I recently spoke with a friend of mine about our college days. I told him I e-mailed someone we were friendly with as undergraduates. I felt like I’d been a bad friend for not staying in touch, but chose to reach out anyway. Even after 15 years, our friend was delighted to hear from me, and told me to call her anytime. My friend Keith, now an Episcopal monk, said our relationship with old friends is like our relationship with God: many of us come to believe God doesn’t want to hear from us, that we’re, say, “bad Jews”. We often wait until we’re in a desperate situation to reach out. But the Psalmist counsels us: "Seek out the Source and you will find It / Call to the Divine Presence, and It will be close." When we decide to return, God, like an old friend, eagerly waits at the door to welcome us back home.
Read MoreIn Torah Study, we learned that the Sages link mitzvah, the word we usually translate as “commandment” with a similar sounding Aramaic word that means “to connect.” We discussed the many mitzvot designed to “connect” us with other people: comforting a mourner during shiva, welcoming newcomers, or visiting folks on the Skilled Nursing Floor; joining the morning minyan to support folks reciting Kaddish, coming to Torah study, or donating to the Scholarship Fund.
When we do these mitzvot, we connect – we reach beyond ourselves and become part of a “we”, a collective body of care and support.
Read MoreEvery year, I do my best to engage with the process of teshuvah (repentance) during the High Holidays. A few weeks ago, I made resolutions, asked for and received forgiveness, cast away my sins, felt spiritually renewed…and then the craziness of the year began, as it does each year: right now, my partner and I are settling into our new apartment and unpacking boxes. I am starting new jobs while getting acquainted with a new city. Despite my best intentions, I’ve lost sight of the higher self with whom I am trying to align. Like many of us, I am overwhelmed with the business of life at this time of year.
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