You Are Not Alone

Widespread loneliness in the U.S. poses health risks as deadly as smoking up to 15 cigarettes daily, costing the health industry billions of dollars annually, the U.S. surgeon general said Tuesday in declaring the latest public health epidemic. About half of U.S. adults say they’ve experienced loneliness, Dr. Vivek Murthy said in an 81-page report from his office. “We now know that loneliness is a common feeling that many people experience. It’s like hunger or thirst. It’s a feeling the body sends us when something we need for survival is missing,” Murthy told The Associated Press in an interview. “Millions of people in America are struggling in the shadows, and that’s not right.” Research suggests that this “loneliness epidemic” has many causes, including the fact that people have become increasingly less engaged with religious institutions, community organizations and even their own family members. The crisis worsened during the COVID 19 pandemic when millions of people isolated even more from family and friends, and many have never resumed their previous levels of social interaction.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Mental health challenges are exacerbated when a person feels that s/he is alone, ie they are the only person in the neighborhood or in the shul that struggles with anxiety, depression, OCD, addiction, relationships strains, or any challenge that exists. I am proud that we are hosting Dr. Norman Blumenthal this Shabbat, in partnership with OHEL, as part of our commitment to bring awareness and provide education about matters related to mental health. This Shabbat will be a success if even one person comes to realize that 1) they are not alone in their mental health struggles and 2) there are resources and strategies available to help

Last week at the opening plenary of the World Orthodox Israel Congress in Jerusalem I had the privilege to hear Natan Sharansky. He mentioned that he really found religion while in prison in the Soviet Union. And it was in the gulag that he began to fully understand the verse in Tehillim Chapter 23:

לֹא־אִ֘ירָ֚א רָ֗ע כִּי־אַתָּ֥ה עִמָּדִ֑י, I will fear no evil for You are with me”.  Sharansky told us that in prison he understood “Ata” as referring to not only Hashem, but also to the Jewish People. He gained much strength when he realized that he was not alone, that he was never alone. Society is suffering from a loneliness epidemic. Our shul can provide an antidote for this loneliness; by providing opportunities to connect and by assuring each other that even when it feels like it, we are never really alone.

 

What Makes the Holy Land Holy?

We read this week that the Land of Israel is sensitive to sinful and immoral behavior due to the kedusha that it possesses. What is the source of the Holy Land’s holiness? This seems to be a matter of debate. Some rabbis emphasize that its holy status comes from God choosing Israel. According to this opinion, the sanctity of Israel is intrinsic due to its source being the Divine. More broadly, sanctity according to this approach is something Divine and therefore something inexplicable. God’s choice of what/ who/ where to “choose” to make holy cannot be understood and can only be respected. 

Rav Soloveitchik disagreed with this formulation of sanctity. He wrote that kedusha can be explained on some level; there is a formula that can be used to both detect and generate holiness. According to the Rav, kedusha can be found where human beings partner with HaShem. 

One can suggest that these two views are not as far apart as we might initially believe. Perhaps when HaShem chooses a person, place, or time it becomes endowed with the potential for a greater than normal degree of holiness. But it is ultimately up to members of the Jewish People to bring that potential sanctity into actual kedusha.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the Holy Land’s holiness during my trip this week to Israel. I write these words from Jerusalem. This has been a fantastic trip so far. I arrived on Monday in time to participate  in a ceremony at Ammunition Hill marking the start of Yom Hazikaron and hosted by JNF. As the siren rang out for two minutes on Tuesday morning I was at Mt. Herzl, Israel’s National military cemetery, to pay my respects and to hear the official state ceremony honoring the sacrifices of those killed in defense of Israel and in acts of terror (going back to the middle of the 19th century). Tuesday afternoon I was part of a group of people to visit the family of Yehuda Guetta, who was murdered in 2021 at age 19 by Arab terrorists. The sadness and solemnity of Yom Hazikaron gives way to the joy and celebration of Yom Haatzmaut. I participated in a Tefila Chagigit led by Rabbi Shlomo Katz and attended by thousands of people including many from our community. After the tefila I attended a concert featuring Yishai Ribo opposite the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. Wednesday began with Tefila Chagigit led by Aaron Razel. In the afternoon I was in Beer Sheva with JNF’s “Israel75” mission where we both celebrated Israel’s birthday and the important work of JNF in the south of Israel. I returned to Jerusalem in time to attend the opening dinner of the World Orthodox Israel Congress, presented by World Mizrachi. WOIC has brought together Religious Zionist from 250 cities in 48 countries for a two day conference to learn from each other and to feel a part of something bigger than ourselves. The conference continues through Friday morning. In the days ahead I look forward to sharing more about what I learned at the conference specifically and from my trip more generally. What has been reinforced during this trip is that the holiness of the Holy Land has been amplified by the people of Israel through their sacrifice, their resilience, their dedication, and their hard work.

The Uniqueness of the Land of Israel

Tazria-Metzora describes three types of tza’raat afflictions: on one’s body, on one’s clothing and on one’s house. The tzara’at on one’s home is unique in that it only applies to homes in Eretz Yisrael (Vayikra 14:34): “When you come to the land of Canaan, which I give to you as a possession, and I put the plague of tzara'at upon a house in the land of your possession.” The Sifra offers a pragmatic explanation and suggests that house tzara’at only afflicts wood and stones. It does not afflict the materials used for tents by the Jews while they were traveling through the wilderness. The Sifra’s point does not explain why tzara’at does not afflict houses made of wood or stone outside of Israel.

Kli Yakar notes that in the above referenced pasuk it first refers to Eretz Yisrael as the land that “I (Hashem) gave to you” and then states that the tzara’at will afflict houses in the “land of your possession”. Kli Yakar suggests that house tzara’at occurs due to the character trait of stinginess. One major cause of stinginess is when a person starts to think that they are the source of their possessions, and they forget that Hashem is the Ultimate Source of all blessings.

The Ibn Ezra writes that tzara’at only afflicts houses in Eretz Yisrael due to the unique holiness that exists in that land. A location with elevated sanctity is unable to tolerate spiritual or moral corruption. Israel’s unique kedusha brings with it a unique inability to tolerate corruption.

As we prepare to celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut on Tuesday night and Wednesday, the lessons of house tzaraat and the uniqueness of the Land of Israel are especially important to review and internalize. As per Kli Yakar we must always remember that the creation of the modern State of Israel 75 years ago was due to the dedication, sacrifice and hard work of many individuals. Many of those people are remembered and many more have been forgotten. As we celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut we remember that Hashem is the Ultimate Owner of the Land. As the opening Rashi on Chumash teaches us, God created the world, He gave the Land of Israel to the Canaanites and other nations for a while, and then he gave it to Bnei Yisrael to conquer in the times of Joshua. Similarly, it was God’s decision to exile the Jewish People from Israel after the destruction of the Second Temple, He enabled Christians and then Muslims to control it, and 75 years ago God decided to allow the creation of what many have called the Third Jewish Commonwealth. On Yom Ha’atzmaut we celebrate. As per the Ibn Ezra we appreciate the unique sanctity that only exists in Eretz Yisrael. While we strive to live lives of kedusha everywhere, especially in Hollywood, we understand that there is a special kedusha to Eretz Yisrael and it is only there that a Jew can live a fully integrated and maximally Jewish life. It is this combination of gratitude to Hashem and appreciation of the gift that is Israel that we celebrate on Yom Ha’atzmaut.

The Thinking-Feeling-Doing Loop

There are two reasons why a person might sing: Expressive singing and therapeutic singing. We sing to express joy, but we can also sing as a way to make ourselves more joyful.

Researchers have recently focused on the therapeutic values of singing, (even if you think you have a bad voice, and even if others agree with you that you have a bad voice.)

There are physiological benefits: Singing exercises major muscle groups. It is an aerobic activity in that it forces you to breathe deeper and take in more oxygen. Aerobic activity is linked to stress reduction, longevity and better overall health. Singing may improve efficiency in our cardiovascular system. Studies have shown that singing may help people recover from strokes and heart attacks. Singing can boost our immune system and prevent the spread of bacteria in our bodies.

There are also psychological benefits to singing. Singing has been shown to improve neurological function. Studies have shown that people who sing feel a sense of contentment. Perhaps this is due to the rush of endorphins that often accompanies signing.

Singing as part of a group has its own unique and additional benefits: It helps foster a sense of community. It can increase self-esteem. A study published in the 2004 Journal of Music Therapy described how people with chronic pain coped better when they had opportunities to sing as part of a group.

Perhaps Bnei Yisrael sang at Yam Suf as a therapeutic tool. The importance of their Shira is not only seen if we focus on their accomplishments, but also if we appreciate their aspirations. They were teaching us an important lesson: Our actions not only express our feelings. Our actions can set the agenda. We can change how we feel and even what we think by how we act.

Kabbalists explain the difference between first and last days of Pesach: Firrst days celebrate Itaruta Dl’eilah, a stirring from Above; it’s all G-d’s doing. The Last days of Pesach celebrate it’aruta Dl’tata- a celebration of human initiative.  We not only commemorate Nachshon jumping into water. But we also appreciate the Jews’ capacity to utilize shirah as a means of changing their attitude and their perspective.

Sefer Hachinuch is a 13th Spanish work, published anonymously, that systematically discusses and explains the 613 Mitzvot. One theory is that the book was written for the author’s son on the occasion of his Bar Mitzvah. In explaining one of the particulars associated with the Korban Pesach, the author raises a question that he’d expect his son to have. The purpose of many many mitzvot is to remember the Exodus. Shouldn’t one mitzvah suffice? To which the Sefer Hachinuch responds:

How we act sets the agenda for what we think and how we feel. This flips many people’s assumption on its head. Many people think that in order to act, for example to act charitably, we must feel charitable. But the lesson of the Jews at the sea is that our actions can precede our feelings and can even generate our feelings. So if we want to feel charitable – we should give. If we still don’t feel charitable after doing/giving then we should give some more.

Chad Gadya

To explain why Chad Gadya was written in Aramaic we may want to look at a Midrash Rabba at the end of Parshat Noach that is also recorded in Aramaic. After Avraham destroyed his idol store, Terach sent him to Nimrod. Nimrod presses Avraham to give up on this monotheism nonsense and to serve something physical- anything. Nimrod suggests fire- fire is pretty, it’s powerful, it can be inspiring. Serve Fire!” Avraham says, “But water puts out fire.” Nimrod says, “So serve water.” Avraham says, “But clouds absorb water.” “So serve clouds!” “But wind blows clouds away.” “So serve clouds!” “But human beings can stand up to winds.” Nimrod loses patience and says, “Enough! I’m throwing you into the furnace and let’s see your God save you now.” And we know the rest of the story.

Perhaps Chad Gadya ensures that we don’t end the Seder thinking only about God’s role in big monumental events like Yetziat Mitzrayim. But Hashem can and must be found in the seemingly routine events of daily life; Events like the ones recalled in Chad Gadya: mundane, ordinary, even a little absurd event.  Because the song/story ends with Hakadosh Baruch Hu, teaching us that Hashem was/ is there the whole time. Pesach is the holiday of Emunah. We must leave the Seder invigorated in our ability to see God not just in the Exodus long ago. But also in our lives today.

When we sing in Chad Gadya that a cat ate a goat, what do we think? Cute story? Highly unlikely; what kind of cat eats a goat? Or do we immediately think of Hashem’s role in this seemingly silly story, and by extension Hashem’s role in our lives, every moment? We should think about the song Echad Mi Yodeai in the same way. When we hear the number 1, what do w immediately think of? One is Hashem! When we hear the number 7: do we think Mickey Mantle, or seven days of the week, which itself testifies to the Torah’s account of creation? Do we attribute coincidences to Hashgacha Pratit? Do we attribute luck to Siyata Dishmaya? Do we talk about God with our children and grandchildren outside of the Seder songs?

Chaim Topol died a few weeks ago. He is better known as Tevya from the film Fiddler on the Roof. While there are many memorable themes and moments in that movie, what has always stuck with me is the way Tevya speaks to God the way we talk to a friend or loved one. The shtetls are gone, no more goats and cows running around in our homes (though many of us have dogs and cats), but we still need to tap into that familiarity in our relationship with Hakadosh Baruch Hu.

At the beginning of the Seder we are focused on inserting ourselves into the incredible story that is Yetziat Mitzrayim. By the end of the Seder we are called upon to insert Hashem into the incredible story that is every day of our lives.

Extinguish the “Lo”: Optimism is Good for Your Health

Johns Hopkins University expert Lisa R. Yanek, M.P.H reports that people with a family history of heart disease who also had a positive outlook were one-third less likely to have a heart attack or other cardiovascular event within five to 25 years than those with a more negative outlook.

The finding held true even among people with family history who had the most risk factors for coronary artery disease, and positive people from the general population were 13 percent less likely than their negative counterparts to have a heart attack or other coronary event. Researchers suspect that people who are more positive may be better protected against the inflammatory damage of stress. Another possibility is that hope and positivity help people make better health and life decisions and focus more on long-term goals. Studies also find that negative emotions can weaken immune response.

While I have never performed a study, my experience has demonstrated to me time and again, without exception, that people with a positive and optimistic disposition are happier people and are more pleasant to be around. I have yet to find a pessimistic and negative person who is at the same time happy and satisfied with their life. Approaching life with a negative attitude never changes a person’s predicament for the better. In fact the opposite is true: negativity and pessimism drag a person down, and it will often drag down other people within that person’s sphere. (Family might silently suffer with their pessimistic loved one. But it is common for more positively-oriented friends and acquaintances to distance themselves over time from negative people. Positive people don’t want to be around negative people because positive people don’t want to get infected by negativity.

Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the first Rebbe of Chabad, finds a lesson regarding this topic In Parshat Tzav it states (6:5): וְהָאֵ֨שׁ עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֤חַ תּֽוּקַד־בּוֹ֙ לֹ֣א תִכְבֶּ֔ה which literally translates as “the fire on the alter shall be kept burning on it, it shall not be extinguished”. However the Baal HaTanya explained it to teach the lesson of positivity: The zeal of optimism shall remain burning inside him/ all of us. And we must try our best to extinguish the “Lo” ie the tendency to focus on the negative.

Pesach is the holiday with the most preparation and the most potential for stressors. While we cannot always avoid the stressors, our response to that stress is squarely within our ability to control. On this Shabbat Hagadol let us resolve to approach Pesach- and every day thereafter- without negativity and without pessimism; but rather with a sense of optimism, a sense of purpose, and a sense of joy.

Priests and Prophets

This week we begin to read Sefer Vayikra, Leviticus. The major theme of the third book of the Chumash is the sacrificial service. The sacrificial service in the Beit Hamikdash is called “Avodah”. We use this same term “Avodah” to refer to our prayers, especially the Amidah/ Shemonah Esrei prayer. There are many similarities between the sacrificial service and tefilah, “the service of our heart”.

 The Talmud (Berachot 26b) records a dispute as to the inspiration for prayer. One opinion is that the three daily prayer services correspond to the three patriarchs. Avraham woke up early and spoke to God. His prayer is the inspiration for Shacharit,. Yitzchak went out to the fields towards evening to meditate with God. This episode is the source for Mincha. Yaakov encountered God under the cover of darkness. His prayer is the origins of Maariv. Another opinion in the Talmud suggests that the daily prayer services correspond to the three sacrificial services performed daily in the Beit Hamikdash: Morning Tamid offering corresponds to Shacharit, the afternoon Tamid offering is represented by Mincha, while the late night burning of leftover fats and limbs is represented by Maariv.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks suggested that this Talmudic dispute refers to two aspects of prayer. The sacrificial service was overseen by the Kohanim. It was regimented and its performance needed to be precise. There was no room for personal expression during the sacrificial service, any deviation could lead to the sacrifice’s disqualification. On the other hand the Patriarchs were the first Jewish prophets. Every prophecy is unique, as it depends on the circumstances, the prophet and the message. Jewish prophets throughout history have been notable for their non-conformity and their expressive abilities.

The two sources for prayer are necessary to inform our tefilah experience. On the one hand we need structure and consistency. Just as the sacrificial service was the same every day, consistency must be the foundation of our tefilah experience. That is why the Rabbis instituted set times and a set text to our prayers. At the same time we need room for self-expression and the ability for the prayer experience to be different depending on our life circumstances. This is what the Patriarchs/Prophets origin of tefilah provides for us and encourages us to incorporate into our prayers.

What’s true about prayer is true about our lives more broadly. We need both structure and opportunities to express ourselves freely. We need both rules and creativity. We need boundaries and avenues to think outside of the box. It is only by emulating both prophets and priests that we are able to optimize the prayer experience and maximize our life experiences.