The Four Weeks of
Elul – 5775. Week 4: Our Physical Selves.
For Father’s day, this past year, my children bought me a FitbitTM.
For the uninitiated, this is basically a rubber band with a special computer
chip imbedded inside that you wear on your wrist. It measures physical activity. It synchs with your smartphone and tells you
how many steps you have taken, how many minutes of exercise you have achieved,
how close you are to achieving pre-set goals and, if you are really obsessed, how
your progress compares with others who also have FitbitsTM and have
agreed to share their data with you. Recently,
I went a step further and replaced my FitbitTM with an Apple WatchTM.
Now, in addition to measuring my steps and physical activity, my watch politely
nudges me every hour to stand up if I’ve been sitting too long, or gives me
positive reinforcement for achieving my pre-set goals for physical activity.
As some of you know, I’m not a huge fan of exercising – but I
do love gadgets. And, truth be told, these
toys actually are helping me to increase
my level of physical activity. I have
found that the more I exercise, the better I feel and the more energy I have
for accomplishing tasks and relating to those around me. It really works!
During this last week of Elul, let us take some time to
focus on the fact that our bodies are sacred vessels. In the morning service, we begin our prayers
with the words: “Blessed our You, Adonai our God, who has created our bodies with
wisdom…..It is well known before Your throne of glory that if (our bodies do
not work) …then we would not be able to stand before You.”
Powerful stuff. Our
tradition teaches that we cannot and should not take our physical health for
granted. Each breath we take is a
manifestation of God’s presence. In
fact, the Hebrew word for soul, Neshamah,
also means “breath.” If our bodies are the vessels in which our souls are
contained, the way we take care of our physical selves is a reflection of our
spiritual health as well. With this in
mind, I would ask you to consider the following questions:
1. Have
I taken care of my body through diet and exercise?
2. How
many times have I judged others because of their physical appearance instead of
their entirety of their personality?
3. Have
I done all that I could to comfort those around me who are affected by illness
– have I performed the mitzvah of Bikkur
Cholim – visiting the sick?
4. Have
I given to charities that work to find cures for terrible diseases?
5. How
much stress is in my life? Is it
affecting the way I live my life?
6. Have
I been avoiding going to the doctor, dentist or other health care professionals
due to financial concerns or fear of what I might discover?
7. What
positive changes have I engaged in during the course of the past year that have
affected my overall well being?
Again, I welcome your comments and suggestions for
additional questions and formats that we can use. If answering them causes you to want to
speak to one of the Temple clergy, Rabbi Immerman, Cantors Heit and Sacks and I
would welcome the opportunity. Note that
all of these materials will also be available in hard copy at the Temple
Office. If you know of anyone else who might want to receive these mailings –
whether or not they are members of the congregation, please let us know.
L’shanah Tovah
U’metukah – May you have a good and sweet new year. We look forward to seeing you at Rosh HaShanah services next week.
L’Shalom,
Rabbi Joe Black
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