|
|
Post by savtele on Sept 23, 2016 1:33:03 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
|
|
|
|
Post by savtele on Sept 23, 2016 1:59:21 GMT -5
Boker Tov All! I've enjoyed our "season of abundance" this week - and now we come to Spiritual Abundance. Our heritage is rich with it. We have Oral Traditions, poetry & songs, manuscripts & deep thoughts that go back thousands of years! Every layer of thought has had to be embellished & redefined to bring it into the current culture. And now, here we are!
Since we are Spiritual beings, technically, everything we do is an act of spirit. Whether carving a chicken or reciting poetry, running for the bus or chanting liturgies, our spirits are involved. We radiate who we are into the world around us!
Holly shared an article from aish.com with me this week - and a few things stuck with me: What gets measured, gets managed. This fits in every area of our lives! That's why we track our food, our work-outs, our weigh-ins. When we take classes or instructions - there are always "tests" to measure our progress. (Louise spoke of "kippah consultations")
And so I would like to encourage us, during this season, with the HHDs upon us, to "measure" our spiritual progress. Some new bit of Jewish learning. A new commitment to or with community. Something beautiful and meaningful that will stretch us. Could be a bit of Buddhist learning too for that matter. Or Historical or Artistic. Bringing our Spirit into the directions we want to grow!
Shabbat Shalom!
|
|
lee058
This space for rent
Posts: 23,266 
Member is Online
|
Post by lee058 on Sept 23, 2016 3:49:36 GMT -5
Hi everybody, and happy middle of the night/early morning to you. The last couple of nights/mornings, I have gotten up very early because of DS's work and training schedule, so today I did the same even though I didn't have to. DS has off today, Saturday and Sunday, and then next week will be on afternoons/evenings. I guess we will get used to these changes!! I just hope that they don't want him to come in very early or stay very late on a regular basis!!! (could take several exclamation points here).
I LOVE today's topic, especially the encouragement to look more closely at our spiritual progress. With DS working, I will have more time to myself (!!!), and hope to spend as much time as I can with more spiritual learning. I have a LOT to look at. Also, my therapist suggested that I consider: a) what motivates me, and b) what I want to do. I think these are excellent goals as well. I recently said to a friend of mine that I never get bored because life is so full of interesting things. It's true! (I'd rather be reading and writing than doing household chores, but even chores have their interesting points, such as being able to think while doing them.)
I'll be back later. Have a peaceful day, Lee
|
|
|
|
Post by gazelle18 on Sept 23, 2016 5:58:04 GMT -5
Guess what I did yesterday? I made arrangements to take private HEbrew lessons with our synagogue educator. (He teaches a class but it's on a night I can't go, so he agreed to teach me on the side at no cost).
I have a hard time feeling spiritual at synagogue when I can't keep up with the fast pace of chanting, so I have long felt that I needed to take a course like this, and I am finally going to do it!
Thanks for a great week, Angelika, and Shabbat shalom all!
|
|
|
|
Post by peachymom1 on Sept 23, 2016 10:24:32 GMT -5
I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed this year with all the Torah reading I'm doing. I'm reading 4 aliyot next Shabbat, then one on each day of Rosh Hashanah, at minchah on Yom Kippur, then the first and second days of Sukkot, plus part of the haftarah on the first day of Sukkot. I feel pretty good about the aliyot next Shabbat; I've been practicing for a while and I think I know them, but I don't feel like they're mine quite yet. Luckily, I still have a week to polish them. I've done all the holiday readings before except the one I'm doing the first day of R.H. I don't know why it's been so hard to learn that one. I feel like I've mostly mastered it, but I just don't feel totally comfortable with it. I'm grateful I still have a week to work on that one as well.
My head has been on overload too. It's been an adjustment, getting used to DS25 not being home. His room is now a guest room, and I've put some stuff in his closet, like the boxes of Passover dishes that were crowded into mine, the extra folding chairs, some luggage and my sister's guitar. But it still seems empty without him, even though I still have one DS25 at home. Last week I did so well with my eating, and this week I blew everything and ate like a pig. And I've hardly gotten any exercise at all. I've got to get my act together! I keep saying that and not doing it! (Yep, I need some exclamation points too!)
I've enjoyed reading everyone's posts this week, though I haven't had much to contribute, and I'm especially happy for Lee and her DS. I wish everyone one a wonderful weekend. Shabbat shalom!
|
|
|
|
Post by hollygail on Sept 23, 2016 11:44:05 GMT -5
I'm not so sure I "measure" what I do... I go to morning minyan at least Monday through Friday; would you consider that "measuring"? I don't count how often I lead the davenning (it's not often) either. I act as one of the gabbaim not only at the weekday minyan, but at almost every shul I attend on Shabbat morning, and I don't "measure" those times either. I teach bnei mitzvah at three different congregations (Conservative, Reconstructionist, Reform); I don't consider that "measuring," nor do I keep track of how many of my students (and former students) have been called up to Torah. Nor do I count how many of my former students I get to read Torah AFTER they have become bnei mitzvah. I don't keep track of how many lesson plans I create. I don't measure how many books on Jewish topics I read or how many articles on Jewish topics I read, whether online or in print. I haven't counted how many times in my life I've felt moved by something spiritual, nor how many times I "heard" (felt, whatever) answers to my questions. (Some of those times stand out in my memory, but...) I don't think I measure any of what I do in the "spirituality" department. Yet I knew when I first saw the article I sent to all of you whose email addresses I have that it was important enough to clip (yes, I saved a copy in my files) and to forward to people.
I'm open to suggestions...
|
|
|
|
Post by momof2 on Sept 23, 2016 11:46:50 GMT -5
Boker Tov!
Back on track, before vacation next week. (Crazy to have a chaplain conference the week before Rosh HaShanah). Making a family trip out of it.
My MRI of my liver, is on Sept 30.
I started to use connect, and enjoy it.
Sorry, not on topic. DS is sleeping on me.
Shabbat Shalom,
Tamara
|
|
|
|
Post by louise on Sept 23, 2016 14:27:15 GMT -5
I like the idea of what gets measured gets managed. It could easily be what we keep upfront in our consciousness gets managed or maybe what we prioritize gets managed. On a physical level that is easy to see I know from my Fitbit that if I don't make a plan I will walk about 6000 steps on a weekday(getting to work, etc). If I want 10,000 steps I have to think about how I'm going to get them in. Wouldn't have thought about it otherwise but the Fitbit is a reminder and it's something easily quantifiable. So a spiritual Fitbit - an interesting thought. I think it has to with keeping this realm upfront in our consciousness. I think this thread often serves in that way - we ask ourselves to stretch" our thinking on this or that. I have now become part of a real life women's group where we engage in texts in ways that we might not otherwise do and are further fed by each other's comments. I have many times said I wanted some kind of spiritual something that I do in the morning to start my day. I would like to get something like that going for myself. Some people meditate in the morning. Some start with Modeh Ani. I start with pushing the snooze alarm, sometimes more than once.
|
|
