The week began in tragedy – Brown, Bondi Beach, Rob and Michele Reiner. Awful things happening to people we are connected to in some way, for some of us very personally, and for others simply by identity.
Mustering joy in these times is important. It is not the only important response we can have to tragedy, but I want to invite you into adding “mustering joy” to your list of important responses if it is not yet there.
And chanukah and shabbat both offer ways and ritualized practices connecting us to the timeless, the ancient, the primordial, the origin, and the sacred. Ariel and I have been parenting this week mustering joy by imposing theme nights on ourselves and our kids for each night of chanukah. We have had write-a-chanukah-song-parody night, a wear-a-silly-hat night, a karaoke night (which I cringely called candle-roke), a chanukah-themed-would-you-rather night, and an appreciation night so far. Some of these nights, we planned it in advance and gave notice, others we made do and spontaneously caused one of them to occur. The “excuse” of Chanukah enabled us to “demand” this of ourselves and our kids, and despite some eye-rolling, I think it also enabled them to say yes.
There are still three nights of this complicated and tricky and glorious holiday and I want to invite you to muster joy wherever and however you are able as we move into the last few nights of Chanukah. And who knows, maybe with enough momentum, what we create through Chanukah can rub off on the days following, almost feeling as though there was a 9th night, a 10th, and beyond.
Those who attend weekly Torah study with me on Wednesdays (never too late to join us!) mustered some joy while studying this week’s Torah portion. The parasha begins with the fanciful description of Pharaoh’s dream of the 14 cows. We had fun imagining these cows, especially with how they are described in the Hebrew and various translations drawing from sources ranging from Biblical Hebrew dictionaries to Looney Toons.
In light of that study, may we find beauty and health arise before us this shabbat. May we all find resilience and community as sometimes that beauty and health is consumed before us. And may we have people to share both our joy and our heartbreak with to accompany one another through trying times.
Shabbat shalom and chanukah same’ach,
R’ David
Mustering joy in these times is important. It is not the only important response we can have to tragedy, but I want to invite you into adding “mustering joy” to your list of important responses if it is not yet there.
And chanukah and shabbat both offer ways and ritualized practices connecting us to the timeless, the ancient, the primordial, the origin, and the sacred. Ariel and I have been parenting this week mustering joy by imposing theme nights on ourselves and our kids for each night of chanukah. We have had write-a-chanukah-song-parody night, a wear-a-silly-hat night, a karaoke night (which I cringely called candle-roke), a chanukah-themed-would-you-rather night, and an appreciation night so far. Some of these nights, we planned it in advance and gave notice, others we made do and spontaneously caused one of them to occur. The “excuse” of Chanukah enabled us to “demand” this of ourselves and our kids, and despite some eye-rolling, I think it also enabled them to say yes.
There are still three nights of this complicated and tricky and glorious holiday and I want to invite you to muster joy wherever and however you are able as we move into the last few nights of Chanukah. And who knows, maybe with enough momentum, what we create through Chanukah can rub off on the days following, almost feeling as though there was a 9th night, a 10th, and beyond.
Those who attend weekly Torah study with me on Wednesdays (never too late to join us!) mustered some joy while studying this week’s Torah portion. The parasha begins with the fanciful description of Pharaoh’s dream of the 14 cows. We had fun imagining these cows, especially with how they are described in the Hebrew and various translations drawing from sources ranging from Biblical Hebrew dictionaries to Looney Toons.
In light of that study, may we find beauty and health arise before us this shabbat. May we all find resilience and community as sometimes that beauty and health is consumed before us. And may we have people to share both our joy and our heartbreak with to accompany one another through trying times.
Shabbat shalom and chanukah same’ach,
R’ David
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