Dear Friends,
One of the things I love about Judaism is the strong focus on life and living. We are a people that always focuses on life. Just think about the expression we say at our simchas, we say l’chaim—"to life”.
The symbol that many of us wear around our necks or have displayed in our homes is a “chai”—also meaning life. Even our Torah portions that are about death contain titles with words that have life in them. For example, this week’s Torah portion is called Vayechi — “And he lived”, but the portion is all about Jacob’s death and later Joseph’s death. Earlier in the book of Genesis, we see the same thing with the portion Chayei Sarah which means the life of Sarah, but begins with the death of Sarah.
Everything for us in Judaism focuses on living.
Most of us wait until Rosh Hashanah or the secular New Year to think about how we are living, but it’s a task that Judaism demands of us each day. So now I ask you to reflect -- how are you living? Are you making the most of each day? How are you growing spiritually? Are you finding meaning and purpose in your days? Are you “Living” your life? If you need some assistance to get a jump start in this reflective process...I would be happy to help you!
I know the secular New Year is coming and that may make this question easier to think about as your preparing your resolutions. But I would like to encourage you -- just as Judaism demands of us-- to ask yourself, “How am I living?”
From my family to yours, L’chaim!
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