Blog Elul: Accept

Accept. Acceptance is really freaking difficult. The truth of the world is really difficult to accept.Childhood was for fantasies, but we are now grown ups and we now have to accept that there are bad things in the world as well as good ones. But we cannot simply accept hatred. hatred has no home in our communities. We cannot accept it.

But there are things that we must accept, with radical acceptance no less--the concept of accepting things as they happen, not passing any judgment upon them. We must accept that we are only human, and as much as we would like to be superheroes, human emotions exist and physical and emotional limitations exist. Let our power be found in that acceptance. Because when we accept our emotions and the things that come to us, we have to power to find empathy and compassion, and more than acceptance, our world needs empathy and compassion more than anything.

Blog Elul:Choose

Our lives revolve around choices. We choose what to do every day. We choose how to live our lives, and most importantly, we choose what to believe in. We can choose to have faith in humanity and in ourselves, or we can choose to give up our choice and go by what the media or other people are telling us. But at the same time, we can choose to hold fast to our beliefs and not allow others to alter them. We can choose to believe that we have the power to change the world. Because, truly, we do. Every action that we choose to make. Every single choice. That choice impacts someone or something else.

And we can choose how to think. We can choose to think with empathy and compassion, to think that maybe that person who cut in front of us at the grocery store is trying to get home to a sick child or maybe that person who just snapped at us is having a really hard day. We can choose to be this way.

So this is my call to you. Choose action. Choose to believe in your power, and we can all be superheroes. Choose to believe in hope. Make your choices and make them known.

Blog Elul: Prepare

I was watching an episode of Grey's Anatomy from Season 1 the other day, and I noticed that the title sequence portrayed getting ready for surgery like getting ready to go out. This got me thinking about preparation. This whole week for me has been about preparation. The beat before. The anticipatory anxiety that every student feels before a school year, but Elul is about preparing us for something more, the High Holidays. Of course, I've started planning out services and brainstorming for my D'var Torah is at the top of my to-do list, but there's some emotional preparation I've yet to do.

How do we prepare our souls for the High Holidays? How do we prepare to start over? How do we prepare to forgive? Is it like preparing for school? Can I go out and buy something that can help me. Or is it all internal? My preparations for this High Holiday season involve a lot of journaling, long walks outside, and making sure to take time out of my day to talk with friends. How do you prepare?

Blog Elul: Search

I'm  searching for answers. Both physically and metaphysically. I'm on a search to find what made my health so bad for a few weeks. By God's grace, they seem to have found a cause (stupid gallbladder), but the search involved numerous doctors and arguments and tests of all kinds. All I'm saying is that the search may be rewarding, but it's not always pleasant, especially for those of us who live with health issues. So I want to offer a prayer for those who are searching, whether it be emotionally, spiritually or physically:

May you search
May you find your way
May you live and love for yet another day
May you remember that on days when the search is hard
It's okay to just stay still, the search will go on tomorrow

May we search for love and peace
And find them in our hearts
May we be, hand in hand
Searching for justice
Throughout the land

Blog Elul: Act

I don't know how to act. I don't know how to act in the face of bigotry. I don't know how to act when there are bomb threats at my school. I've been feeling a little bit paralyzed lately. But all we can do is try our best. All we can do is continue fighting. I think I need to think about how I act more.

So that's my goal for the month. To act with intention. To act with love. To act in a way that I truly want to. And to choose not to act when I need to do that. Choosing not to do is something I'm working on. And it's a privilege to not have to act all of the time. I need to keep that in mind as well.

Please let me know your intentions and thoughts for the month of Elul!