Don't Forget to Remember!

The Hebrew word for remember, zachor, is repeated over a hundred times in the Hebrew Bible.

The commandment to remember has been significant to the survival of Jews over thousands of years.

How else can we explain the continuity of the Jewish people through times of persecution, migration, destruction, and renewal?

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks (z"l) has said that there is no word for history in the Hebrew language. The word that comes closest to the idea of history in Hebrew is the word zachor – remember.

Remembering is usually thought of as referring to the past.

Our forefathers made a covenant between G-d and the Jewish people, which

is also about "remembering the future" due to a promise made about our destiny.

But how do we think about our future when there are people who want to harm us or destroy us?

We will always have to deal with Amaleks throughout our history.

Haman from Megilat Esther is a descendant of Amalek, and today there is also a resurgence of antisemitism.

If we try to remember our memories from the past, it can change us, and the act of remembering can affect the future.

We tell stories and remember also to maintain our identity, such as at the Passover Seder.

But how does memory work?

How do we process information?

And does mindfulness have anything to do with memory?

Dr. John Teasdale, pioneer of MBCT (mindfulness based cognitive therapy), proposes that mindfulness practice also changes the way we process information.

Teasdale believes that there are two forms of working memory where information can be temporarily held and processed:

The first has direct input from the sensory system, such as sensations in the body, and happens in real time.

The second one receives information from the senses only after it has been processed– not in the present moment (Journal of Cognitive Psychology).

This type of memory is associated with anxiety and depression as a result of our mind being pulled into the past or future, and this can affect the outcomes of different situations.

Memory for past personal experience does more than allow us to remember our past.

It is also linked to our ability to imagine our futures and different scenarios.

Research in Neuropsychologia Journal suggests that in depressed people, impaired memory not only makes it difficult to remember past events but also to imagine different outcomes – making their situation feel even more desperate.

In mindfulness practice, we pay attention to our memories, as we do to our thoughts and sensations, with acceptance and curiosity.

Meditation can reduce anxiety and increase concentration, and studies have also shown that it can improve working memory.

Mindfulness practice can help us change the way we look at and experience the world, which can affect our own future as well as our collective future.

Loneliness and the Half Shekel

​This Shabbat we mark Shabbat Shekalim to commemorate that every person was commanded to give a half-shekel for the upkeep of the Temple.

Everyone gave the same amount, regardless of whether they were rich or poor, nobility or commoner. There is a beautiful message in that: everyone is considered equal before G-d.

Even though we are all individuals and can stand alone, the ideal is not to be alone. We all come from Adam and Chava, and as a result, are equal in our ancestry.

But it was not good for Adam to be alone, he needed a companion.

Each person gives the half-shekel, and those half-shekels add up to a much greater whole. So each person is distinct as an individual, but we complement one another.

Entering a relationship allows us to be closer to someone and find a companion. But it also makes us vulnerable and susceptible to getting hurt.

Studies have shown that people with companions live longer​. ​ We are communal beings and we need social networks and social support. Some of us, however, have barriers that prevent us from connecting at a deep level, and this creates loneliness. Mindfulness can help lower or remove those barriers.

​University of Chicago researchers investigating the neuroscience of loneliness found that a lonely brain is​ overly​ in-tune with social cues, ​especially​ the ones signaling a social threat. ​People who feel lonely are subconsciously scanning their environment for hostility​ and threats​, which may​ minimize ​their connecting to positive social experiences​. ​According to the study, people who experience loneliness should " get out of their heads''.

In mindfulness practice, we notice our mind and thoughts, but train ourselves to pay attention to body sensations in the present moment.​ ​ We can train ourselves to become more aware of ​ our thoughts and ​feelings, such as vulnerability and lack of trust, ​which prevent us from connecting with people​. Mindfulness ​can ​give us tools to identify the triggers of those ​thoughts or ​emotions, and helps us manage them​.

The contribution of the half-shekel illustrates that each individual is important on his/ her own, but that each person is also part of something bigger than themselves. Knowing that we are part of a larger community can alleviate loneliness and give existential meaning to our lives.

The Virtue of Humility

The Virtue of Humility

In this week’s parsha Tetzaveh, we learn about the details of the building of the tabernacle and also about the korban tamid (daily sacrifices).

The people of Israel were redeemed from slavery with miraculous signs and wonders, they were led through the desert with more miracles, received the ten commandments, and then they were commanded to build a tabernacle.

Why is so much explanation given to the building of the tabernacle? Some of our commentators explain that up until now, the people were more passive in the redemption process. However, in order to become a nation, they needed to make the relationship with G-d a mutual one, meaning they needed to take an active role and recognize G-d.

The relationship had to be an active, two-way relationship.

So why the tabernacle? It is considered a place where “G-d will dwell among them,” where they can cultivate a close relationship and deeper understanding of G-d.

So why mention the Korban Tamid?

At the end of this week’s portion, it says “and they shall know.”

The Ibn Ezra explains that Am Yisrael should remember that G-d took them out of Egypt and freed them from slavery.

Giving a daily sacrifice –morning and evening– can encourage the people to remember and acknowledge their freedom and who redeemed them.

Sometimes we forget what someone did for us after time has passed.

Maybe it’s pride, lack of humility, or just lack of awareness.

Recognizing influences outside of ourselves is called humility

Mindfulness practice can help us cultivate humility.

Humility requires self-awareness.

Humble people have an accurate picture of themselves—both their faults and their gifts.

Mindfulness fosters our self-awareness by giving us permission to stop and notice our thoughts and emotions without judgment.

Self-awareness can make us less self-focused and more focused on those around us—a characteristic of humble people.

Thinking outside of ourselves can help us be conscious of those who have helped us.

Being conscious of what you have can help you to develop a sharper awareness of those who have contributed to making you what you are.

Sometimes we appreciate someone’s words or actions but fail to communicate this to them – we assume they know.

If you develop the habit of showing appreciation in your everyday life to those around you, then it becomes more natural, and this helps foster humility.

Who would you like to show appreciation to?