About Doing Jewish Things
The Jewish High Holy Days begin in about a month. During the month of Elul, we traditionally start to get introspective about the kind of person we are. We are not just supposed to think about the Jewish things we do and how those things influence who we are. However this week I am wondering about what is your favorite Jewish thing to do. Is there a special mitzvah that you try to do? Is it something about the choices you make? Also: is there something Jewish you want to be doing, something Jewish you would like to add in your life?
The people who are attending Shabbat morning are mostly people who have come every week throughout the pandemic. We are still meeting on Zoom - mostly because we come from at least seven different states each week. It occurred to me that each person has mentioned ways that they have been influenced to appreciate doing Jewish things more - and often have added more Jewish things that they do - thanks to our time together.
We often discuss that even doing one more thing has made a difference in our lives - especially if it is something that we do more than once. The obvious example is that we have each committed to attend Shabbat services and/or Torah Study. This group comes on Saturday mornings, but others have made a similar commitment to come in-person (or watching on YouTube - especially if they can't travel or if they live too far from here) Friday nights.
Some people are keeping kosher - or more kosher - than before. Some are trying to say blessings - when they wake up, before / after they eat, etc. Some people are learning more Jewish things. Others are finding ways to spend more time with other Jews.
This week I am wondering: What is your favorite Jewish thing to do? Is there a Jewish thing that you would like to add to your life?
Perhaps the things that you would like to do can help us shape the future of B'nai Zion. For example, if you did not get to lead a service for your Bar/Bat Mitzvah, maybe I can help you lead one later this year. Perhaps you always wanted to learn to blow the shofar (that is something I want to teach this year). Maybe you want to find more Jewish friends - we can set up more times to gather with each other. I look forward to hearing your ideas.
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Once again, I want to thank everyone who has responded to my "Wonderings." You are always welcome to respond to any of the questions I have asked by calling or emailing, no matter how long ago the question was originally posed. You can also choose to keep your replies totally private, and not be posted on the Responses page. You will notice that I usually remove personal / identifying details for the posted replies.
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