In the Car with Rabbi H

We may not all wear tzitzit everyday but what do we wear that reminds us to walk in our values?

We wash our hands first thing after getting out of bed why? Is it because we are doing what the Priests did back in the day or because an unclean spirit was laying on us all night?

How important are the precise words when we are requesting our daily audience with the Divine?

Though we read in cycles, the goal isn’t to know everything by rote. Reading is a relationship with text that we are supposed to aspire to. It slows us down and helps us focus.

When we start our days with text study, those are the tools and values we carry with us through the day. It then becomes our anchor in the whirlwind that life can be.

Even when everything in our bodies fight against it, as soon as we wake we give thanks that we got to do that.

We will build on this as we go but here’s a super surface level TL/DR overview of what the Shulchan Arukh is and how it governs all parts of our Jewish lives (whether we realize it or not).

In the Car with Rabbi H is back with another text study. This season we will unpack the Shulchan Aruch—the code of Jewish Law and find ways to connect with elements that may seem distant from the way many of us live outside of Orthodox Judaism.

Can we find a prayerful mindfulness mantra in centering ourselves around having the strength and resoluteness of a lion, the sharp focus of an eagle and the graceful speed of a hart?

We come into conscious awareness, create our bubble get ready to talk to the Divine but we first give thanks for returning our souls to us.

Starting from the beginning. How do we prepare ourselves to talk to the Divine?

Chapter 6:11 | our very last verse of Pirkei Avot!! We were not only created in the image of the Divine but we were created to live these lessons in the world. I hope you’ve enjoyed this first season—what will we study next?

Chapter 6:10 | how does the word ‘acquisition’ sit with you? We are asked to marvel in the creation of the heavens and earth but challenged by the concept of having been acquired. How do we wrestle with both?

Chapter 6:9| is there anything that a person could offer you to make you give up your faith in the work you were put on the earth to do?

Chapter 6:8 | we’re paying homage to the gift of aging today. May we be lucky enough to see our life lessons passed on to our future generations.

Chapter 6:7 | what impact has the study of Torah had on your life? If it helps us have a center to come back to, will we extend our lives?

Chapter 6:6 | how do we keep ourselves in the work when so many things stand to pull us off of our path?

Chapter 6:5 | we must seek to let our good deeds stand on their own, our goal shouldn’t be to good things so that we can receive accolades for ourselves.

Chapter 6:4 | Must we deprive ourselves of the comforts and luxuries of life in order to be lifelong learners?

Chapter 6:3 | what we learn from others makes us greater. When we learn to see the humanity in people, can we hear them more clearly?

Chapter 6:2 | I keep coming back to the idea of ‘doing’ versus merely ‘studying.’ Most of our lives exist outside of prayer spaces, yet, we find it challenging to connect our every day actions with the idea that we are living our Jewish values.

What disruptive thoughts keep you from realizing your goals? What do you do to keep the foxes out of your vineyard?

Chapter 6:1 | How do we really bring all that we have learned into our lives every day? Lifting it off of the page and into our feet is the work we are all tasked with.

Chapter 5:25 | The work is hard but the amount of effort we put in is equal to the reward we will get for our efforts. Who knew this quote went back this far!

Chapter 5: 24 | The beauty of being a life long learner is that we get to see things with fresh eyes in each season of our lives. When we keep turning texts over, we bring them closer to us which helps us live our Torah.

Chapter 5:23 | We gain so much knowledge as we mature but is there a right age and stage for our learning? How do we keep ourselves from going stagnant and becoming obsolete?

Chapter 5:22 | Which attributes do you embody to help you move your vision forward?

Chapter 5:21 | we continue with more examples of leading for the people or through our own self interest.

Chapter 5:20 | When leading a group, we own the successes and the failures. To be successful, we must lot lead for ourselves but rather through our mission and vision.

Chapter 5:19 | Can we disagree with those in our circles without harming those relationships?

Chapter 5:18 | Are David and Jonathan the ultimate example of a loving relationship? How has what you need from your relationships evolved over time?

Chapter 5:17 | when it comes to learning life’s lessons, are you a funnel, a sponge, a sifter or a strainer?

Chapter 5:16 | is it better to go through the motions of living an observant life just to be seen as someone who does (even when you don’t believe in it) or to be observant in the practices that resonate in your heart even if it means that others might not identify you as ‘religious?’

Chapter 5:15 | do we give because we believe that it is our commandment to do bring justice to the world or because we want to be recognized and seen as a person who engages in charitable acts? We are taught that the highest form of charity is done anonymously but that isn’t our experience of charitable giving in our world.

Chapter 5:14 | what category do you fall into in the study of life? Which aspects of your life might fall into each category?

Chapter 5:13 | what inner work must we do to find balance in our relationships? This verse reminds us of the value to put the relationship above winning at all costs.

Chapter 5:12| how do we separate ourselves from the scarcity mindset? In the realm of social justice, we are working towards a world where we all can live without fear, not one group operating at the expense of another.

Chapter 5:11 | today’s verse picks up where left off yesterday. The decisions we make, from policy decisions to individual shopping choices, have an impact on the physical environment we live in. How do you hold yourself accountable to taking care of nature?

Chapter 5:10 | are individuals to blame when bad things happen to the collective or does this verse signal the collective responsibility that we all have to take care of the world?

Chapter 5:9 | we explore 7 traits that characterize different categories of individuals

Chapter 5:8 | In our discussion of the mystical things that were created in the dusk of day 6 of creation, are we challenged in our concept of predestination? Is the Divine really Chuck?

Chapter 5:7 | Many pockets of social justice are mentioned that indicate that these have been areas of need since the dawns of our time. How does this verse inspire our drive to repair the world?

Chapter 5:6 | is it possible that the 10 trials in this verse aren’t for us but to make sure that the Divine could still keep their covenant with us once the vision was becoming real?

Chapter 5.5 | Where is the justice in the second hardening of Pharaoh’s heart? Does this challenge our conception of the divine? Do we need villains in order to come together to make change?

Chapter 5:4 | What are the characteristics of change makers that we’re ‘supposed’ to lift off of the page and aspire to? In what ways do these traits live in you?

Chapter 5:3 | who are the righteous people of our day who might be plucked out of our generation if there had to be some type of Divine intervention again? Should we and how do we hold ourselves accountable to that standard?

Chapter 5:2 | what lessons are we really passing from generation to generation that helps move the progress we’ve made forward? How do we ensure that what’s transmitted is what we want to grow?

Chapter 5:1 | Is each act of creation, a chance for us make better choices? In our own lives, how do we decide when the last chance has been given and it’s time to start over?

Chapter 4:29 | The last verse in chapter 4! If all of the people you interact with today (both seen and unseen) were called to ‘testify’ in the eternal courtroom, what would they say about your character?

Chapter 4:28 | When we are focused on powerful emotions, we lose sight of our purpose. How do we use the tools we’ve built so far to keep ourselves in balance?