The purpose of this blog is to help everyone have a meaningful Yom Kippur... Please share...
Happy New Year! Here's a follow-up to last week's Rosh Hashanah message.
For many, one of the most powerful parts of the Days of Awe liturgy is the meditation,
Who will live? Who will die?
Whose death will be timely and who will die young, or too early?
Who by fire, who by water?
Who by hunger, who by virus?
Who will be rich and who will be poor?
We are offered the image of Rosh Hashanah setting the trajectory for the entire year — how you spend your Rosh Hashanah will determine your annual income, health and more.
Anyone saying "oops" right now? As in, "Oops, I didn't have a very meaningful Rosh Hashanah"...?
The good news is that we have until the end of Yom Kippur to alter the trajectory.
The easiest (hardest for some) way to do so is to increase our level of giving - acts of kindness and tzedakah.
Actions speak louder than words - show through your actions that your life is meaningful and purposeful.
But when you do so (perform an act of kindness or give tzedakah), appreciate and internalize that the giver benefits more than the recipient. You are gaining life, because giving is living.
In other words, don't look at giving as a "bribe" to God for another year of life (unless doing so motivates you to give, I suppose that might be useful). Giving is living means that if you're not giving, you're not truly living.
Speaking of which: once or twice a year I invite you to show your appreciation for this weekly message by supporting this blog and our educational programs. Here are 5 ways you can become a partner or renew your partnership:
- For Paypal or Credit or Debit Card donation (one time, or make it monthly) click here.
- Venmo, Zelle, etc. click here for info.
- Through your local Federation - JSLI is registered in San Franciso, San Diego and Baltimore.
- Through Schwab Charitable - they have our address.
- Use https://smile.amazon.com and Amazon will donate a % of the sale to the non-profit of your choice (such as Jewish Spiritual Literacy), at no extra cost to you. Why not?
For many, one of the most powerful parts of the Days of Awe liturgy is the meditation,
Who will live? Who will die?
Whose death will be timely and who will die young, or too early?
Who by fire, who by water?
Who by hunger, who by virus?
Who will be rich and who will be poor?
We are offered the image of Rosh Hashanah setting the trajectory for the entire year — how you spend your Rosh Hashanah will determine your annual income, health and more.
Anyone saying "oops" right now? As in, "Oops, I didn't have a very meaningful Rosh Hashanah"...?
The good news is that we have until the end of Yom Kippur to alter the trajectory.
The easiest (hardest for some) way to do so is to increase our level of giving - acts of kindness and tzedakah.
Actions speak louder than words - show through your actions that your life is meaningful and purposeful.
But when you do so (perform an act of kindness or give tzedakah), appreciate and internalize that the giver benefits more than the recipient. You are gaining life, because giving is living.
In other words, don't look at giving as a "bribe" to God for another year of life (unless doing so motivates you to give, I suppose that might be useful). Giving is living means that if you're not giving, you're not truly living.
Speaking of which: once or twice a year I invite you to show your appreciation for this weekly message by supporting this blog and our educational programs. Here are 5 ways you can become a partner or renew your partnership:
- For Paypal or Credit or Debit Card donation (one time, or make it monthly) click here.
- Venmo, Zelle, etc. click here for info.
- Through your local Federation - JSLI is registered in San Franciso, San Diego and Baltimore.
- Through Schwab Charitable - they have our address.
- Use https://smile.amazon.com and Amazon will donate a % of the sale to the non-profit of your choice (such as Jewish Spiritual Literacy), at no extra cost to you. Why not?
No comments:
Post a Comment