Any day is a good day for a fresh start. Any day is a good day 
to study a little Torah. In terms of the Torah, this is a very special time of
year. It is the holiday of Simchas Torah which is a public reading of the end
and the beginning of the Torah. It done with great joy and dancing and delicious
feasts. It starts the evening of September 26th this year and it is a great time
to try out a new synagogue (no tickets required).

The coming weeks are  the very first portions of the five books of Moses. They are some of the most
poetic and inspiring of portions.  If you have never read the Torah from
the beginning, this is a good time to start Tiptoeing with me. With every week,
you will know that you belong to a virtual community who care about God and
  learning God's Ways through Torah.

Starting fresh with the Torah's public reading cycle is especially good for those who feel a chaos in their
life, or a darkness or a void. This is because the world begins in darkness and
God brings in light. When you learn Torah, you bring light to your soul and give
it a recharge. When you learn Torah, you engage your mind and distract yourself
from negative thinking. When you learn Torah, you have something to talk about
with people who are also interested in Torah, religion and spiritual
matters.

Give Tiptoeing Through The Torah a try this year from the beginning or find a convenient study class on-line or locally.  Tis
the season for fresh starts!

Not everything that happens in our life is good.  But I believe everything that happens in our lives can all be given meaning and used for good. 

I think about the different tragedies in my life and all the struggles along the way and I realize again and again that it is up to me to find the good, to give the meaning, to accept and to move forward.

Finding the good is often the hardest part because that requires a certain kind of trust and belief that God knows what God is doing.  God sees the big picture.  I know my vision is limited. 

Giving meaning to something bad that has happened is a very profound and personal experience.  It emerges over time and rarely can be rushed.  Sometimes we give meanings which are temporary so we can get us from one "space into another".  Sometimes the meanings last forever.  All are healing.

Acceptance is a daily practice and doesn't come without some work because it goes hand in hand with forgiveness.  Practicing compassion is a also good way to cultivate acceptance.  

Moving forward is another word for change and, as well all know, transition is hard. But moving forward is a positive change which is self-rewarding and helps build confidence. Positive action relieves anxiety, shows courage, earns respect and gives personal release.  

Not all that happens in life is good but we can find that sliver of meaning, the tiny spark of hope and the seed for a new stalk of inspiration and bloom.

Sometimes I feel like a walking magnet for Jewish guilt.  People lean towards me with hushed tones as they confess soccer games, piano recitals and theater shows that were done on the  Sabbath.  They feel bad and
suggest they aren’t very good Jews.
 
I am never exactly sure how to respond to this kind of  self-inflicted guilt.  Do I chime in with my own confessions?  Do I  wave my hand in dismissal recognizing that schedules are notorious for being
Shabbat squashers?  Do I lament  living in a non-Jewish world?  Or do I just get philosophical and debate the term “good Jew”?

Look the Sabbath comes once a week.  God went out of God’s way to make it a special day.   If Shabbat is supposed to be rejuvenating, then guilt doesn’t work. It is deflating. It is a “negative  attention” connection with God.    It works on feelings of  shame and regret.  
 
Since guilt goes nowhere, go instead with Shabbat.  Wherever you go; whatever you are doing, take Shabbat with you.”
 
Even if you can’t fully rest, study, pray AND reflect on the Sabbath you can still acknowledge that the weekly holiday exists and see the  world through Shabbes eyes.  
 
Start with the great outdoors.  Look outside at the sky and the earth, the trees and the birds and
recognize them as God’s creations.  Shabbes, after all, is really a reward of rest for God working so hard
those six days of creation. 
 
You may have errands, activities or even work to do but none of those need stop you from reflecting about it being Shabbes, about you being Jewish, about God.  
 
If you don’t have the time to for schul, go ahead and be grateful that there are Jews all around the world in synagogue carrying on our  religious traditions.  They are taking the holy scroll from the ark, parading it around the sanctuary and chanting it aloud.  
 
Wish you had a way to connect with the holy teachings, take a commandment, any commandment and think about it deeply.  That too you know is a form of study. 
 
Prayer also travels well. You can pray on Shabbat whether you are waiting for a show to begin, schlepping, shopping or sitting in schul.  Sure it is easier in temple but sitting on the bleachers is a fine place for thanking God for all your blessings. Use it as a time to appreciate how your child is healthy of enough to play and you are well enough to watch. You can be grateful for the opportunity to be a parent and pray for the courage and insight to be a good  one.  
 
When you bring Shabbat with you, rather than leaving it at home or at the synagogue, you stay connected to God, to the Jewish people and to the Divine Spirit within you.   
 
As for the guilt, you won’t miss it a bit. 


Originally Published in The Texas Jewish Post