Ok, we know it isn't actually Shabbat but it is the 7th day of this project and I'll be treating each "7th day" as if it were Shabbat. The rabbi has assigned a day of reflection for each Shabbat so that's what I'll be doing here. My 7th day posts will be spaces for me to put any reflective material on values I learned this week or in previous weeks. So here goes! (I apologize in advance for the length of this post.)
- When You Hear a Siren: The day after I wrote this post, I was at a funeral for one of my beloved relatives. My family was a part of the funeral procession. As we were beginning to leave the synagogue to go to the cemetery, I heard the siren of a police car. I immediately prayed for the safety of the people who needed the police. As we left the parking lot of the shul, I realized that the sirens were for us. We had a police escort with us all the way to the cemetery. It was a strange and wonderful feeling that even though the siren had been for my family, I had treated it as if I were completely distant from the situation.
- "Let Your Fellow's Money Be as Precious to You as Your Own": N/A
- The Purchase That is Always Forbidden: N/A
- "What Would God Want Me to Do?": The relevance of this question to every day life is coming to light for me. This clearly isn't just about cheating, this is about modesty, language, how we carry ourselves in front of others. I think so far, this has been the most challenging value to consider because it has so many facets.
- Be Generous Even When Your Instincts Are Lazy: There's a certain category of clothing I've just grown out of, one that people usually don't donate. However, instead of throwing away all of these clothes, I've gone online to research giving mine away to other people. Even just the thought of giving these garments away as opposed to throwing them away has made me feel even more fulfilled.
- When You're Tempted to Cheat: see "What Would God Want Me to Do?"
Day 8: Give Cheerfully
I have a friend who greatly admires Rambam, so when I read day 8, my first thought was MY FRIEND LOVES AND EMBODIES THIS so today is dedicated to him.
Day 8 is all about giving charity in the right frame of mind. You should be hopeful for the person's situation and wish them well. This is based on a passage Rambam wrote saying that charity given in a grumpy mindset has no merit to it. In order for charity to have merit, it must be given to him "with good grace and with joy" and the person giving the charity "should sympathize with him in his plight" and "should speak to him words of consolation and sympathy."
This friend of mine has always inspired me by doing just that. Without a second thought, he'll give charity to those in need, if not directly than through a collection. I've always wanted to exemplify that quality of his so tonight, when I was at a Kosher candy store, I donated some change to the store's tzedakah box even though I didn't actually purchase anything from the store. As I put the change in the box, I thought about the person who might benefit from my charity. I said a little prayer in my mind and focused my attention on that moment.
"You can always give something, even if it is only kindness."-Anne Frank
On that note, I've really enjoyed week 1 and I look forward to every remaining day and everything I have yet to learn!
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