Again?
Pesach night was our engagement. We celebrated with wine and meat for 8 days. Shavuot will be the wedding. We will again take an oath to cherish and protect the mitzvot. We will once again accept upon ourselves G-d as our King, the Torah as our guide to life. Once again.
It seems a bit repetitive doesn't it? Judaism? We do the same thing over and over again. We say the same prayers three times a day. We do the same mitzvot mostly on a daily basis. We have Shabbat every week, same prayers, same tunes, same food mostly. Then come the holidays. Every year exactly the same as the one before it. The brisket is succulent as always. The succah is decorated just so. The same cheese cake shavuot morning. Yom Kippur we repeat our sins over and over again, Vidui X 10, year after year.
You would think that we got it. Been there, done that. Why is it that there is so much repetition. There is such a thing as intended repetition. Its repeated over and over so that hopefully you will eventually get it. In high school we had a B'kius class, and the front page of every single test was a double column list of topics from a plethora of parshiot and we had to match the topic to the parsha. I never did very well on that section of the test. One day, we were learning Parshat Behar, the class was divided into two groups, one half said "Behar" the other said "Shmitta" back and forth we went, Behar, shmitta, shmitta, Behar, over and over and over again. At the time I was quite frustrated with the process. Yet, lo and behold, over 8 years later, I may not remember much from high school but I still remember that shmitta is in Behar.
Generally, when one is studying, repetition is key. The more you say it over and over, the more times you experience a cadaver, the better you understand the human body. Perhaps, this is what G-d intended.
My seminary principal said- if you walk away from your Shemona Esrei the same person as you started-it was a failed shemona esrei. Each tefilla is supposed to change us. Bring us closer to G-d, bring us closer to wanting to want to have a relationship with Him. Everyday is supposed to build on the one before.
In school, our first semester was just basics, anatomy, physiology, microbiology, pharmacology 101,biochemistry. Absolute basics. Now that we have started our medicine courses..its remarkable to see, how each day leading up to this point really prepared me for now. Its all culminating. Things are starting to bleed into each other. Each one enhances another.
For most of us, today is pretty much like yesterday. I was talking to my grandparent, asking them whats new. They tell me they are old- its all the same, they get up eat, work out watch some TV, nap, take a walk, dinner. The same story everyday. What about me they want to know. What exciting things am I up to? Nothing, eat sleep study, eat sleep study. I'm willing to wager, most of us have a certain pattern that repeats daily.
So why bother with today if its exactly like yesterday? So it can bring me to tomorrow? Why so I can do what I did yesterday?
Its up to us to make today different that yesterday. It is our mission- like boy scouts- to return our neshamot a little cleaner, a little brighter, a little better than when we received it.
We all go through the daily grind. But do we get lost in the sameness, or do we revel in the small nuances that make each day unique?
It seems a bit repetitive doesn't it? Judaism? We do the same thing over and over again. We say the same prayers three times a day. We do the same mitzvot mostly on a daily basis. We have Shabbat every week, same prayers, same tunes, same food mostly. Then come the holidays. Every year exactly the same as the one before it. The brisket is succulent as always. The succah is decorated just so. The same cheese cake shavuot morning. Yom Kippur we repeat our sins over and over again, Vidui X 10, year after year.
You would think that we got it. Been there, done that. Why is it that there is so much repetition. There is such a thing as intended repetition. Its repeated over and over so that hopefully you will eventually get it. In high school we had a B'kius class, and the front page of every single test was a double column list of topics from a plethora of parshiot and we had to match the topic to the parsha. I never did very well on that section of the test. One day, we were learning Parshat Behar, the class was divided into two groups, one half said "Behar" the other said "Shmitta" back and forth we went, Behar, shmitta, shmitta, Behar, over and over and over again. At the time I was quite frustrated with the process. Yet, lo and behold, over 8 years later, I may not remember much from high school but I still remember that shmitta is in Behar.
Generally, when one is studying, repetition is key. The more you say it over and over, the more times you experience a cadaver, the better you understand the human body. Perhaps, this is what G-d intended.
My seminary principal said- if you walk away from your Shemona Esrei the same person as you started-it was a failed shemona esrei. Each tefilla is supposed to change us. Bring us closer to G-d, bring us closer to wanting to want to have a relationship with Him. Everyday is supposed to build on the one before.
In school, our first semester was just basics, anatomy, physiology, microbiology, pharmacology 101,biochemistry. Absolute basics. Now that we have started our medicine courses..its remarkable to see, how each day leading up to this point really prepared me for now. Its all culminating. Things are starting to bleed into each other. Each one enhances another.
For most of us, today is pretty much like yesterday. I was talking to my grandparent, asking them whats new. They tell me they are old- its all the same, they get up eat, work out watch some TV, nap, take a walk, dinner. The same story everyday. What about me they want to know. What exciting things am I up to? Nothing, eat sleep study, eat sleep study. I'm willing to wager, most of us have a certain pattern that repeats daily.
So why bother with today if its exactly like yesterday? So it can bring me to tomorrow? Why so I can do what I did yesterday?
Its up to us to make today different that yesterday. It is our mission- like boy scouts- to return our neshamot a little cleaner, a little brighter, a little better than when we received it.
We all go through the daily grind. But do we get lost in the sameness, or do we revel in the small nuances that make each day unique?
Most of the time it's the same old grind...at times I just wish I could break out of all of it...
ReplyDeleteIts really difficult. Its not meant to be easy. But only you can do it. No one else can.
ReplyDeleteThere is a concept of how the everyday is more important than the rarities. For instance, weekly shmoneh esrei is "better" than Shabbos.' Our purpose in life is to find Hashem in the daily grind, not to be inspired in spite of it.
ReplyDeletethat can be hard, its much easier to be inspired on YK than on a monday morning
Delete"What exciting things am I up to? Nothing, eat sleep study, eat sleep study."
ReplyDeleteSounds exactly like my day, 'cept add work into the mix between sleep and study.
The redundancy is excruciating sometimes.
it is, true that! I'm begging for a break, a small vacation, a few days on the beach is all i want..not happening for a long time!
Delete