Tuesday, September 3, 2019

Elul Thoughts, Elul 4 (Less than 1 min read)

Below is the teaching of Chaplain (soon to be Rabbi) Adam Ruditsky in conjunction with the book Preparing yourself for the High Holidays.

רפואה מן התורה


And God formed mankind from the dust of the ground and he blew into his nostrils the life of mankind, and mankind became a living being … (Gen. 2:7)


However a person wants to understand that is another matter, but here the point is this – as people we have a foundation and connection to God.  When we wake daily we say “Elohai n’shama, she’nata’ta be, t’ho’rah he …,”  the soul that you, my God, have given me is pure.”  Every day we thank God for returning our soul to us so that we may journey yet another day.  The more we understand the connection of our soul and body, and embrace God as the artisan of that relationship, the essence of our lives will grow and mature.  That means that we are not supposed to be myopic, living that way only serves to undermine our spiritual energy, that is why it is better that two walk together - but even more so three.  We are people of relationship, to God, others and yes, self.

By doing t’shuva, we can look in three directions at once, to God, to self and to others

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Parashat HaShuvah - Matot-Masei - "Family Ties - Why they Matter." Numbers 32:2-36:13. Haftarah, Jeremiah 2:4-28, 3:4

  I was born and raised in the Fairfax section of Los Angeles.  Fairfax back then was full of many Jews who came over from Europe after WW...