are the most powerful arsenal I know. From the start, we did everything we could to “tip the scale” in his favor. Ray’s intuitive response was both inspiring and very Jewish: He took full responsibility for his physical, emotional and spiritual health. He met with integrative health specialists, consulted with nutritionists, ate foods and drank sludgy concoctions rich in antioxidants. Regardless of how exhausted he was from chemo, he did some form of exercise every day. He tried acupuncture, listened to meditation tapes and gardened until we had more tomatoes that I knew what to do with. He spoke to a therapist when things got tough and a rabbi when he needed spiritual guidance. Most of all, he stayed connected – to the people and community he loved and with whom he could talk honestly and openly. All of these steps were Ray’s way of taking charge of his illness and responsibility for his total well-being. Instinctively, he was following the commandment in the Torah to “take utmost care (of your body) and watch your soul scrupulously.” The definition of health in Jewish tradition is inherently holistic. Concern for the person as a whole – for the body, mind, and soul is necessary in order to achieve optimum health. The very word for health in Hebrew, breeyut, is derived from the verb barah, which means “to create”, implying the continuing regeneration of the body that is required to maintain good health. Medieval Jewish literature uses the word shlemut which is derived from the word shalem, or whole. Good health is an ongoing process of establishing and maintaining wholeness within us. Jewish tradition elevates the act of taking care of ourselves into a religious duty; it is an extension of the way we acknowledge the sanctity of the life, of the physical body, that God has given us. Our job is to nurture and care for our body and soul as we would a most cherished gift. This is beautifully stated by a 13th century Jewish scholar who said: “A person must care for his body like an artisan cares for his tools for the body is the instrument (see Lederman, page 5) Happy Hanukkah! from Visit our New location at: Nora Corners Shopping Center 1530 East 86th Street Mon.-Sat., 9a–6p Sundays (Dec 3–24 only) 11a–5p 317-846-5718 Please visit our new website: www.goodmansshoes.com About the Cover “Shalom Landscape” Art by Jackie Olenick This colorful fine art giclee is a vision of a mystical peaceful world inspired by Olenick’s granddaughter Abigail Rose, at the time of her Bat Mitzvah. Jackie is a Judaic artist and jewelry designer residing in Bloomington, Ind. She creates art in several mediums based upon her favorite inspirational text, nature, and the place where she resides. She currently works in cold wax and oil, which reveals the many layers of transparent color within the painting. Recently she has created paintings reflecting the beautiful countryside of Southern Indiana. She was inspired by spending lots of time at the farm of her sweet, late friend, Janiece. New work in cold wax and oil, enhanced by crushed gemstones has been on display at Congregation Beth Shalom in Bloomington, Indiana. Jackie’s media have included intricate mixed media paper collage, acrylic on canvas, watercolor and calligraphy. She has designed a series of Judaic prayer jewelry which has been collected by peeps throughout the Jewish world and beyond. She also designs personalized, illuminated ketubot (traditional marriage contracts for brides and grooms). The images she creates are spiritually infused, joyful, contemporary, and as she has been told, inspirational. Her work has been exhibited and collected throughout America and is in private, organizational, synagogue, and church collections. Her husband, Rabbi/Chaplain Leon Olenick and their pups, Bea and SweetPea, are happy to call Bloomington their home for 7 years. Her work can be found on her Etsy site: jackieolenick.Etsy.com., her website: jackieolenickart.com, or on FB, Jackie Olenick. She welcomes visits to her studio to look at new work or just for a cup of tea and a good schmooze. Contact her at: jackieolenick@ gmail.com. “Praise For Creation” Poem by Alden Solovy © Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing (Reprinted with permission) A poet and liturgist, Alden spreads joy and excitement for prayer. His work has been used by people of all faiths throughout the world, in private prayer and public ceremonies. He’s written more than 600 pieces of new liturgy, offering a fresh new Jewish voice, challenging the boundaries between poetry, meditation, personal growth and prayer. He’s a teacher, a writing coach and an award-winning essayist and journalist. He also leads ManKind Project Israel. Originally from Chicago, Alden has led writing workshops and has been scholar in residence in the United States, Europe, and in Israel. He has authored books that include Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing, Haggadah Companion: Meditations and Readings, This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day, This Joyous Soul: A New Voice for Ancient Yearnings, and This Precious Life: Encountering the Divine in Poetry. His latest work, These Words: Poetic Midrash on the Language of Torah, continues his efforts in providing meaningful prayer to contemporary Jews. He’d love to speak at your synagogue. For more information on that, Alden, and his books, see his website: www.tobendlight.com. Also join the To Bend Light Facebook page and follow To Bend Light on X to get announcements about new prayers and stories posted, as well as (almost) daily mini-prayers. ✡ Jackie Olenick A. Solovy j i
December 1, 2023 The Jewish Post & Opinion – SE 5 through which one serves the Creator.” Over 850 years ago, Maimonides, who served as the court physician to the Sultan of Egypt (in addition to being one of the most influential Jewish sages and prolific philosophers) offered six basic rules that are on par with the best holistic health program we could follow today. His advice to us is: To maintain a balanced, healthy diet, exercise in moderation, get sufficient sleep, use the bathroom regularly, breathe clean air and moderate our emotions. Maimonides counsel suggests that we have always understood what we need to do keep ourselves healthy. Jewish tradition elevates it to a sacred duty. Our family’s efforts thus far have had miraculous results and there isn’t a single day that passes without us appreciating how precious and precarious life is. And while we can never know what our future holds, or what challenges to our health we will face, we do know that Judaism offers us a practical and positive way of responding to illness and maintaining optimal health. Amy Hirshberg Lederman is an author, Jewish educator, public speaker, attorney, and award-winning writer who lives in Tucson. Her columns in the AJP have won awards from the American Jewish Press Association, the Arizona Newspapers Association and the Arizona Press Club for excellence in commentary. Visit her website at amyhirshberglederman.com. (Originally published in the JPO Healing edition, Feb. 5. 2014.) ✡ LEDERMAN (continued from page 4) EDITORIAL (continued from page 3) gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.” Howard Zinn (Aug. 24, 1922–Jan. 27, 2010) was an American historian, playwright, philosopher, socialist intellectual, and World War II veteran. The following quote was included with The Blue Dove Foundation article on page 20. “Nothing in this resource is to be construed as medical advice or treatment. For all medical questions, please consult a medical professional or treatment facility.” I agree, and please be advised that it applies to this and all articles in this Focus on Healing edition. If you would like to read more on health and healing, please find posted on our website about a dozen of our older Focus on Healing sections published from 2005– 2017. The link to those is: https://jewishpostopinion.com/focus-on-healing-2/ Almost all our editions dating back to 1933 j i Happy Chanukah! kusd Nes Gadol Hayah Sham A Great Miracle Happened There vhv oa xb are searchable on The National Library of Israel website at the following link: https:// www.nli.org.il/en/newspapers/indianajpost. We wish all our dear readers a bright and joyful Hanukkah and a Happy 2024! Jennie Cohen, December 1, 2023 ✡
6 The Jewish Post & Opinion – SE December 1, 2023 One day an old farmer was working in the field with his old sick horse. The farmer felt compassion for the horse and wanted to lift its burden. So he let the horse loose to go to the mountains to live out the rest of its life. His neighbors said, “How terrible. Now your only horse is gone. How unfortunate you are! You must be very sad.” The farmer replied, “I don’t know if it is good or bad, I only know that my horse needed to go.” Two days later the horse returned, followed by twelve new younger and healthier horses which followed the old horse into the corral. The neighbors cried, “How fortunate you are! You must be very happy.” Again the farmer replied, “I don’t know if it is good or bad, I only know that I now have many horses.” The next day, the farmer’s only son attempted to train the wild horses, when he was thrown to the ground and broke his leg. The neighbors shook their heads, “What a tragedy! You’ll have to do all your work yourself. You must be very sad.”The farmer said,“I don’t know if it is good or bad, but my son has a broken leg now.” Several days later the Emperor’s men arrived in the village to conscript all the young men into the army. The farmer’s son was deemed unfit because of his broken leg. “How fortunate!” cried the neighbors, as their own sons were marched away,“You must be very happy.” The story does not end there, of course. Our tradition teaches us that both the blessing and curse are experienced together in life, and much depends on our perspective. Of course many of us struggle with terrible tragedies in life, but the message of this story is that we always have a choice in the way we respond. I shared this story a few months ago at the funeral for my great uncle, Joe Koek. He was a loving, caring, funny and funloving partner to my Aunt Sheila for many years, and in many ways felt like a grandparent to me. He also was a survivor of the Shoah, the Holocaust. As a child, he was hidden from the Nazis in his native Holland, in much the same way that Anne Frank had been hidden. Joe’s adopted family brought him to their farm, and one day while playing on a dolly he broke his leg and was sent to the hospital outside the village. The very next day the Nazis discovered the many Jews being sheltered in the village; every one of them was We Always Have a Choice in How We Respond BY RABBI BRETT KRICHIVER (see Krichiver, page 7)
December 1, 2023 The Jewish Post & Opinion – SE 7 Do not worry. Worry does not help the person who is sick. Rather it makes a person contract, and not be available for healing. Cultivate faith in G-d’s ability to heal you and others. There is some hidden good in everything that is happening. Find the good and celebrate it. Choose to live in the present. Do not waste energy thinking too much about what was or what will be. We have only the present moment. When we are aware and present in the moment, we are open to the Divine Presence. Celebrate the gift of life in each moment as fully as you can. Take deep calming breaths throughout the day. Do something each day to promote healing for yourself and others. Be good to yourself. Be good to others. Count your blessings each day. Being grateful opens the heart so one can receive healing. Write in your journal what you received and learned each day. “Today was a day when I __________.” Eliminate feelings of guilt and shame. Guilt is the feeling that you did something wrong. Shame is the feeling that you are inadequate. Healing is blocked by feelings of shame and guilt. You are a beautiful being, created in the image of the divine. Affirm that about yourself. If you feel regret or guilt over something you have done, forgive yourself and forgive others. Punishing yourself is not helpful. Affirm to do better in the future. Ask for forgiveness and make amends if you hurt someone. Meditate and repeat affirmations for five minutes or more each day; “Blessed is God the true Healer”, “God is healing me right now”. Visualize yourself surrounded by God’s light and love each day. Raise your arms up to the heavens, open your heart and receive God’s love and light. Speak lovingly to the body part that is hurting. Give that body part special love and attention. Pray for healing each day. You need God’s help to heal. You may even have gotten ill just so you would reach the point of calling out to God in a sincere way. Pray for the healing of others as well. Make a prayer list of people who need healing, need livelihood, a soul mate, etc. When you stand in prayer with a list of needs of others, it is more powerful than when you make requests just for yourself. You receive more spiritually. Even if you yourself are sick, pray for others. Do meditations with God’s name. The Yud, Hay and Vav and Hay. Place the divine name in your body. (See book New Age Judaism or my CD, Arousal from Below for meditation guidance. If you do not know the letters of the Divine Name, and even if you do, visualize yourself in a Jewish star filled with divine light. Nourish yourself physically by eating natural food, drinking pure water, exercising, and spending time in the sun each day. Eliminate negative eating, drinking or other destructive behaviors to the body. Seek alternative approaches like acupuncture, spiritual energy healing to support healing. Your body wants to heal. Make an effort to reach out to others to uplift them. Say kind words to others. Do not speak “loshen hara”. Do not speak badly about others. Hug as many people as you can each day. We all need more hugging. Give charity. It opens the gates for healing. Even if you are poor, it will be helpful to give charity. Melinda Ribner L.C.S.W. is the author of Everyday Kabbalah, Kabbalah Month by Month, New Age Judaism, and The Secret Legacy of Biblical Women: Revealing the Divine Feminine. Free Jewish meditation classes are offered on zoom twice a week. Sign up for a free newsletter on the Kabbalistic energies of the months, holidays, healing, Enhance Healing with Ten Suggestions BY MELINDA RIBNER rounded up and shot. His broken leg had literally saved his life. I never knew this story until after my uncle had died. He chose to focus, everyday, on his many blessings and the good he could do in the world. He influenced countless others, and had been selected to represent Holocaust survivors by sharing his story before the United Nations General Assembly, a blessing he was unfortunately unable to experience. A broken leg might seem like a minor point in the story of one’s life, but in truth we never know what lies ahead for us. Visiting a congregant recently in the hospital, he called to mind the rabbinic phrase, “Gam zu la tov – this also is for the good.” Having suffered a number of setbacks in his health, he still greeted me with a smile on his face and an outstretched hand. He said to me, “it could have been a lot worse, and who knows, maybe this too will lead to something good.”May we learn to greet each day, the good and the bad, experiencing it as that kind of blessing. Rabbi Brett Krichiver is senior rabbi of Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation. (Originally published in the JPO Healing edition, July 15, 2016.) ✡ KRICHIVER (continued from page 6) j i meditation, and zoom links by emailing her at: [email protected] or sign up on her Facebook pro page Melinda Ribner Spiritual Guide. Website: MelindaRibner.com. (Originally published in the JPO Healing edition, Jan. 12. 2011.) ✡ Bikkur Cholim – Immeasurable Reward Each morning, our daily liturgy includes a Talmudic section (Shabbat 127a) that outlines several obligations whose reward is immeasurable. Immeasurable, I believe, because there is no way to quantify the positive effect that comes from fulfilling our duties to others. Hardly a day passes that word does not come of an injury or illness of someone in our extended congregational family. When friends or family members are in the hospital, there are many ways for us to show support. Personal visits fulfill the mitzvah (commandment) of bikkur cholim. Often considered to be the responsibility of the rabbi, the obligation to visit the sick falls, in fact, to each Jew, as supported by teachings of Isaiah b. Mili di Trani the Elder, a 12th century Italian Talmudic commentator, writing on Kiddushin 42b. In addition to visits, a handwritten note or card can truly brighten the day. Just the knowledge that someone is thinking of the patient can alleviate some of the pain, worry, and fear. It is amazing how an action that requires very little time can have such a powerful impact. A recent letter to “Dear Abby”highlighted two very important things to consider when sending a card to someone in the hospital: Address the envelope with the patient’s own name – like,“Sydelle Cohen”instead of “Mrs. Hyman Cohen.” Use the patient’s home address as the return address on the envelope. That way, the patient is certain to receive it should the letter or card arrive after the patient has been discharged from the hospital. Helping to ease the pain of others; surely one of the obligations whose reward is without measure. Rabbi Rebecca Yael Schorr serves Congregation B’nai Tzedek in Fountain Valley, Calif. This is from their Nov. 2010 bulletin. She is the associate rabbi and her father, Stephen J. Einstein, is the senior rabbi. Her election to this position is a historical one as no other female rabbi has shared the pulpit with her father. (Originally published in the JPO Healing edition, Jan. 11, 2017.) ✡ BY RABBI REBECCA YAEL SCHORR j i
Jewish tradition, was not enough for me. Standing to say Kaddish, the memorial prayer for my only sister every Shabbat for a month, was healing, but not completely. Rabbi Ezray encouraged me to take as much time as I needed to grieve fully. Religion helped me grieve. San Mateo, Calif., Aug. 15.Was I having a major depression? I asked survivor friends, whom I considered experts in grief and loss, if they had healed after the Holocaust. Child survivor Paul Schwarzbart, baptized and hidden in a Belgian boys’ school for two years, replied,“Absolutely not!” Last Feb. 18, 2022, Paul emailed the following: “Today is the 77th Yahrzeit of [my beloved Papa] Friedrich ‘Fritz’ Schwarzbart’s (z”l) murder in Buchenwald….” After two long years in French concentration camps, Fritz was sent to Auschwitz. “From Auschwitz, he was moved to several other camps, ending with a death march from Gross Rosen to Buchenwald. He was murdered on Feb. 18, 1945, at the age of 43 – some two months before the liberation!” Paul concluded, “I knew him for my first seven years only. I miss him every waking moment.” On Sept. 19, Paul emailed his answer, “How can one heal from such trauma? The family lost will never reappear. My children cannot embrace family from my side.” I cannot compare my grief over the loss of a sister with that of a Holocaust survivor. For over two years, Ruth battled cancer like a warrior; the family had time to prepare. By choosing hospice, Ruth died in dignity and peace, in keeping with the teachings of Dr. Kübler-Ross, who pioneered the hospice movement in the United States. Unlike the victims of Auschwitz, a rabbi officiated over Ruth’s funeral, and she was buried in a Jewish cemetery. Chicago, Sept. 27. Back in Chicago, I helped prepare Ruth’s apartment before the professional organizers cleared the condo, readying it for sale. Rummaging through her home of more than 30 years, without her, felt unreal. More denial? Next week, I will be in Poland, to attend a seminar for journalists sponsored by the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum and the International Center for Education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust. The title of the seminar,“Auschwitz – History, Memory and Responsibility”describes the purpose of the seminar. With memory comes responsibility – “‘Never again,’ not ‘ever again!’” as the late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks so eloquently put it. I wasn’t sure I should attend the seminar, so soon after Ruthie’s passing. Since the notice that I was accepted into the seminar came on Sept. 9, exactly one month after her funeral, I decided it was a sign, time to move on. My grieving brain pointed out that sorting, saving, and recycling in Ruth’s apartment helped prepare me for Auschwitz, the largest Jewish cemetery in the world. It was as if I were in “Kanada,”where items from a million murdered Jews were sorted, packaged, and sent west to the Reich for reuse by Aryans. My brain laughed hysterically at the comparison. I wondered at what stage of grief Dr. Kübler-Ross would say I was in. It was my third visit to Auschwitz, having attended both the 50th and the 75th commemorations of the liberation of Auschwitz. Both times, I joined the group from C.A.N.D.L.E.S. (Children of Auschwitz Nazi Deadly Lab Experiment Survivors), the organization founded by Mengele twin and forgiveness advocate Eva Kor. What was different about my current trip was a sense of personal connection to Auschwitz. I learned just five years ago, a whole branch of my dad’s family, never talked about, perished in Auschwitz. There is so much need for healing after the Holocaust – between the descendants of perpetrators and of survivors, and between Jews and Christians. Yad Vashem teaches that Church-sanctioned antiJudaism over two millennia created a mindset that allowed the Holocaust to happen. The seeds of Jew-hatred sprouted from the Jew-as-Christ-killer belief. Zoom, Aug. 24. Dr. Phil Cunningham, Director of the Institute for JewishCatholic Relations at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, shared his personal reflections on healing between Jews and Christians.“Pope John Paul II taught that the devastating impact of the Shoah can only be addressed by Jews and Christians attacking it together. Christians can’t deal with the guilt from it without interacting with Jews. Neither can do this alone. We have to be in dialogue, sharing each other’s woundedness [emphasis added].” As a Catholic, Dr. Cunningham feels obligated to do so. Locally, the Peninsula Multifaith Coalition (PMC), a consortium of churches, synagogues, mosques, and other religious organizations provides the opportunity for participants to dialogue with almost all the world’s great religions. Co-founded by Rev. Kristi Denham, retired pastor of the United Church of Christ in Belmont, Calif., PMC brings together the larger community in service, programs, and prayer. Munich, Germany, Oct. 3., Ziva’s 10th birthday and the Day of German Unity, a national holiday. To get over jet lag, I crashed with my daughter Leah and her family before the seminar in Auschwitz. Being with my two granddaughters, Ziva and Maya, participating in their everyday activities, preparing meals, and laughing at their Knock-Knock jokes was healing for me. Life goes on. This column is dedicated to my beloved sister, Ruth Loewenstein, Oct. 4, 1943–Aug. 6, 2023. Chicago, Aug. 6, Hospice Ward, Rush Hospital. My nephew Scott and I were with my sister Ruth when she died. Scott’s wife Shu compiled a “Happy Birthday to Great-Aunt Ruth”video, sung by the great-grandchildren of a Holocaust survivor, our dad. Scott held his phone over her bed as it played, two months before her 80th birthday. Could Ruth’s ears hear the sweet little voices singing “Happy Birthday” in five different languages, reflecting the various languages spoken in their respective homes? Scott said he did not know if she had passed. He is a physician; how could he not know? I felt as if I were in a stage play, in which the audience determines the outcome. Unreal. Was I in denial? Denial is the first stage of grieving, according to Swiss-American psychiatrist Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, author of the ground-breaking 1969 text, “On Death and Dying”. Working through emotional stages of denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and finally, acceptance, can result in healing. These stages can occur in any order or not at all. It helped me to name what I was experiencing. Dr. KüblerRoss’s science helped me grieve. I told my rabbi, Nathaniel Ezray of Congregation Beth Jacob of Redwood City, Calif., that 30 days of Shloshim, the formal period of mourning for a sibling in BY MIRIAM L. ZIMMERMAN, ED.D. Healing After the Holocaust, Part 2 Finding Solace in Science, Religion, and in the Words of Survivors Holocaust Educator (see Zimmerman, page 9) 8 The Jewish Post & Opinion – SE December 1, 2023 The Jewish Funeral Home of Greater Indianapolis 317-873-4776 11411 N. Michigan Road just north of I-465 ARN Aaron Ruben Nelson
ZIMMERMAN (continued from page 8) Sat., Oct. 7, the invasion of Israel by Hamas.We prepared for my granddaughter Ziva’s 10th birthday party, scheduled for the next day, when I would be flying to Kraków, Poland. Since the children were home all day, we kept the TV off. Maya is seven; how do you explain war to impressionable little girls? I did not learn the scope of the Hamas invasion or the extent of their atrocities until I was in Poland. MUC (Munich International Airport), Oct. 8. Pairs of armed men were everywhere, rifles on their backs, staring intently at the travelers. They must be military, I concluded. Their uniforms did not match those of security.Was I entering a war zone? On the train from Kraków to O´swiecim, the Village of Auschwitz, Oct. 8. I imagined myself on a train 80 years ago, heading to Auschwitz. I was crammed with over 100 fellow Jews in a freight car, no room to sit. Instead of enjoying a snack of trail mix and bottled water, I was thirsty and starving. One bucket served the elimination needs of all. The sole window was too high for me to see the verdant grass or the undulating landscape, intersected by isolated farms or the occasional village. Some of the people around me died of suffocation or starvation before we reached our destination. Only the interminable sound of wheels clanking on tracks was the same. Auschwitz I, Oct. 8; a four-hour tour. I learned a myriad of details I had not known about the Auschwitz camps and was brought up to date on current research and construction. A new Visitor’s Service Center, in the historic building that housed the slaughterhouse and dairy during the camp’s operation, opened in the summer of 2023. It is the new entrance to the Museum and Memorial. Pawel Sawicki, tour guide par excellence and Auschwitz Museum press officer, pointed out the upside down “B” in the sign over the camp entrance,“Arbeit Macht Frei”(Work Makes One Free), an anomaly never before pointed out to me.Although no one knows for sure why, camp lore concluded that the slave laborers created it as an act of sabotage that the Nazis missed. Because of the relentless rain, we had to slog through mud throughout the fourhour tour, more rain than I’ve seen in California during the last ten years. I was reminded of the weather in late Jan. 2020. “This isn’t winter,” our guide, a native of O´swiecim, shook her head. “It should be snowing, not raining, with two feet of snow on the ground. It should be 15 degrees colder; it’s more like April than January.”Climate change strikes Auschwitz. At night, I returned to the luxury of O´swiecim Hilton Hotel, courtesy of the Auschwitz Museum, to shower off the grime of the extermination camp and to dilute the horrors of what I had seen and heard. For three days, I transitioned from luxury to deprivation and back to luxury again. At any moment, I expected to see the great Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini with his camera, to capture the irony. While dressing for another three-course dinner in the hotel dining room, also courtesy of the Museum, I watched CNN International depict the atrocities inflicted on Israel by Hamas. My depression deepened. Auschwitz is not over for the Jewish people; the horrors of the past echo in the horrors of today. Auschwitz II – Birkenau, Oct. 9; another four-hour tour. It was the 114th birthday of my beloved father, Werner Loewenstein, may he rest in peace. All day, thoughts of Dad wove into those of my sister. Dr. Kübler-Ross named what I was experiencing in Auschwitz: “accumulated grief.”Perhaps I also grieved for those of my family murdered in Auschwitz. Pawel asserted that cattle cars were not used to take victims to Auschwitz. Stopping at the iconic red train car on the tracks in Birkenau, he pointed out the one high window, insufficient to provide enough ventilation. In contrast, cattle cars with wooden slats over windows provided plenty of air. In the selection process, whether one goes “to the left”or “to the right”for either extermination or work has no meaning, declared Pawel. The doctors making the selections stood opposite each other, pointing which way a hapless prisoner was to go. Thus, either left or right could have a deadly outcome, depending on the position of the doctor. It was the gesture, not the language, that determined one’s fate. Thank you, Pawel, for answering a question no previous Auschwitz guide could. That afternoon, Pawel took us through the new Conservation Laboratories, opened on Sept. 25, 2023, just outside the camp in a historic building. The Laboratories provide technology to enable Museum scientists to study the historical artifacts and the causes of damage to them over time. We journalists traipsed through room after room of gleaming state-of-theart microscopes and computers, with access to brand-new restrooms whenever needed. The afternoon was the antithesis of our morning tour of Birkenau, dubbed: “Anus Mundi” (anus of the world) by a Nazi doctor. Fellini, is that you? According to Pawel, the decision has been made to conserve, not restore, the artifacts of Auschwitz. Dr. Slawomir Wilczy´nski, a specialist in bioengineering and imaging from the Silesian Medical University explained at the Lab’s opening ceremony, “The cooperation between Silesian Medical University and the Museum has only one task: to preserve the testimony of truth.” The new laboratory will stop, or at least slow down, the deterioration of “the objects of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum…. [In this way] they can serve the understanding of the mechanisms of intolerance, racism, and antisemitism, which are especially relevant today [emphasis added, from Auschwitz.org].” Rabbi Ezray would agree. Preserving memory characterizes one of his own five stages to help grieving congregants like me. He suggests Tisha B’Av, the Jewish day for mourning disasters of the past, as (see Zimmerman, page 10) Under the “Arbeit Macht Frei” Sign The author (R) at the entrance to Auschwitz I, Jan. 2020. Notice the upside down “B” in the first word, “Arbeit” in the sign above her. Photo by: Richard Zimmerman. Under the Red Freight Car A freight car used during the Holocaust at the selection platform in Birkenau. Dr. Alex Kor explained to the CANDLES group in Jan. 2020 what happened to his mother, Eva Kor (who died in 2019). Photo by: Richard Zimmerman. Under the Microscope State-of-the-art microscope at the new Conservation Laboratory at Auschwitz. Photo by: Pawel Sawicki, Auschwitz Museum and Memorial. December 1, 2023 The Jewish Post & Opinion – SE 9
10 The Jewish Post & Opinion – SE December 1, 2023 ZIMMERMAN (continued from page 9) a model for transforming pain to purpose. “Find joy in the sadness,” he counseled. “Decide how to bring light into the world, just like we Jews are to be a ‘Light unto the Nations.’”Bolstered by his inspiring words, I sought to replace my despair with hope, a stepping stone to healing. A recent webinar of the Combatants for Peace (CFP) gave me hope. CFP describes itself as “a grassroots movement of Palestinians and Israelis,” founded by former fighters on both sides. Over 700 attended the webinar, including at least three Rabbis and one Reverend. Women’s engagement gives me hope. Worldwide, women far exceed men in peace movements. In the Middle East, there is a coalition forged by Israeli-based “Women Wage Peace” and Palestinianbased “Women of the Sun.”A quote from an anonymous, lest she be put in danger, Arab woman on the website haunts me: “If women had been at the table, there would be no war.”A luminary like Meta’s chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg agrees. At last year’s International Women’s Day in Dubai, she told a CNBC reporter, “No two countries run by women would ever go to war.” It is time to make women equal partners at the table. Rev. Kristi and I speculated what might have resulted if women were in charge at the time of Jesus. Maybe Christianity could have been folded into Judaism. The feuding Houses of Hillel and Shammai come to mind; G-d loved both. Centuries of Church anti-Judaism would not have happened, and neither would have the Holocaust. Rev. Kristi would agree with Sheryl Sandberg. “Men have had 6,000 years to screw things up,” she declared to me recently, giving me permission to quote her verbatim. It’s too late for the current wars to have women in charge, but for negotiations to achieve a lasting peace, there should be more women at the table. If so, perhaps this war could be “the war to end all wars” between Israelis and Palestinians. Instead of dead babies on the nightly news, we could see seedlings of trees and listen to reports of progress in protecting our planet. A survivor should have the final say in an article about healing after the Holocaust. Leon Rajninger, born in Chernowitz, Romania (now Ukraine), was ten years old when the Nazis invaded. In an Aug. 30 email, Leon stated emphatically, “I have never healed. How does one erase the murder of six million? I don’t hold the generations that followed responsible for crimes committed by their parents, grandparents, or relatives. Germany has tried to repair its image. But how does one ‘erase’ such an atrocity?” Insights learned from researching and writing this article have been healing for me. Despite images of the wars in Israel and Ukraine that permeated my thoughts, I learned from Holocaust survivors, including forgiveness advocate Eva Kor and from my own grandchildren, that life goes on. During a recent Shabbat service, I learned from the commentary in Siddur Eit Ratzon that there is a transition in the prayers praising G-d. “We are no longer listening to a cosmic symphony, but each of us is composing our own song of praise,” according to the commentary. Psalms 150:6,“Let all that breathes praise You”is followed by Psalms 103:1,“My soul praises You, Adonai.” I concluded I do not need to feel diminished by comparing my grieving with those of Holocaust survivors mourning the loss of entire families. Nov. 18, St. Bartholomew’s Catholic Church, San Mateo, Calif. A speaker at a Multifaith Solidarity Havdalah Vigil: Standing with Our Jewish Community, sponsored by the Peninsula Multifaith (see Zimmerman, page 11)
December 1, 2023 The Jewish Post & Opinion – SE 11 ZIMMERMAN (continued from page 10) Coalition, the Peninsula Jewish Community Center, and other religious organizations, reinforced my conclusion.A rabbi cited both the Talmud and the Quran as teaching that, “each life represents the entire world.” That so many non-Jews in my community would attend this interfaith service gives me hope. For all of us, the need for healing is ongoing, especially during these horrific times. Leon echoed one of the goals of the Auschwitz seminar: responsibility. The survivor continued, “Our lives go on as many of us are enjoying a wonderful life with children, grandchildren, and greatgrandchildren. That is why we must try to erase hatred and teach only love and understanding around the world…. The legacy to all children should be ‘Responsibility, goodness, and kindness.’ All of us together must have a hand in determining the future of our children.” Dr. Miriam Zimmerman is professor emerita at Notre Dame de Namur University (NDNU) in Belmont, Calif., where she taught the Holocaust course for 25 years. She can be reached at [email protected]. The daughter of a Holocaust survivor, she was born and raised in Terre Haute, Ind. (See Healing After the Holocaust, Part I on page 10 of the JPO edition, Sept. 16, 2023. on www.jewishpostopinion.com) ✡ remain protected, those have lost loved ones find comfort, those who have been taken captive are quickly rescued, and that all the people of Israel are girded with strength so that peace may ultimately prevail in the Jewish State. We pray that this war ends quickly and decisively for the forces of good, the benefit of the Jewish People, and the entire world, and that we achieve the peace that comes from strength, as well as the peace that comes from harmonious pluralism. Rabbi Hal Schevitz is the rabbi of Congregation Beth-El Zedeck in Indianapolis. He also served as its Assistant Rabbi from 2013–2016. His passion is the study and teaching of Torah, and it is his goal to guide every person to find modern relevance in our ancient texts, connecting each one to a tradition that has been evolving for thousands of years. Rabbi Hal is married to Jena, and they have two daughters. He is originally from Baltimore, Md., like the Indianapolis Colts. ✡ Ohavei Adonai sinu-ra, shomer nafshot h. asidav miyad r’shayim yatzilem. “O you who love Adonai; hate evil. God guards the lives of those who are loyal, rescuing them from the hand of the wicked ones.” This verse speaks to us as well in this moment. We have witnessed a great evil perpetrated upon the Jewish People, one that should be obvious to all good people of faith. The verse is not limited to just Israel, suggesting that all people who love God are commanded to hate evil. In the opening chapter of the Torah, God is the singular force for good, ordering the watery chaos into a world that will be inhabited by the wonderous diversity of creation. Upon creating each element, God calls it “good.” Upon creating humanity, God call us “very good.” Humanity is meant to aspire to be good and to achieve shalom, because we are created in the Image of God. Sometimes that means ridding the world of evil, just as God rid the world of the forces of chaos. Now is such a time. Ecclesiastes teaches,“There’s a time for peace and a time for war. Now is the time for war.” Unfortunately, this is a time for war. A grotesque evil has been done to our people, and we are blessed to have such a strong and resilient country that will rally and defeat the enemy. Israel’s fortitude in this moment should be an example to us all, to hold our heads high and raise our voices for the already unfolding public relations conflict we are facing. As Israelis fight on the battlefield, we Jews of the Diaspora must show up, and that is what so many of us did on November 14, 2023, in Washington D.C, on the national mall. The rally was uplifting, edifying, and it left us with renewed energy and hope, and a reason to persevere in the face of our challenges. It was also a great boon to the State Israel. One of the biggest Jewish questions of the past few years was whether or not Jews in Israel and the Diaspora were still connected. Do we really still care about each other? On November 14th, we showed Israel, and ourselves, that the answer is a resounding “yes!” After 40 days of anxiety, of questioning whether we were alone in this struggle, we discovered that we are not alone, because we have each other. We may be the smallest of nations, but we are the biggest of families. For so long, Jews were not allowed to have either a voice or a way to defend themselves. Now we have both, and we must use our agency to the best of our ability. We pray that those who do evil are brought to justice, those who are safe Peace and Good Health Go Hand in Hand BY RABBI HAL SCHEVITZ Throughout the course of a service, we pray for Shalom several times. In English, we render Shalom as “peace,”but this word carries many nuances to it. It is derived from the Hebrew word which means “to complete” or “to make whole.” So, the word Shalom captures a sense of “completion,”“wholeness,”“fulfillment,”“contentment.” When we have these things, then we have peace. At this moment, Jews do not possess these feelings. We are feeling vulnerable, anxious, on edge, and certainly lacking contentment. And so, it is fitting that we pray for peace. In concluding the silent Amidah, we find the prayer: Oseh shalom bimromav, hu ya’aseh shalom aleinu, v’al kol Yisrael, v’al yoshvei teivel, v’imru: Amen. “May the one who creates harmony above make peace for us and for all Israel, and for all who dwell on earth. And say: Amen.” This prayer understands peace as a state of harmony, that humanity can co-exist in a pluralistic society, respecting all of our differences. However, that is only one understanding of Shalom. Another interpretation comes from the Kabbalat Shabbat service. At the end of Psalm 29, we read: Adonai oz l’amo yitein, Adonai y’varekh et amo vashalom. “May Adonai grant strength to Your people, and may Adonai bless us with peace.” This is a sense of peace that we feel when our enemies have been defeated, when we are finally safe. It is peace from a place of strength and victory. Rabbinic tradition asks of us that the words that we produce from our mouths match our inner intentions. Harmony is a wonderful ideal, and it is our usual go-to image for peace, the one that we all hold in our hearts and intentions. Right now, in this very moment, it might be more helpful to us to pray for the latter, the peace that is manifested by means of the strength and safety of the Jewish People. In Psalm 97:10, another Psalm of Kabbalat Shabbat, we read:
12 The Jewish Post & Opinion – SE December 1, 2023 One of the central Jewish prayers recited on behalf of those who are ill or recovering from illness or accidents is known as the Mi Sheberach. (The name is taken from the prayer’s first two words.) It asks for both physical cure and spiritual healing, seeking blessing, strength, compassion, and restoration within the community of others facing illness as well as all Jews, all human beings. The Jewish tradition, of course, takes a systemic approach to healing, mindful of everyone who feels the impact of illness, pain, and loss, including but not limited to the individuals who are themselves suffering. Indeed, it understands that all those near and dear to the patient face their own set of challenges, at least on a spiritual level. It is important, then, that Jewish healing be multi-directional and that our prayers not only be about those who are ill, but by them express their love for and appreciation of those who are caring for them, in imitation of, and in partnership with, God’s healing and love. Toward this end we present to you two additional Mi Sheberach prayers: one for people who are ill to say for their health care professionals and one to offer for family and friends. These two versions are suggestive, or compose your own personal prayer, in your own words. But don’t hesitate to “take words with you, and respond to God....” (Hosea 14:3) Mi Sheberach for Family Members or Close Friends (to be recited by patients) May the One who blessed our Matriarchs and Patriarchs Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob bless and strengthen my (family member, good friend, etc.) May s/he be instilled with patience and fortitude, sensitivity and understanding, with courage and hope. May others reach out to her/him with tenderness and lovingkindness, and may s/he receive the blessings offered by our community and tradition. Help her/him to know how much I appreciate her/his love and devotion. Give her/him a long, full, peaceful, and happy life marked by a complete healing, a healing of spirit, and a healing of body, now and always, and let us say, Amen. Mi Sheberach for Health Care Professionals (to be recited by patients) May the One who blessed our Matriarchs and Patriarchs Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob bless and strengthen my (doctor, nurse, etc.) and all who seek to heal those who are suffering. Imbue her/him with courage, confidence, understanding, and compassion so s/he may join You in the work of healing. May s/he not surrender to despair, uncertainty, or fatigue, but engage in Your work with wholeheartedness and devotion. Help her/him to accompany me throughout my journey, Two Mi Sheberachs BY RABBI SIMKHA Y. WEINTRAUB (see Weintraub, page 13)
December 1, 2023 The Jewish Post & Opinion – SE 13 Beit T’Shuvah BY JENNIE COHEN In 2004 and 2009, I wrote about Beit T’Shuvah (literally, House of Return), a halfway house for Jewish men recovering from addictive behavior. I had heard about it from the book Stalking Elijah by Rodger Kamenetz published in 1997. When I checked their website recently, beittshuvah.org, I was glad to see that it is still going strong. Below is most of what I wrote in 2004 and 2009 so some of this information may be outdated now. For example, Rabbi Abraham Twerski M.D., passed away Jan. 31, 2021, at age 90, and P’nai Or is now ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal. These two columns were not included in any of our previous Focus on Healing sections. According to the book Stalking Elijah by Rodger Kamenetz, published in 1997, 25 Jewish men recovering from addictive behavior reside at Beit T’Shuvah, and the house is always full,with a waiting list to get in. The program is based on the spiritual and ethical principles of Judaism and was founded by Harriet Rosetto, a social worker. They have a 50 percent success rate “as far as staying clean and connecting to Judaism and repairing the damage done with families.” This is compared to the general prison system which rehabilitates only 15 percent of offenders. I saw on their website that in 1999 they moved to a larger location which houses approximately 110 residents. It also mentions that “It is the only treatment and prevention center of its type in the United States. In addition to residential treatment, Beit T’Shuvah offers programs for the entire community. These include prevention programs, family and alumni support, conflict resolution and court advocacy as well as professional training.” The problem of Jewish addiction to alcohol or drugs is often ignored by the Jewish community. Yet nationally, as at Beit T’Shuvah, Jewish movements are addressing the problem. Rabbi Abraham Twerski, M.D., of a distinguished Hasidic lineage, has been a leader in Jewish 12-Step programs. Kamenetz was told that at the Beit T’Shuvah Friday night service, “We just have a ball. For an hour or two, we create Shabbas: peace, joy, comradery, community. Friday afternoon at about four o’clock, no matter who’s arguing with you, who doesn’t like you, there’s a shift. “The Shekhinah (God’s indwelling presence, conceived as female) is in the tent. She shows up every Shabbas...that house is blessed. It’s in a terrible neighborhood, gangs control our street. But if one of the guys in our house tried to buy drugs, they tell him,‘We won’t sell you drugs, you live over there.’ In an area that is almost all Latino, we have a respect, and we give respect. It’s an amazing oasis.” The service was a mixture of standard prayers and blessings with 12-Step confessional exercises and some Jewish renewal renderings from the P’nai Or siddur (prayer book). “But for all the liturgical patchwork and informal quality of the service, there was no question that for some of us this prayer was vital,” writes Kamenetz,”..…for some people, finding a Jewish path is more than a consumer item. It’s life or death.” Jennie Cohen, Nov. 24, 2004 This week I had the good fortune of being personally handed The Beit T’Shuvah Prayer Book and The Beit T’Shuvah Torah. In the latter, the first page explains, “The Torah is the story of the Jewish people – where they came from, where they are going, their struggle with their enemies, both internal and external, and the teachings that guided their journey. “This Torah is the story of Beit T’Shuvah – its history, the values and principles upon which it rests, and a few of its heroes’stories. “Beit T’Shuvah, the House of Return and Repentance, is the only place of its kind anywhere. Part rehab, part synagogue, part 12-step and revival meeting and part extended Jewish family, it is a Jewish faith community, where broken souls find wholeness and misfits find acceptance. “The healing traditions that guide the community are a tapestry of Jewish spiritual wisdom, the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous and the practices of both. A major tenet of the Beit T’Shuvah model is that no one size fits all and the ‘Beit T’Shuvah Way’ is to be open to whatever principles and practices support spiritual and emotional growth (i.e., cognitive-behavioral and positive psychology, art, drama and music therapy and even surf therapy).” “The Beit T’Shuvah campus is in West Los Angeles. The facility is a homey setting where approximately 120 residents interact with clinical staff in a healing atmosphere that emphasizes faith-based recovery and the values of the Jewish community. Addiction is a disease of the body, mind and spirit and Beit T’Shuvah offers a dynamic program to meet the individual needs of each resident in every stage of recovery.” The following prayer is from The Beit T’Shuvah Prayer Book: God, as I prepare to enter the wilderness, I pray that You give me the strength to make it, that You give me the strength and happiness for another day, for the faith to believe, to be free of all sins, that you help show me the way, that my journey would be a smooth one; if I wasn’t so afraid of the unknown, that I be open and accepting of Your will that I enter with no preconceived notions, that I have the courage and the health to overcome all obstacles including myself, that You’ll grant me the insight to deal with every situation as it arises, that I take action on Your guidance that my soul be open and relish the journey, that I can accept my journey as my journey accepts me, that I can remember that I am part of You, that I can see the holiness in this moment. The residents of Beit T’Shuvah, 1993 One stark observation from reading the remarkable testimonials in The Beit T’Shuvah Torah is how easily one can become an addict. One woman grew up in a loving and functional family, married a man who had a lucrative job and they had two beautiful sons. When she was 34, she had a herniated disc and was given Percodan, an opiate. After three weeks’usage, she felt as if she couldn’t live without the medication. After years of abusing this and much worse drugs, she eventually bottomed out and stumbled through Beit T’Shuvah’s doors with no money, no car, no cell phone, no job, no health insurance, no friends, and no teeth. Beit T’Shuvah nurtured her back to health physically, emotionally, and spiritually, and because of that her family and her place in society were restored. Jennie Cohen, May 13, 2009 ✡ WEINTRAUB (continued from page 12 to speak with me, to listen to me, to be with me so that together we may strive for a complete healing, a healing of body and a healing of spirit, soon, speedily, without delay, and let us say, Amen. Rabbi Simkha Y. Weintraub is rabbinic director of The National Center for Jewish Healing and the New York Jewish Healing Center of the JBFCS, www.ncjh.org. (Originally published in the JPO Healing edition, Jan. 26, 2005.) ✡
14 The Jewish Post & Opinion – SE December 1, 2023 I’m not an alcoholic. Never have been, and probably never will be. Can’t stand the taste of alcohol. But if I were, Alcoholics Anonymous would be my bible. It used to be that alcoholism couldn’t really be cured. Doctors can treat it. But solutions that stick are hard to come by. Same thing for drug dependency. Same for overeating (even worse because you can’t give up eating). Same for any obsession/compulsion that takes over people’s lives, destroys their families, and doesn’t let up until someone is dead. In 1939, along came Alcoholics Anonymous – “the Big Book” – and two extraordinary gentlemen (“drunks,”they would tell you) who stumbled (literally!) upon a system that, again and again (to the tune of multiple millions of men, women, and teenagers) has rescued and restored those whose dependence on alcohol should only have earned them lives of despair and early burial. Over the past 67 years, Alcoholics Anonymous has found its way into more than 25 million homes (and is now also online at www.aa.org/bigbookonline). The system is not a complicated one. It basically consists of seeking the camaraderie and support of other alcoholics, those who are themselves trying to find healing from their illness and – of utmost importance – those who have found healing and are, for the rest of their lives, trying to help others get sober so they themselves can stay sober. And it works. Not for everyone. Because it takes work. Hard work. But what’s amazing is that the support system it provides – others, who have been where you are now, lending a shoulder to help you through the night – accomplishes the near-impossible. Never should we underestimate the power of non-judgmental friendship. There’s more to it. It takes 12 steps to get to sobriety and stay there. Honest personal inventory, as well as humble apologies to those we’ve hurt, sound a lot like Yom Kippur. It is. And it demonstrates just how effective our own work during the High Holy Days could be if we took it as much to heart as these folks do. Of tremendous interest to me is the requirement that each participant make “a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.” Many Reform Jews who enter 12-step programs get caught up on this one. If we even believe in God, it’s unlikely that God is one into whose care we can abandon ourselves. And I’ve sat with many an AA member to talk through this vital step toward recovery. Why is it vital? Because, I think, the alcoholic lacks sufficient inner resources with which to beat this thing. And each time they think they can lick it, even if they succeed for months, even years, it eventually comes back. Allowing outside “powers” to do the hard work doesn’t mean we’re off the hook, but it does mean that the universe is conspiring to make us healthy ... if we’ll just let it do so. But how does a liberal, non-fundamentalist Reform Jew turn his/her will and life over to the care of God? The best interpretation I’ve read comes from the Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. They write that to believe a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity means, at a practical level,“There is hope if you let yourself be helped.”And making a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God can mean,“Try making decisions in a different way. Take others’ suggestions. Permit others to help you.” They suggest that using the phrase “Helping Power” can, for some, be more accessible than “Higher Power.” But here’s the thing. I believe (deeply) that God’s presence in the world is to be found not in some miraculous-supernaturalintervention prayed for by the pious and truly worthy. For me, God’s presence is in the everyday beauty and goodness that permeate our world, a gift that is withheld from no one, not even the flawed, constantly stumbling folks who make up pretty much 99.9% of the world’s population. And if we’d allow ourselves a leap of faith, there is an entire universe filled with possibilities for sustained healing. If we’ll permit it, there are an infinite number of doctors, therapists, friends, family members, and just good people who will help us. But only if we allow it. There is hope if you let yourself be helped. Make a decision to turn your will and your life over to the care of God as you understand God? That may not be such an impossible task for us doubters and skeptics after all. We just have to make sure to leave the God we can’t believe in outside the door and let the one we can believe in come inside. A comprehensive list of 12-step programs can be found at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ List_of_Twelve-Step_groups. Rabbi Billy Dreskin was ordained from HUC-JIR in 1987. He has been senior rabbi of Woodland Community Temple in Greenburgh, New York since 1995. He and his wife, Cantor Ellen Dreskin (along with five others) currently perform with Beged Kefet, a nationally renowned Jewish tzedakah musical collective. The couple has three children. (Originally published in the JPO Healing edition, June 11. 2008.) ✡ j i Is Help From a Higher Power Waiting for Us? BY RABBI BILLY DRESKIN Sometimes I worry that people might get the wrong idea about the Misheberach, the prayer for healing that we recite on Shabbat evening, and on Shabbat morning. We voice the names of those who are coping with illness or trauma and then appeal to God to grant them (us) a refuah shelema – a complete healing. For many, this moment in the service is the most urgent – and the most meaningful. The Misheberach expresses our most desperate yearnings – that we and those we love will be healthy. Here is my worry: Are we asking for something that God cannot deliver? Are we raising hopes for miraculous interventions, for magical cures? Jewish tradition has always revered the medical arts and encouraged the pursuit of scientific discovery to help relieve human suffering.Antibiotics, chemotherapy, insulin injections, bypass surgery – these are the kind of wondrous interventions for which we are to give thanks as Jews. There is a limit to what the best medicine can accomplish, however, and even as Judaism celebrates medical breakthroughs that save lives and relieve pain, Jewish tradition reminds us that we are more than our bodies. (My aunt, still recovering from transplant surgery, captured the frustrations of many patients when she recently reminded her doctors,“I am more than my liver enzymes!”) The traditional Misheberach – the one we recite each Saturday morning during the Torah service – is an appeal for “a complete healing, healing of soul and healing of body.”(When Debbie Friedman re-interpreted this prayer and set it to music – the version we recite each Friday night – she reversed the order, praying first for “renewal of body” and then for “renewal of spirit.”[See top of page 15]) The primacy of the soul in the traditional prayer points to an important distinction Judaism makes, a distinction between cures and healings. A cure makes an illness go away. Healing means that a person – at any point along the spectrum of health and illness – can feel whole, can cope, can turn toward life with a sense of blessing, even in the midst of suffering. Accomplishing such a sense of wholeness is a life-long task, but the Misheberach gives us a hint of where to begin – with Healing of Spirit, Healing of Body BY RABBI MIRA WASSERMAN (see Wasserman, page 15)
the soul, with that part of ourselves that points toward eternity and that longs to connect to something bigger. Illness isolates us, makes us fearful, makes us vulnerable, reduces us to being mere bodies. Jewish tradition addresses these aspects of illness through the Misheberach and other rituals of healing. Coming together with other people, we take a step toward connection.Voicing our deepest pleas, we seek out hope. Drawing close to a community and to our truest selves, we find our strength. Letting our souls breathe, we reach toward wholeness. For some, the Misheberach is a request that only God can answer. For me, the Misheberach is an answer – an affirmation that community, tradition, and soulful reflection can bring healing, wholeness, and blessing, if not a cure. Rabbi Mira Wasserman was leading Congregation Beth Shalom, in Bloomington, Ind., at the time this was originally published in the JPO Healing edition, Jan. 18, 2006. ✡ WASSERMAN (continued from page 14) December 1, 2023 The Jewish Post & Opinion – SE 15 Sing a Prayer for Healing BY DEBBIE FRIEDMAN, Z”L Mi shebeirach avoteinu M’kor hab’racha l’imoteinu May the source of strength Who blessed the ones before us Help us find the courage to make our lives a blessing And let us say, Amen. Mi shebeirach imoteinu M’kor habrachah l’avoteinu Bless those in need of healing with r’fuah sh’leimah The renewal of body, the renewal of spirit And let us say, Amen. youtu.be/pHKo3CjuzpY?si=kG8OfI4UiD 2rmSKI ✡ A Prayer During Illness BY RABBI SAMUEL SILVER, Z”L O Lord, creator of the world. I turn to You in my time of need. In the silence of my room, I ask for strength. You know how frail I am. But You have placed the wonderful power of healing within me. In You and Your will I put my hope and my trust. Grant a full measure of skill and wisdom to my doctors and nurses. Help me to be appreciative of the kindness and help I daily receive. I thank you too for the loving concern and attention of my dear ones. I pray that you will lighten their burden for my sake and renew their strength. May I find comfort in the words of the prophet Jeremiah: “Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed. Save me and I shall be saved.” Rabbi Sam Silver, z”l, June 7, 1912 – May 9, 2008, wrote a column, “Digest of the Yiddish Press,” book reviews, and other articles for the JPO for almost 60 years. He generally managed to include some good news and sprightly good humor in his columns. He was a champion of finding the goodness in life no matter what the situation. In his listing in Who’s Who in the World, Rabbi Silver wrote, “The greatest of all miracles is that we need not be tomorrow what we are today, but that we can improve if we make use of the potentials implanted in us by God.” (Originally published in the JPO Healing edition, June 24, 2009.) ✡ j i (Feb. 23, 1951 –Jan. 9, 2011)
16 The Jewish Post & Opinion – SE December 1, 2023 Many Jews are surprised to learn that a sickbed prayer, known as the Vidui, is a part of Jewish tradition. This prayer asks God for healing yet acknowledges the possibility that death may be near. The prayer also asks forgiveness for any previous transgressions or wrongdoings. This prayer is not seen as a bad omen. Indeed, we are taught “Most of those who said the Vidui did not die, and many who did not say it died. Many who are walking the streets recited the Vidui...” Thus, a prayer for healing and forgiveness, accompanied by the realization that one’s fate is ultimately in God’s hands, is something that need not be reserved for life’s final moments. Rather, forgiveness and reconciliation should be a part of our lives every day. However, as this week’s [Dec. 30, 2023, this year] Torah portion shows us, old hurts and fears may lie under the surface for decades. We read that after the patriarch Jacob dies, his sons become afraid of their brother Joseph. Years ago, the brothers had traveled to Egypt to get food during a time of famine. They appealed to the secondhighest ruler in Egypt. They did not realize that illustrious person was their brother Joseph whom they had sold into slavery 22 years before. Eventually, when Joseph makes his identity known to them, they are stunned, then frightened. Surely Joseph would now pay them back for the terrible treatment he had from them! But Joseph has only comforting words for them, reassuring them that he holds no grudges. He realizes that ultimately it was God, not the brothers, who sent him to Egypt. He urges his brothers to bring their father and all their households to Egypt, to live peacefully with him there. But now, after living together for 17 years, their father Jacob has died. The sons fearfully wonder if Joseph has truly forgiven them for their harsh treatment of him decades before. Perhaps now that their father has died, Joseph will finally demand his revenge. When Joseph learns of their fear, he weeps. His tears are those of compassion as he realizes the pain and uncertainty his brothers must have harbored for all those years. We too feel compassion for the brothers. What a shame that for so long they never spoke to Joseph of their fear. What a shame they lived with their fear, rather than dealing with the situation directly. Fortunately, Joseph was finally able to reassure them, and they were at last fully reconciled. They lived their remaining days at peace with one another. When we are ill, thoughts of our mortality are often with us. The Vidui is a prayer of hope and reconciliation, reminding us to make amends with those we have hurt, to forgive and ask forgiveness. Illness can often be a time of introspection and review of the past. Are there people with whom it is time to make amends? Are there situations that can be forgiven, so that reconciliation can take place in this lifetime? © Bay Area Jewish Healing Center. By Rabbi Helen Cohn of Congregation M’kor Hayim in Tucson, Ariz., (www.mkorhayim.org). (Originally published in the JPO Healing edition, Jan. 11, 2017.) ✡ Reconciliation and Healing: Torah Reflections on Parashat Vayechi Genesis 47:28–50:26 BY RABBI HELEN COHN Happy Hanukkah! Happy Hanukkah!
December 1, 2023 The Jewish Post & Opinion – SE 17 How to Stay Healthy In 1997, I took a journalism class for nonmajors at Indiana University. Below is one of our assignments. I had gleaned this information from my research and studies for my degree in 1990 at the Acupressure Institute in Berkeley, Calif. Rereading it, I think you may still find some helpful advice for today. Now, more than ever, it is important to stay healthy. Due to rising healthcare costs, some people are not able to get the treatment they need, and prevention is the best protection against that problem. Many people under the age of 30 are not as concerned about their health as are older people. This may be because physically they are resilient, and bounce back easily from unhealthy behavior. It is easier to develop good habits when one is young, and this will be appreciated later in life. But, one can begin even in old age and reap benefits. It is important to be aware that when there are problems with physical health, the body is not the only area that must be examined. Other areas include the environment (Physical), the individual’s feelings (Emotional), his or her thoughts (Mental) and the person’s beliefs (Spiritual). One should not be misled by the separation of health into four distinct categories. In reality, they cannot be separated because each affects the other. For example, if one were to take a 40 minute walk on the beach, it would be valuable physically. The walker may also be lifted out of a bad mood, which would be an emotional improvement. And since being away from distractions at work or home is conducive to self-reflection, the individual could also gain new insight into how to resolve a pending conflict.That fits into the mental and spiritual categories. Physical The following ten items are suggestions for strengthening physical health: 1. Spend some time in nature, sometimes away from the city; 2. Focus on your breathing periodically and be sure to inhale into the abdomen and exhale completely; 3. Remember that brisk walking is an invigorating exercise and daily stretching is also beneficial; 4. Eat foods as whole, natural, and fresh as possible; 5. Read labels and avoid eating foods with artificial preservatives, additives, and coloring agents; 6. Consume fresh fruits and vegetables which are most nutritious, especially leafy greens; 7. Chew each bite of food several times to aid digestion; 8. Bear in mind that water is an excellent drink when one is thirsty; 9. Allow ample time to sleep and rest; 10. For optimum comfort and protection, keep the body, hair, nails, and teeth clean. One should not underestimate the importance of numbers two and three. One of the best remedies for anxiety and tension is to take slow, deep breaths. Brisk walking is an exercise one can do for a lifetime. It has little risk of injury, can be done anywhere and requires no equipment. The alternating back-and-forth movements of the arms and legs produce a coordinated rhythm that stimulates brain development and is good for the nervous system. When deciding which foods are healthiest, consider numbers four and five. For example, the necessary ingredients for bread are grains, yeast, and oil. When the list of ingredients numbers more than eight, one has to ask if all the extra ingredients provide needed nutrients or are just fillers. Also, the more processes the ingredients are put through, the more they are altered from their original state and the less nutrients they will provide. This is often true of grains. For example, whole wheat and brown rice are more nutritious than white flour – which is refined wheat – and white rice, which is missing some B vitamins needed for the brain and nervous system. Freshness is important in produce because it is most nutritious immediately after being picked; Fruits and vegetables grown locally can be healthier because they did not travel many hours and miles to get to the grocery. The body is approximately 70 percent water. When deciding what the best thirst quencher is, consider number eight. Why drink a mixture of caramel color, sugar and carbonated water which has no nutritional value and causes cavities? Artificial sweeteners also have no nutritional value and are far from natural. Approximately half of those who ingest them experience an increase in appetite. Items in number six can serve as refreshing snacks that give the body something it needs, and provide energy. These can be in the form of juice, and freshly-made juice has the most nutrition. Emotional Practicing the items in the following list can be beneficial for one’s emotional health. Release negative emotions such as anger, sadness, fear and guilt, and experience joy, happiness, pleasure and peace by: 1. Immersing in negative emotions until they dissipate (i.e. listening to a sad song if one is sad or writing or telling someone about feelings); 2. Apologizing to someone for treating them unkindly; 3. Refraining from self-comparison to others; 4. Doing something physical such as dancing, hiking, swimming, or any favorite sport; 5. Singing, playing an instrument, or listening to music; 6. Growing plants or flowers and keeping some inside; 7. Doing something creative such as drawing, writing poetry, cooking, or making a bookcase; 8. Attending a movie, lecture, sporting event, comedy show, or concert; 9. Reading a book or playing cards and board games; 10. Playing with children or a pet. There are many ways to enjoy oneself, and what works for one may not work for another. When one is bored or feeling depressed, it is important to be active. Experiment with different activities, finding those that work and, if they are not on this list, write them down for future reference. Mental One’s thoughts and perceptions can either promote healing or illness, regardless of what one is experiencing. For example, suppose a man is driving to an important appointment but gets stuck in traffic because of an automobile accident. This is going to make him late. He could become irritated which may cause his heart rate to increase, his breath to become shallow and his muscles to tighten. This will not make the line of cars in front of him disappear. Instead of being frustrated, he could imagine he is at the beach. Walking barefoot, feeling the wet sand between his toes and the warm sun on his skin, he hears sea gulls flying above and waves hitting the shore. He smells seaweed and salt water and gazes at a blue sky with a few puffy white clouds dancing by. Even though each minute his car cannot move, he will be later for his appointment, his body responds as if he is on vacation. His muscles relax, his breathing slows down and deepens. Instead of arriving late and tense, he arrives calm. It may take years of practice to reach this level of success, but each time one attempts visualization, it strengthens one’s ability and even if one can only relax for a few seconds, that is better than not at all. The following list contains suggestions to improve one’s mental health: 1.Think about a respected quality which has been acquired; BY JENNIE COHEN (see Cohen, page 18)
18 The Jewish Post & Opinion – SE December 1, 2023 2. Think about something funny; 3. Using the five senses – sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch – remember one of the most enjoyable times you ever experienced; 4. Think about the blessings for which you are thankful; 5. Think about things accomplished, instead of what has not yet been; 6. Imagine in great detail, a peaceful, relaxing place; 7. Forgive yourself and others for mistakes; 8. Look in the mirror and say,“I LOVE YOU!”and give yourself a big hug; 9. Create a self-image as strong, beautiful, wise, and happy as can be; 10. Keep a journal. A journal is another name for a diary. It is writing that no one will read except the one who writes it. The writer does not have to be concerned with correct spelling or grammar. He or she can write in it whenever convenient and say whatever is desired. A journal can become like a friend if done on a regular basis, such as once a week or more. If one has a problem but does not know why, or what to do about it, writing down all the details can help clear up confusion. Journal-writing can be similar to meditation because it can help one understand oneself better and gain insight about what needs to be done for self-improvement. Spiritual Believing that life has a purpose and is not a random occurrence, helps some people cope with extremely difficult experiences. This includes having faith that each individual has a mission and part of the enjoyment of life is discovering what that is. Viewing problems as challenges for ones growth and development, rather than a string of bad luck, can relieve stress. These beliefs and the following practices help build spiritual health: 1. Daily scripture study; 2. Singing hymns or participating in other religious rituals; 3.Visiting the sick, elderly or bereaved; 4.Volunteer for community service; 5. Giving charity or helping people in need before they ask for it; 6. Making deep, honest communication with another person, with or without words; 7. Setting aside quiet time (with no interruptions) at approximately the same time every day for prayer and meditation; 8. Expressing gratitude through prayer or asking for forgiveness, expressing hopes and dreams, and asking to receive whatever one desires; 9. Meditating to help let go of thoughts, focus away from self, feel ones connection to all things, and be open to new insight; 10. Attending a religious service or 12- step program that meets on a regular basis. When one is making improvements for a healthier lifestyle, gradual changes have a higher success rate. Otherwise there can be a tendency to revert to old habits. The above lists contain many suggestions. They should not all be tried at once, but two or three may be chosen to start. If one decides to improve his or her diet, it is helpful to avoid looking at the goal as “all or nothing.”If the goal is to eat less fat, for example, and one has a choice between French fries and a baked potato, the obvious choice is the baked potato. That might not always be the choice of the health-conscious person, but it is the ideal. After one has improved one’s diet, the desire to eat fatty foods will diminish. When making changes, it is important that the new behavior becomes a habit much like brushing one’s teeth. Once it becomes a habit, the person will feel uneasy if he or she does not conform. At that point, it is no longer a struggle to practice the new behavior, and it does not require much thought. When one is working toward a goal, one frequently does not see immediate results. In the case of health, it is important not to give up. A gardener who has just planted a rose bush weeds it, makes sure it has enough sun and water and keeps garden pests from bothering it. Day after day, week after week, she takes care of her plant but sees only buds. All of a sudden, one day she goes outside and the buds have blossomed into the most beautiful red roses. The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. The final step takes only a second. Appreciate all the little steps in between. Jennie Cohen (Originally published in the JPO Healing edition, Jan. 26, 2005.) ✡ COHEN (continued from page 17) 7. Reflect: Whether you’re celebrating success or enduring a hardship, make time to reflect. Reflection fosters learning, new perspectives and a degree of self-awareness that can enhance your resiliency. 8. Reframe Skills: Think about the way you define yourself. Is it time to reframe how you see your skills, talents, and interests? By casting your skills in a new light, you can see how they might shift into new patterns of behavior. THEBLUEDOVEFOUNDATION.ORG #QUIETINGTHESILENCE @BLUEDOVEFOUNDATION ✡ BLUE DOVE (continued from page 20) Poem for the New Year Jews! Yidden! What if Pesach came on Rosh HaShanah, and we had to clean out our chumatz, do t’shuvah, and eat matzah, all at the same time? What if Purim ever fell on Shabbos, and we were commanded to drink so much Kiddush wine that we forgot the distinction between friend and enemy, then had to get up early and daven Shacharit, read Torah, drink lots more, and then remember the difference between day and night, the seventh day and the other six days, Jews and other people, the sacred and the profane – it would be hard! – not to mention sacrilegious to invade the Shabbos with revelry and role reversals. Suppose Tisha b’Av came on Tu b’Sh’vat, and we had to plant a tree while weeping, inaugurate new life in the midst of sadness – why, it might make us…ambivalent – and aren’t we Jews confused enough as it is? Suppose Chanukah came on Tu b’Av, and we bade goodbye to the longest nights while feeling the drafts of the looming Autumn... we’d be so twisted backwards and forwards we’d fall over and forget to stop dancing to light candles; we’d look for our soul-mates in a spinning dreidl! So how many are the good things the Almighty has done for us... He gives us Pesach in Springtime and Rosh HaShanah in the declining balance time of the year; Purim at the end of Winter and Shabbos every week; Tisha b’Av at the height of Summer and Tu b’Sh’vat when the almonds blossom in Berkeley and Yerushalayim; Chanukah in the midst of Winter, but Tu b’Av in the soft glow of Summer. To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under Heaven. ~ 29 Elul, 5742 / September 17, 1982 Reuven Goldfarb is a poet, storyteller, and essayist. His work has appeared in dozens of magazines, newspapers, and anthologies, and won several awards. Reuven co-founded and edited AGADA, the illustrated Jewish literary magazine. He and his wife, Yehudit, live in Tzfat, Israel. Email: [email protected]. BY REUVEN GOLDFARB j i
December 1, 2023 The Jewish Post & Opinion – SE 19
20 The Jewish Post & Opinion – SE December 1, 2023 1389 W 86th St. #160 Indianapolis, IN 46260 Post&Opinion The Jewish PRESORTED STANDARD US POSTAGE PAID INDIANAPOLIS, IN PERMIT NO. 1321 The Mental Health Menorah Hanukkah is a celebration of resilience, both physical and emotional, in the face of overwhelming odds. In the Hanukkah story, the Maccabees – the Jewish defenders of their faith and homeland – stood up against overwhelming odds and faced their Greek oppressors, who greatly outnumbered them. Following their victory, the Jewish people returned to the Temple and discovered that the oil for the holy menorah had apparently vanished. After desperately searching for some oil to light the menorah, they found just enough for one day. Despite a seemingly hopeless predicament, they lit it. Miraculously, it burned for eight days. Resilience is the psychological quality that allows some people to be knocked down by the adversities of life and come back at least as strong as before. Rather than letting difficulties, traumatic events or failure overcome them and drain their resolve, highly resilient people find a way to change course, emotionally heal and continue moving toward their goals. (Psychology Today) Throughout history, the Jewish people have faced adversity again and again. But with hope and resilience, we have refused to give up, and we have ultimately succeeded. Even the dreidel represents resilience, as it spins without knowing where it will land or what will happen when it does. Now, as we light our menorahs, let’s consider the ways we are building strength and resilience to be like the Maccabees. Only then can we persevere through the challenges that confront us. According to the Center for Creative Leadership, there are eight steps to building resilience. Try looking at each night of Hanukkah as another step toward building your more resilient self. Of course, everyone has different skills they need to work on. 1. Accept Change: Find ways to become more comfortable with change. Change is constant and inevitable, and you can only move forward if you accept it rather than resisting it. 2. Learn Continuously: Learn new skills, gain new understandings, and apply them during times of change. Don’t hold onto old behaviors and skills, especially when it’s obvious they don’t work anymore. 3. Take Charge: Embrace self-empowerment. Take charge of your own life and growth. Don’t expect someone else to guide the way. 4. Define Purpose: Develop a “personal why” that gives your life and ambitions meaning or helps you put yourself into a larger context. A clear sense of purpose helps you to assess setbacks within the framework of a broader perspective. 5. Create Balance: Form your identity apart from your career. A job is just one facet of your identity, and a career is just one aspect of your life. Separate who you are from what you do. 6. Cultivate Love: Develop and nurture a broad network of personal and professional relationships. Meaningful relationships create a strong base of support – a critical element in achieving goals, dealing with hardships, and developing perspective. (see Blue Dove, page 18)