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Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel had offered a scathing critique of American religious life: “Religion declined, not because it was refuted, but because it became irrelevant, dull, oppressive, insipid.” “What young people need,” he wrote, “is not religious tranquilizers, religion as diversion, religion as entertainment, but spiritual audacity, intellectual guts, the power of defiance!” I resonated deeply with that call.
bereaved parent in the community that morning. “Let me be clear,” this mother had said. “Your house is the scariest place on earth right now. So anyone who walks through your door is a friend. I promise you that.”
That single word—amen—conveys a world of meaning. It’s powerful and ancient, appearing thirty times in the Hebrew Bible. For thousands of years, this word has echoed through Jewish, Christian, and Muslim religious practice, with a similar resonance to the African Yoruba tradition of Ashe or Ase. It’s a verbal affirmation, a kind of sacred witness: “Yes!” we’re saying. “I’m with you.” In the Jewish tradition, saying “Amen” to someone else’s blessing is an act of cosmic significance because the very nature of the word indicates a relationship between seekers, an affirmation of one person’s
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emunah, meaning belief or trust. As in, “I believe you. I see you.”
— We now know that walking together, singing together, seeing and being seen by each other—all of these things enhance our emotional health and deepen our sense of connectedness. They alter the physical and psychological landscape of a group and the people in it.
tender presence is a direct line to the heart. They understood that showing up for one another is a critical part of what behavioral scientists now call molecular remodeling
mourning
My path to judaism started with shiva for Fran
“It’s not good for a person to be alone” (Genesis 2:18).
is only one other thing in all the Five Books of Moses that is explicitly rendered not good
the burden of leadership upon himself. “It’s not good, what you’re doing,” Yitro says. “You can’t do this alone!” (Exodus 18:17–18). This is astonishing: the only thing the Torah identifies as fundamentally not good is aloneness. Twice.
Even still, I don’t know anyone who ever joined a church because of the advanced metrics.
Is it becuse of the desire to be part of the community or somethong bigger than self tbat leads to longevity?
That is the amen effect—the sacred mandate to hear each other, to embrace each other, to love each other up, especially on the hard days. To say to one another, “Amen.” To
How could food be considered kosher when the dignity of the workers was trampled daily?
It’s said that if we listen deeply, we can still hear the echoes of Plotit’s cry to this day. Read through the Rabbinic lens, this story is a warning shot through the ages: this is what happens when we fail to see the image of God in our neighbor. When we forget that we are each other’s keepers.
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel: “Every human being has had a moment in which he sensed a mysterious waiting for him. Meaning is found in responding to the demand, meaning is found in sensing the demand . . . There is a question that follows me wherever I turn. What is expected of me? What is demanded of me?” —
Throughout the biblical narrative, we see angels—in Hebrew they’re called mal’akhim, or messengers—step into human affairs in precisely the right moment in just the right way to turn the course of human history. Each one, with a unique purpose.
Jean as yellow butterfly sbows up when i need strength
so the story of the Jewish people would ultimately unfold as it did. Trials and suffering, but also triumph and redemption.
higher purpose, his answer to the question: What is being asked of me? —
I can only conclude that because we don’t understand the inner workings of angels, it’s that much more essential we make sure we step forward in those moments in life when we’re called. — That’s really at the very heart of the amen effect. It cannot be mere coincidence that the words one would ask another on the sacred pilgrimage circle in the Temple Courtyard are, in Hebrew: ma lakh—tell me: What happened to you? What’s your story? And this is precisely the formula the angel asked Hagar, the day she was found weeping and wailing in the desert sun. Ma lakh Hagar—tell me about your pain, Hagar.
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Grieve and live. Live and grieve. Because if we’re paying attention, every moment is pregnant with both pain and possibility. There is simply never only one or the other.
the sound of broken glass beneath their huppahs to be awakened to the pain that laces even the most joyous moments.
The Holy One—the healer of broken hearts—only wants to engage those who are a little bit broken, because it’s in our brokenness that beauty and truth are revealed.
our culture to realize that we don’t need to save someone who is suffering; we just need to
This is the ancient wisdom: When your instinct is to avoid or deny, you must not look away. When you’re inclined to false hope or good cheer, choose sincerity and quiet presence. When you think you have the answers, ask a question.
The lion’s share of this book has been an argument that openhearted, authentic human connection . . . is a spiritual and biological necessity; is the key to belonging and the antidote to loneliness; can be the deepest expression of faith, honoring the image of God; gives our lives purpose and meaning; helps us approach moments of joy and pain authentically;
Those who hold opposing political views are not just ideological foes. Increasingly, we see one another as existential threats.
“our circle of care and concern.” But there is a dangerous side to the tribal instinct. Ironically, the stronger the bonds of connection to those in our group, the weaker the bonds are to those outside the group, leaving us indifferent or even hostile toward those who are not in our tribe. This is the cost to self-segregating in tribal bubbles, whether organized around race, religion, ethnicity, or ideology.
This is not only a political crisis, but also a spiritual crisis, and so it necessitates not only a political solution, but also a spiritual one.
Religion aside, we need to fimd our common humanity Example.of.Syrin refugee family
Lack of curiosity, fear, isolation, repulsion, tribal biases—these are neural patterns. The call of our time is to establish new neural patterns. We need a spiritual rewiring that enables us to see one another, in our pain and in our fear, in our joy and in our yearning. In our humanity.
“There is power when we get proximate. Only then can we have mercy and compassion.”
we can choose to be a victim, a hero, or a learner.
— Of course, there are limits to this approach. As much as we should strive to find the humanity in our opponents, and even hints of truth in their perspectives, sometimes it is not only naive, but also wrong to pretend that all adversaries are righteous, that there are multiple just perspectives in every argument. Sometimes the quest for deeper understanding risks moral confusion or even moral failure. Sometimes a behavior or ideology is so toxic that morally equivocating about those who hold those views (“fine people on both sides”) becomes a validator for violence and abuse. Focusing on
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Pray for the end of the sin, not the end of the sinner, she said. Distinguish between monsters and people who do monstrous things. Fight to awaken others’ humanity, even when they fail to see yours. Help them grow and change. The Rabbi heard his wife’s plea. He changed his approach to his oppressors, and they were transformed.
Beauty will be found, even in the imperfections.
Like japaneae pottry
This is practice number one: instead of leaving a vague message (“Let me know if you need anything . . .”), GO. TO. THE. FUNERAL.
The second practice: get to know your neighbors.
Every person I pass right now is an image of God. Precious, unique, and irreplaceable.
Practice asking yourself at the start of each day, How can I be of service today? What can I do today to help another person?
Practice taking joy-breaks.
Practice number six: tell the truth.
The seventh practice is to sit with the discomfort. Don’t
It’s so hard not to walk away. As long as you can be safe, practice staying at the table. You may learn something, and the other person may, too.
