As we approach the third Shabbat of Elul and our High Holy Days draw closer, we continue our journey of Cheshbon HaNefesh – an inventory of our souls. Over the past two weeks, we have explored our communal selves with Rabbi Hyatt and our personal and professional selves with Cantor Sacks. This week, we consider our physical selves – the realm that so often pulls us into the reality of the here and now. The Jewish tradition has always valued care and concern for our bodies as part of our faith. In one of the first blessings of the morning – Asher Yatzar – we thank God for “creating the human body with wisdom.” We are commanded to see our physical selves as a direct gift from God.
This year brings with it an extraordinary awareness of our physical selves. As we continue to navigate our public health crisis, we are constantly confronted by questions and decisions that compel us to evaluate our current state of health and the health of those around us. Temple Emanuel’s approach to the High Holy Days this year continues to be based in the Jewishly-rooted concern for the physical health of every individual in our congregation and the well-being of our community as whole.
And yet, we are acutely aware that for some, the loss of the physical experience of the High Holy Days is very real. We are beings who rely on the bodily realm to help us make and sustain meaning for our spiritual selves. For many of us, the High Holy Days are intrinsically linked to the practice of coming to Temple, walking into the foyer, sitting (and standing) in the same seats year after year, smelling the candles in the sanctuary, seeing the beautiful stained glass, hearing the voices of the clergy projected into the room, and even more so, hearing the voices of one another in our sacred space. We are grateful for the opportunity to experience some of these physical acts together – though differently than in the past – but we also know that many in our congregation will again mourn the loss of those High Holy Day experiences.
We recognize the importance of our physical selves in both our preparation and our celebration of our Days of Awe. Judaism has and always will be a “lived in” religion – full of bodily movements and physical rituals that enhance and deepen our spoken words and chanted prayers. We must embrace, rather than relegate, our physical selves at this time in order to fully experience the profundity and the totality of the High Holy Days.
And so, here are seven questions for our physical selves during this month of Elul:
How am I physically handling the stress of the world at this moment?
What changes might I need to make to my diet, exercise, or meditation regimens in recognition of the deviation from regular routine?
Have I shown concern for the physical health of others during this time?
What physical experiences do I miss most during this time?
How am I preparing my physical space for the High Holy Days? What items and atmosphere will help create a feeling of sacred space in my home?
Will I be willing to experiment with the physical movements that usually accompany prayer during the High Holy Days – sitting, standing, bowing – even though I may be at home?
What other physical experiences might help me expand and increase my connection to the themes of the High Holy Days – renewal, humility, recognition of and connection to something greater than ourselves?
This prayer from Mishkan HaNefesh – our High Holy Day Prayerbook, reminds us of the importance caring for our physical experience, health, and well-being:
YOU HAVE taught us: Guard yourselves well; take good care of your lives.
Your word calls to us: Do no harm to yourself! Do not weaken or exhaust yourself!
In gratitude for the gift of our bodies, we pray for a year of renewed health and replenished strength.
May caring for our bodies become our daily practice. May we be attentive to our need for proper food, sleep, and exercise.
Let no injury come to others through our acts or failure to act; but let our mitzvah be this: to build a just society in which care is a birthright and the blessing of health the responsibility of all.
We praise You, Holy One, for wondrous acts of creation and healing.
(Mishkan HaNefesh: Rosh HaShanah: Machzor for the Days of Awe (Page 121). CCAR Press. Kindle Edition.)
I look forward to seeing you virtually tomorrow night, Tuesday, August 17, at 7:00 p.m. as we continue this month of Elul together.
