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Post by gazelle18 on Apr 2, 2017 20:43:10 GMT -5
What’s on your mind — how to make kugel? This week’s Torah reading? Life goals? Prayer? We are all engaged in weight loss/weight maintenance journeys and we are all Jewish or at least interested in Judaism. We like to eat, we like to discuss. It is our goal here to provide each other support on our journeys, to share experiences, to call on our rich cultural heritage and texts, and to help each other grow spiritually.
Some of us take weekly turns starting the thread:
Angelika
Holly
Lee
Louise
Lynne
Peachy
And for those of you who stop by to read this thread without posting — you are certainly welcome to, but you are also welcome to chime in
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Post by gazelle18 on Apr 2, 2017 20:57:04 GMT -5
Hi everyone,
I hope that my starting tomorrow's thread a bit early does not screw anyone up, but I need to get to bed early. I have a really early morning tomorrow....
Until yesterday, I had thought that the translation of "mitzrayim " was "Egypt", or "Egyptian." I was at a concert the other night and the Jewish performer was about to do a Passover song, and he noted that the word "mitzrayim" is derived from the word for "narrow", or "a constricted place." He went on to talk about the fact that the Israelites went from the narrow, restricted place of slavery to the wide open place of freedom. I thought that was cool.
Sometimes, God takes a hand in freeing someone, like the Israelites who were slaves. But even then, the Israelites had to have the courage and fortitude to bake their matza, follow Moses, take their chances in the Red Sea, etc.
Have you ever felt like you were keeping your blinders on to stay in a narrow place in the world? Did that feel safer, in a way? How did you break free? Does this resonate for any of you in terms of your weight loss journeys?
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Post by peachymom1 on Apr 3, 2017 1:05:23 GMT -5
The saying goes that it was easier to take the Jews out of Mitzraim than to take the Mitzraim out of the Jews. Part of being a slave is being so stuck in your place that you don't even know you're stuck or that you have the strength / ability / knowledge to break free.
I definitely had blinders on about how much weight I had gained, and it took seeing pictures of my sons' high school graduation to jolt me to reality. Did I really look like that? Yes, I did! The scale wasn't lying, either! Once I yanked my head out of denial, it was hard to believe I'd allowed myself to be so blind.
But then comes the work of doing something about it. I joined WW and finally learned to eat properly, which was immensely freeing to me. Once I started seeing the possibilities, I could finally go the rest of the way.
I still have obstacles and I still backslide from time to time, but I don't want to go back to that narrow place. Ugh!
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lee058
This space for rent
Posts: 23,289 
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Post by lee058 on Apr 3, 2017 7:21:46 GMT -5
Good morning everybody. Hope you are all well. The sun is shining here and it looks like it is going to be a beautiful day. We're supposed to have a lot of rain the rest of the week, so I am glad that today should be nice. My neighbor is coming over for our monthly Scrabble game, and I am looking forward to that. DS has off today, and we planned on going to the store this morning to pick up snacks for the game, plus yogurt and a few other things. However, he is still in bed (it's 8:15AM), so I don't know if we will go or not.
I did a little too much yesterday, but I don't think I will have any setbacks other than feeling a bit sore in the arm and shoulder. Now that the severe pain seems to be gone, I have to be careful to not think I am all better. I have to be remember to be careful.
Re being stuck and changing: Interesting ideas! What came to my mind was an analogy with birth. We all go from the small space of the womb out into the world. Changing viewpoints and/or lifestyles can be like that. Being in a limited physical space (like the womb) or range of ideas/actions can be good for when they are necessary and/or useful, but when we outgrow them, we need to change. The pains of making changes can be compared to those of being born. (I don't want to compare them to giving birth because that can be so very painful!!!) At any rate, when we must change, we do, whether we like it or not. It's part of being human.
I'll check in later. Have a peaceful day, Lee
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Post by louise on Apr 3, 2017 7:29:12 GMT -5
I use the fat and clutter to keep myself in that narrow place (ironic wording). Sorry to be MIA yesterday - was double booked, but when I finally got home last night I applied for another job - EA at a shul with 3 rabbis. Not realistic but better than being caught up in a negative swirl at work - we are having a meeting today about down sizing our office space.
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Post by savtele on Apr 3, 2017 9:52:06 GMT -5
Boker Tov All! I love Lee's analogy of birth (I watched "Call the Midwife" last night) - I immediately thought how new babies are so much more comfortable being swaddled and held close while they figure out their new surroundings. It's disconcerting to "take in" all of one's freedom at the same time. Like our ancestors, we have to take it in little by little - and sometimes 40 years is not too long a time to do that!
I imagine that the 1st European settlers to come here had the same problems - having come from rulers they found oppressive, they immediately began setting up laws to oppress anyone who disagreed with them - it took a while to learn to do freedom!
I have taken to looking at the world through both eyes separately. I cover my R eye & see the muddied world, like through a dirty window, then cover my L eye & see everything bright and clear! Fascinating! I can hardly wait till April 20!
The sun is shining brightly today - I am putting on my sunglasses & a big floppy hat & going out into the yard to look at what's growing, what died over the winter, and where I want to put my benches this year.
Have a good day ladies!
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Post by hollygail on Apr 3, 2017 11:36:27 GMT -5
Something happened at minyan this morning that I'd like to share with you (sorry, Lynne; not at all the topic you chose for us to discuss today). Next Monday is a fast day for first-born (immediately before Passover begins). In lieu of a fast, you can have a study session. Typically, one studies the ending of a section of Talmud, but the rabbi (who's officially on vacation and leaving tomorrow for a few weeks; he and his family are spending Passover in Israel) says we (meaning his congregation) usually con't limit study to Talmud. Since he's going away, he looked at me and I said yes, I'll handle it. So I'm going to lead a brief study session next Monday morning during minyan on a section of Talmud that I get to choose! (I LOVE Talmud. I wanted to study at JTS, the Conservative rabbinical school, because their reputation for Talmud study was just the best!) I always do some Torah study, so the chance to study/teach Talmud far outweighs what I do all the time. I am just so jazzed about it! I've already pulled some Adin Steinsalz and Jacob Neusner (both Talmud experts) off my bookshelves for ideas about what to teach. (My first choice is not easy to find; there's one section in Talmud that talks about how often a man is obligated to make himself available to his wife for HER sexual satisfaction based on his profession!) I'm more likely to do the opening of Pirkei Avot... I have several days to think about what (and how) to teach this group of married men I daven with every day... YAY!!!
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