[vc_row][vc_column][vc_tta_accordion active_section=”-1″][vc_tta_section title=”Put on a Smile” tab_id=”1624963964019-fa58117e-7cfc”][vc_column_text]Do we smile because we’re happy? Or are we happy because we smile? Many studies have shown that just adopting a more positive facial expression puts us in a better mood. For example, in one experiment people were asked to hold a pen between their teeth (forcing them to widen their lips into a smile) or between their lips (pressing their mouth together into a frowning expression) while watching a cartoon. Those holding the pen between their teeth reported the jokes to be funnier. In another experiment, people asked to pull their brows together while lowering the corners of their mouth reported feeling angry, while those asked to relax their brows and lift the corners of their lips reported happier feelings.
However, these studies showed only short term effects for putting on a happy face, lasting no more than a few seconds to a few minutes. Could we induce longer-term changes in our moods and attitudes, simply by repeatedly practicing a happy expression?
Psychologists Simone Schnall and James Laird, in a study published in Cognition and Emotion, report that people who repeatedly practiced a happy face could recall more happy memories, and the good mood lingered for long after. In other words, a happy face leads to happier thoughts which lead to happier memories.
“In the month of Adar, we increase in happiness.” This month contains the holiday of Purim, when G-d turned a terrifying situation into a jubilant one. It is a perfect occasion to let our inner joy shine through and overpower all external darkness.
Chassidus teaches us that fake happiness is better than genuine sadness. You may think it’s important to be honest with your feelings and not put on a show. However, when you make an effort to act happy and behave in a more joyous manner, your feelings follow suit and you actually become happier. Furthermore, happiness is contagious. Misery may love company, but company doesn’t love misery. Nobody enjoys being around the killjoy who spoils everyone else’s fun. Instead we should endeavor to be the one to uplift and encourage others.
Is there a time when happiness is not appropriate? When other people are suffering, we must always show empathy and share in their burden and distress. We can make light of our own troubles but never the troubles of another person. Still, we can support people going through a hard time without becoming consumed with sadness. In fact, people who are going through struggles often welcome the opportunity to get outside of themselves a bit and lift themselves above their difficulties. Pure joy, the Rebbe says, is the catalyst to break down all barriers of exile and bring about an era of true, everlasting joy.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Burning It Off” tab_id=”1624963964038-834fb9b8-ec67″][vc_column_text]You are tempted to eat that luscious chocolate-covered doughnut. But how many miles will you have to run to burn it off? A team of researchers is exploring how a change in food labels might help fight obesity, by clarifying for us the true costs of indulgence.
Most food labels list calorie counts, but knowing the number of calories in a food doesn’t necessarily prompt us to change our behavior. What if, instead, the food label would tell us the amount of exercise needed to burn off those calories? Researchers call this the food’s physical activity calorie equivalent, or PACE. We would know how many minutes of running or walking would be needed to spend the fuel we took in with every bite.
It often surprises us to learn how few calories we expend through exercise and how many we take in with every cookie or piece of chocolate. For example, a small bar of milk chocolate has 229 calories, which can be burned off with 42 minutes of walking or 22 minutes of running. Most of us don’t have enough hours in the day to burn off all the calories we consume. We end up with an excess, which our body deposits as fat.
The secret to weight loss is no mystery: Eat less and exercise more. As much as we know it, though, most of us find it extraordinarily hard to refrain from indulging when good food is available. Studies have shown that labeling foods with exercise equivalents can lead to a reduction in snacking of up to 100 calories a day.
Pirkei Avot (Ethics of Fathers) states, “Consider the loss of a mitzvah next to its reward, and the reward of a sin next to its loss.” In other words, every mitzvah we do involves a certain loss of time or money, but in exchange we get infinite benefits. In contrast, a sin might bring a fleeting temporary pleasure but at the cost of severe spiritual decline. If we constantly kept this tradeoff in mind, we would never be tempted to sin.
There is one difference, though. The reward of a mitzvah is permanent and eternal but the loss of a sin is not. We always have the option to do teshuvah and remove the effects of our sin. However, this is a lengthy process that involves tremendous effort and exertion. It may take hours of exercise to undo the calories ingested with one bowl of ice cream, and it may take years of prayer and repentance to remove the stain of one sin. Ultimately, though, the stain of our sins will be removed completely in the era of Moshiach, when G-d will “erase our sins like a cloud” and remove the spirit of impurity from this earth.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Flourishing in Old Age” tab_id=”1624964352953-0557586d-ae61″][vc_column_text]Does your child struggle in school? Here’s something that might be motivating: One’s lifespan is related to one’s level of education. A study led by the Yale School of Medicine and the University of Alabama at Birmingham found that education level was a predictor of what they called “Years of Potential Life Lost.” This is a measure of a person’s life expectancy versus the number of years they actually lived.
The study, published in the American Journal of Public health, recruited 5,000 people between the ages of 18 and 30 and followed them for 30 years. During the study, about 10% of those people died. The researchers wanted to analyze what those people had in common and which factors might have contributed to their untimely death.
Looking at education alone, 13% of those with a high school diploma died early compared with only 5% of college graduates. The study notes that, even when accounting for other variables such as income, one’s education level was still the best predictor of premature death. Indeed, researchers calibrated that each educational step equaled 1.37 years of life expectancy. One scientist calls the findings powerful and says improving access to quality education might help reverse a trend in lower life expectancy among middle-aged adults.
From traditional Jewish sources we know that Torah study is the key for health and well-being, particularly in old age, as the verse in Psalms (92:13-15) states, “The righteous one flourishes like a palm; as a cedar in Lebanon he grows. Planted in the house of the L-rd, in the courts of G-d they will flourish. They will yet grow in old age; fat and fresh they will be.” Study of Torah keeps the mind sharp and refines both body and soul.
The Rebbe’s views on retirement are well-known. Even at an advanced age the Rebbe continued to lead and innovate new projects in Jewish outreach and education. He established a network called Kolel Tiferes Zekeinim to provide Torah classes for senior citizens. The Rebbe often decried the tendency in our culture to discard the wisdom and insight of elders in favor of our untested youth. As we age our knowledge deepens and ripens and is a source of life and richness for ourselves and others.
Flourishing in our old age is an apt preparation for the days of Moshiach, when aging will stop and we will all merit eternal life. All the time and effort that we invested in Torah study in our youth will pay dividends as we enter an era when “each person will sit under his vineyard, each under his fig tree,” and the occupation of the entire world will be solely to know G-d.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”An End to Pain” tab_id=”1624964444870-0d016cd4-9d7c”][vc_column_text]Pain management is a relatively new specialty in the medical field. In the United States, for example, pain medicine has not been recognized as an independent specialty until 2009. Although pain has been part of the human experience since the dawn of history, we have always regarded pain as a symptom of an illness. Treating pain was secondary to the goal of curing the illness – and if the treatment itself caused pain, well, that was a side effect that couldn’t be helped. It’s only recently that we have recognized that chronic pain is a disease in itself, which often remains even after the original illness is gone. Furthermore, many conditions can be managed but not cured completely – but this is not a reason to be resigned to a life of pain.
About one in four Americans suffer from chronic pain, the most common cause of long-term disability. In addition to the distress caused by the pain itself, it is usually also accompanied by psychological symptoms such as exhaustion, isolation, despair and even suicidal ideation. Depression and anxiety, in turn, intensify the sensation of pain, creating a vicious cycle. Many people suffer from so-called “functional” pain, meaning that their organs are all functioning normally and no physical source can be found for the pain.
Today doctors are far less likely to reassure patients that their pain is “all in the mind” and they need to simply buck up and endure it. The medical profession is now dedicating tremendous resources to understand and alleviate pain, regardless of its source.
How do we account for this about-face in medicine, which no longer regards pain as an inevitable, if unfortunate by-product of the human experience? One explanation could be that we now have more effective medications and technology to treat pain. But the development of more sophisticated pain treatment only came about because of a change in mindset.
We can suggest that the reason for this change is because somewhere up above, a decision has been reached that the time has come to end all pain, in all its forms. We are reaching the end of a very long road – and entering into the world of the future, the world of Redemption. A world in which G-d will “wipe the tears off every face,” and erase all painful memories of exile and persecution. A world in which every illness and disability will be cured. Then we will look back and recognize that our past pain served a purpose, because only through that pain were we able to achieve the great good of the Geulah. In fact, our joy in the future will be in proportion to our pain. Then we will turn to G-d and, with all sincerity, thank Him for our painful past – for it brought us to our glorious present.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Built for Action” tab_id=”1624964523306-5bccab5d-e0d3″][vc_column_text]Being alone with one’s own thoughts is such an unbearable experience to most people that they’d rather do an unpleasant activity – even give themselves an electric shock – instead. This was the surprising result of a series of studies recently published in the journal Science. Subjects were asked to remain alone in a room with no other diversions for a brief period, ranging from six to 15 minutes. Most reported that they did not enjoy the experience. When the participants were asked to submit to 15 minutes of silence in the privacy of their homes, most admitted to “cheating” by listening to music, reading a book, or checking their email.
In a twist on the experiment, the researchers then gave some participants an additional option: They could sit in the room and think, and they could also give themselves a mild electric shock by pressing a button. The majority of subjects chose the shock.
To some, the findings of this study are simply a reflection of our frenetic, 24/7, can’t-stop-for-a-minute-to-breathe culture. But the finding may also reflect the fact that as humans, we are not built for idleness. The need for action is hard-wired, so that even giving ourselves a shock is preferable to doing nothing.
This finding is congruent with the well-known statement in the Mishnah: “The action is the main thing.” A person can think beautiful thoughts but they will have no long-lasting effect unless he or she can find a way to put them into action. Chassidic teachings explain that the soul in heaven has all the solitude it wants to contemplate G-dliness. If G-d had wanted that, He’d never have created a physical universe. But all the spiritual worlds were simply the lead-up to creating this modest world of ours, where we can perform good deeds, physical acts that transform the universe into a place that G-d can call home.
We find an example of this in the laws of prayer. If a person merely thinks the words of prayer but does not say the words verbally, he does not fulfill his halachic obligation, but if he says the words without concentrating on their meaning, the mitzvah is fulfilled.
Why is that? Isn’t prayer primarily in the heart? But our prayers must take root into the physical world and must be expressed by our physical lips – and thus, even a less-than-perfect prayer (an electric shock, if you will) is preferable to no action at all. Giving charity with less than a full heart is also preferable to feeling great sympathy in your heart but doing nothing to help.
This is not to minimize the importance of mindfulness and contemplation. However, the physical world is the focus. Are my positive thoughts having an effect on me or on others? Is anyone being helped by them? Only when thoughts lead to action do we fulfill our purpose in the world – to make it into a dwelling for the Divine.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Weakening the Sun” tab_id=”1624964589025-db28c81f-d5c7″][vc_column_text]Hot days make us moody. A recent study by researchers at the University of Georgia found that as days get hotter, stress and depression increase. The study used survey data from the Center of Disease Control and Prevention that asked U.S. residents across the nation a simple question: “How many days in the past 30 days has your mental health not been good?” The responses were then correlated with the temperature in that area. As temperatures soared, so did tempers and bad moods, particularly when a heat wave lasted 10 days or more.
Once the heat of summer reaches its peak and days start to cool off, our moods improve. Our sages say, “There was no greater holiday for the Jewish people than the 15th of Av.” The 15th of every month is a mini-holiday, because that’s when the moon is full and the Jewish people count their calendar according to the moon. Indeed, our most precious holidays such as Sukkot and Pesach fall on the 15th of the month. But the 15th of Av is special because it comes in close proximity to the devastation of the 9th of Av–we need a special dose of holiness to uplift us after our period of mourning and tragedy.
Furthermore, on the 15th of Av the sun’s heat is at its highest point and begins to decrease after this. This represents a weakening of the power of the nations of the world, who count their years according to the solar calendar. When Rebecca was pregnant with Jacob and Esau, she felt the fetuses battling within her and went to seek Divine counsel. The prophet told her: “There are two great nations in your womb and two kingdoms will emerge from your innards; one kingdom will become mightier than the other kingdom.”
This has been the story of Jewish history to this day. We’ve always been locked in a battle between Jacob and Esau; sometimes one prevails and sometimes the other. When the sun is strong, that’s when the nations of the world hold sway over us. When the sun’s power weakens, the moon comes out and shines in all its glory.
When G-d created the world, initially the sun and moon were the same size. The moon complained, saying “Two kings can’t wear one crown.” Because it complained, G-d told the moon to become smaller. However, this inequality will be rectified when Moshiach comes, when the moon will be restored to its original glory. This is a metaphor for the Jewish people, who will no longer be subjugated to the nations but will be equal to them in strength and size. On the 15th of Av, as we recover from the mourning of the 9th of Av, we also celebrate our burgeoning power, when our adversaries weaken and our spiritual glow comes to full shine.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Negative Energy Into Positive” tab_id=”1624964688703-8153001b-3238″][vc_column_text]Think of what happens when you experience an intense negative emotion like anger or resentment: You can feel pressure building up inside your head and tension throughout your body. Sometimes this energy explodes outward and you yell, bang things, or stomp around. Or maybe you’re an internalizer and keep the negative energy inside. You can’t eat, you can’t sleep, you can’t think straight.
Why do negative emotions generate so much more energy than positive? For example, you knocked over the cup of milk and now you’re aggravated and annoyed. When the milk lands in the glass as it should, do you feel a burst of joy and exhilaration? For most people, the answer is no, because we expect the milk to go in the cup. We expect that things should go right for us most of the time, so we don’t notice or pay attention. Our negative emotions are activated only when things don’t go the way we think they should, which may happen several times a day.
Very often, our happiest emotions are triggered by relief–finding something precious that you lost, or finding out that you don’t have a dread disease after all. The elation of an averted tragedy is greater than the humdrum contentment of daily life. Imagine if we could feel joy with the same intensity as we feel anger and annoyance. We don’t need to wait to win a million bucks to feel a surge of glee.
One way of transforming negative emotions into positive is to spend more time noticing the things that are going right. Before getting annoyed with a friend for not calling back when you needed her, think of all the times she did call and was there for you. Instead of raging over a fender-bender, think of all your car trips that concluded safely and uneventfully.
Negative energy is powerful and could be channeled into useful work. But because we experience it as negative, it does damage to us instead. Instead, when you feel that surge of emotion inside of you, do something positive with it. Say a prayer. Give a coin to charity. Cook a nourishing meal for a sick friend. Using that energy for positive ends is a great way of seizing control and transforming our most hurtful, painful emotions.
The greater the negative feeling and pain, the greater the intensity of good that can come out of it. This has been our goal and purpose throughout the generations of exile. To take every bit of oppression and suffering and elevate it, make it holy. We refuse to be beaten down by exile; on the contrary, we’ve come out the victors.
We are now in the seven-week period following the destruction of the Holy Temple, known as the “seven weeks of consolation.” Each week we read in the haftorah another prophecy of the final Redemption..During this period G-d showers us with love and blessing to transform our mourning into joy.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Inside Self, Outside Self” tab_id=”1624964720230-e346e963-5e47″][vc_column_text]We all have an inner self and an outer self. There’s the self that we present to the world and the self that we experience on the inside—our fears, or emotions, our insecurities. We may choose not to let our true feelings show or express our real opinions. The entire fashion and beauty industry is dedicated to the presentation of the outer self. Some people invest all their effort on polishing their external image and presenting themselves as capable, attractive, successful.
Some people don’t pay much attention to their outer selves at all. They have a richly developed inner world but don’t know how to present it to others. They may dress in dull, drab clothing and lack a polished appearance. They can’t find the right words to say on social occasions. They may even flub and say things that are embarrassing or hurtful. They may struggle in their job if it requires a significant amount of interaction with the public, although they tend to do well in roles that are outside the public view.
Success in life requires a good balance and cooperation between the inner and outer selves. Do the two selves get along? Do they agree with each other? Are they two separate selves or are they one and the same?
In Chassidic teachings, the greatest compliment is to be a Pnimi—an inwardly focused person, one who is sincere and idealistic and not swayed by public opinion. Chassidus demands constant introspection, self-evaluation, correction and refinement.
On the other hand, the teachings of Chassidus also put a great deal of emphasis on outreach, on sharing and spreading our teachings to others. And that requires a focus on the outer self—to present ourselves in ways that are appealing to others.
What’s the key to a harmonious relationship between inside and outside? Both an inward person and an outward person can be motivated by selfishness. What’s important is what I want, how I feel, what makes me feel good and successful. Some people feel more successful by managing their external face; others prefer to focus more on their own thoughts and feelings, but in both cases they’re focused on themselves.
When we let go of our self-absorption, we are better able to balance the needs of the internal and external self. We care about the impression we make not because we want success for our own sake, but because we truly want to be helpful and effective for others.
Just as we have tension between our inner and outer selves, G-d also carefully manages His external appearance and how much He reveals to us. We can only handle so much G-dliness and still maintain our own existence. G-d’s ultimate desire, though, is to be able to express Himself fully and completely in this world, with no concealments. The work we do to create harmony between our internal and external self hastens the Redemption, when G-d will remove all barriers and reveal Himself completely, in all His inner glory.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”You’ve Been Phished” tab_id=”1624964792191-42ad0a32-cc42″][vc_column_text]An email pops up in your work inbox. “Please click here for an important voice message.” Your heart leaps up in your chest. With great anxiety, you click on the link. A page pops up warning you that you were almost a victim of a phishing attack.
The dangers of phishing cannot be overstated. Phishing is how hackers are able to penetrate the most secure systems—major chain stores, banks, government agencies. All it takes is one employee to carelessly click on a link and enter their ID and password, and a hacker can gain entry into the entire system.
Just as our inbox gets flooded with spam, our brain is similarly spammed throughout the day with a bombardment of random thoughts, impulses, and desires. But over time we’ve built up a rather robust spam filter. We know that we can choose to divert our attention from thoughts and feelings that are counter-productive.
A phishing attack is different. Phishing attempts take advantage of the very mechanisms that we rely on for filtering out spam: Our conscientiousness; our desire to do the right thing. “Attention: You have an important message from work!” Uh, oh. If my work is calling I need to pay attention. I can’t ignore this. I better click on the link.
What is phishing for the soul? The evil inclination has already learned that we’re going to ignore overt appeals to our baser instincts. So the evil inclination tugs at us in a different way. “I have an important message for you! You’re not doing a good enough job! You’re failing!”
This week’s parshah, Ki Tavo, enumerates the most dreadful-sounding curses that will come upon the Jewish people if they fail to serve G-d properly. The section concludes with these words: “These will fall upon you because you did not serve G-d with joy and goodness of heart.”
Chassidic teachings explain that the emphasis is on the words “joy and goodness of heart.” The evil inclination does its best to rob us of our joy in serving G-d, and thus leaves us vulnerable to the worst threats.
How do we phish-proof ourselves? We need to stay alert to the tricks of the evil inclination. Even when it presents itself as the voice of our conscience, telling us that we’re not good enough, stop and think: Is this thought really for my benefit? Pay attention only to the thoughts that uplift you, that inspire you to do good out of a sense of joy.
This precaution against spiritual phishing is especially important during the month of Elul when we take stock of the past year and prepare for the new year. It’s a somber month and can easily lead to thoughts of anxiety and inadequacy. But we need to take every precaution not to allow ourselves to lapse into melancholy. The month of Elul is also a joyous time when G-d’s love and compassion predominate when He graciously welcomes our every overture to return to Him.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”In Your Element” tab_id=”1624964859994-09c40368-4c19″][vc_column_text]Personality typing is a huge industry. Do a search online and you will find endless quizzes you can take to determine whether you’re an introvert or an extravert, more cautious or more adventurous, more of a leader or a follower.
The Alter Rebbe writes in the first chapter of Tanya that our personality is composed of four elements: Fire, Water, Air and Earth. While each of us contains all four, one of them tends to predominate. These qualities can be good when channeled in the right direction, but can also be damaging and harmful when uncontrolled.
Fire—the nature of fire is that it rises upward. The “fiery” personality is energetic, passionate, dynamic. Our leaders, our bold visionaries are “fire” types. But the downside of fire is power without restraint: Anger, arrogance, aggression, cruelty.
Water—the “water” personality is calm, placid, peaceful. The water personality doesn’t seek to dominate. It’s welcoming, soothing, comforting. Aesthetics are important to the water type. They love art and beauty. They’re natural peacemakers and are innately kind. What’s the downside of water? They can be a little too attached to their comfort zone. They can be pleasure-seeking and self-indulgent.
Air—The air personality is loads of fun! Airy types have a zany, adventurous energy. They’re natural entertainers who spread joy wherever they go. On the flip side, airy types lack substance. They may have difficulty focusing and make light of serious matters. They love to poke fun, but their jokes can end up hurting others.
Earth—The earth personality excels at tasks involving focus and concentration. Their tastes are simple and they have little interest in aesthetics. Our scholars, our researchers, our bookworms are “earth” personalities. They shine in the classroom but tend to dislike sports and social events. They can come across as too heavy, too serious. Being too earthen can lead to dullness, depression and apathy.
Knowing our primary element doesn’t mean that we are limited to acting, thinking or feeling according to that description. It means having a better understanding of why certain tasks are more challenging or why certain roles are less suited for us than others. But we always have the option of extending ourselves beyond the boundaries of our natural personality.
It also means having a better understanding of others. The person you don’t get along with isn’t necessarily hostile to you; they’re just so different elementally that you have a hard time relating. Understanding their element may help you find common ground (or air, or water, or fire). Achieving greater self-acceptance and acceptance of others allows all of us to shine in our G-d given roles and work together as one to prepare ourselves and the world for the ultimate Redemption.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Trigger Warning” tab_id=”1624964912673-b3f265d0-8e82″][vc_column_text]Most of us are familiar with the feeling of agonizing over a difficult, intractable decision. Do I make that phone call or not? Do I make that commitment or not? At that moment, our entire existence seems suspended between two poles. Will I do it or not? Often we ourselves don’t know how we will choose.
Exactly what part of the brain is responsible for that “pull the trigger” feeling, when we finally commit to a fateful decision? While neuroscientists have made great strides in mapping the intricate pathways of the brain, they still haven’t quite figured out where decision-making takes place. It seems that our decision-making power is not localized to any particular part of the brain, but is a generalized force that coordinates many different brain pathways.
Rosh Hashanah is the head of the year. Just as the brain is connected to every limb in the body through its nerve supply, Rosh Hashanah sends its impulse signals down to each day of the year, coordinating our actions during that future year.
The impulses sent from the brain to the body have two stages. There’s the general nerve signal which propagates down the spinal cord to reach the organ. Then, each organ picks up the signal and “translates” it in a different way. It may stimulate a muscle cell to contract or to relax, or an endocrine organ to release a hormone. All these reactions are finely tuned and controlled by the brain.
On Rosh Hashanah, the head of the year, we express our submission to G-d and ask Him to be our King. This is the “general” force that comes upon us on Rosh Hashanah—when we commit ourselves to serve G-d in all our ways. Then, each day of the year has its individual mission and challenge. One day we may be called upon to do a favor for a neighbor, to contribute money to charity, to attend a Torah class. Each action demands a different set of skills and abilities. The energy of Rosh Hashanah is what unifies all the days of the year into a common purpose.
This theme is especially emphasized in a year when Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbat. Like Rosh Hashanah, Shabbat is also the “head” of the week, from which we derive spiritual strength all week long. One difference, though, is that the holiness of Shabbat transcends the mundane world, while the theme of Rosh Hashanah is how G-d’s creative energy pervades the entire world. Thus, when Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbat we have the synthesis of these two themes: G-d’s transcendent energy as it comes down into the day-to-day world.
The G-dly energy invested in every detail of this world will be fully revealed with the ultimate Redemption. Indeed, our prayers on Rosh Hashanah conclude with “Sound the great shofar for our liberation,” alluding to the great shofar blast that will herald the coming of Moshiach.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”A Break From Eating” tab_id=”1624965040801-db922d4e-07c8″][vc_column_text]Intermittent fasting is the newest weight loss fad. Followers of this diet eat only during certain intervals of the day, fasting 16-18 hours per day. Some practitioners recommend a 24-hour fast several days a week while eating normally the other days.
The theory behind intermittent fasting is that our digestive system needs a periodic rest from eating in order to cleanse itself and process all our nutrients in the most efficient way. Eating too frequently disrupts this delicate balance and forces the body to work too hard just moving food through our digestive tract. When we go without food for lengthy periods, our body produces more growth hormone, which stimulates fat loss and muscle growth. Insulin sensitivity rises, which means the body clears sugar from the blood more easily and breaks down stored fat. Your metabolic rate goes up, meaning that you burn more calories and lose more weight.
Of course, the fasting we do on Yom Kippur has nothing to do with health or weight loss. Yom Kippur is simply a day that we transcend our physical bodies. We become so immersed in our prayers that food and drink simply have no place.
There are other fast days on the Jewish calendar that are days of mourning. We fast because we are too upset to eat. But Yom Kippur is different. It’s not a punishment. It’s an elevation.
Just as an occasional fast has physical benefits for the body, does it also have spiritual benefits for the soul? That depends greatly on our intentions. We can spend the day focusing on our bodily discomforts. Or we can spend the day appreciating the once-a-year opportunity we have to connect to G-d without any barriers.
According to Chassidic teachings, on Yom Kippur “the essence of the day atones.” On this day the essence of our soul, our essential connection to G-d, is revealed. No distractions. No competing or conflicting desires. Yom Kippur is the day we set all our human cares and needs to the side and open our hearts to G-d.
The result? On Yom Kippur we will not feel starved but satiated. We will be filled with spiritual strength and stamina to last us through the coming year. All our sins will be washed away, because in face of G-d’s great love for us, our sins fade into insignificance. Nothing can stand in the way of our connection to G-d.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Transition Time” tab_id=”1624965114431-15df5b26-625d”][vc_column_text]Some of our most stressful experiences are during times of transition–when we move from one stage to another. For example, you completed your schooling and now are looking for your first job. If you’re lucky, the job hunt goes smoothly and you have an offer within days or weeks. But if you’re not so lucky, this stage can stretch out for months or even years. Other transition stages can be looking for a partner in life, looking for a house to live in, or trying to have a baby. You know that the right one will come along soon, or eventually, but how soon? And how do you cope during the “in-between” times, without knowing when or how your situation will resolve?
Transitions are hard because while you’re going through a change, your identity is in doubt. You’re neither here nor there. You’re unsettled. You may be used to defining your identity by what you do. If you’re looking for a job, how do you define yourself? Who is “you”?
The stress, anxiety and self-doubt can be debilitating and inhibit you from achieving your goal. If you present yourself as down, depressed or overly anxious, you become less attractive as a potential employee or spouse. So how do you get through the transitional time without getting lost in the process?
Chassidic teachings shed light on how to handle times of transition. The menorah in the Holy Temple was lit with olive oil. The sages drew a comparison between the olive and the Jewish people. “Rabbi Joshua ben Levi asked, why is Israel compared to an olive? Just as an olive is first bitter, then sweet, so Israel suffers in the present but great good is stored up for them in the time to come. And just as the olive only yields its oil by being crushed – as it is written, ‘clear olive oil, crushed for the light’ – so Israel fulfils [its full potential in] the Torah only when it is pressed by suffering.”
When an olive is crushed to produce olive oil, it temporarily loses its identity. It’s no longer an olive; it’s being crushed. The oil has not yet been produced. During that transition time, the olive is asking itself, who am I and what am I? What am I worth if I’m being crushed?
But the “crushed” feeling is necessary in order to advance to the light. Those feelings of inadequacy, of nothingness, spur a person to find deeper meaning. We learn new self-definitions. I’m not defined by what I have, what I do, or the relationships I’m in. Whatever externalities I possess are superficial; they’re not the real me. My true light is hidden deep within me. The stresses and travails of life force those inner strengths to come to the surface.
So, if you’re going through a particularly stressful transition phase, take heart. It’s not because you’re a “nothing.” You will come out on the other end with strength and light you never dreamed you had.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Cognitive Distortions” tab_id=”1624965173363-639863c7-6b80″][vc_column_text]Cognitive distortions are inaccurate thought patterns that reinforce negative beliefs or emotions. They keep us locked in modes of behavior that are unproductive and prevent us from moving forward.
One example of a cognitive distortion is “all or nothing” thinking, like “I fail at everything I try.” Because I failed at one thing, therefore I will fail at everything. Another cognitive distortion is “flitering,” when we focus only on negative aspects of a situation but fail to notice the positive. For example, you may sometimes have unpleasant encounters with your mother, but surely there are also many positive interactions. If you only dwell on the bad aspects of a relationship, you’re guaranteeing that it will deteriorate further. Most often, our relationships and situations are a mixture of good and bad elements. It’s up to us to choose what we want to highlight and strengthen.
Another cognitive distortion is “catastrophizing”—to expect the absolute worst possible outcome. While we have to make reasonable preparations, we don’t need to live our lives as if calamity is lurking around every corner. “Personalization” is when you make every situation about you, and assume that people have negative intentions towards you even when their actions were not directed at you at all. People with a tendency to personalize are constantly comparing themselves to others to see who is smarter, better-looking or more successful.
Chances are that you have adopted one of these self-defeating thought patterns at one time or another. If you have distorted thinking, what’s the way to get out of it?
In this week’s Parshah, we read of G-d’s command to Abraham: “Go out of your land, your birthplace and your father’s home.” Chassidic teachings explain that going forth “from your land” refers to setting aside your will and desire. “Your birthplace” refers to your natural inclinations and instincts, and “your father’s home” refers to the behavior patterns that we absorbed through our upbringing. When G-d gives a command, it actually is an empowerment. G-d empowered Abraham to leave all his natural patterns, tendencies and habits in order to set out on a journey of self-actualization and self-fulfillment.
Distorted thinking is like “exile of the brain.” The Rebbe King Moshiach Shlita often comments that you can take a Jew out of exile but it’s harder to take the exile out of a Jew. Over the course of generations, we have imbibed “exile” patterns of thinking that confine us and restrict us and don’t allow us to reach our full potential. G-d’s promise in Lech Lecha allows us to finally release ourselves from mental confinement to reach “the land I will show you”—a destination we could have never imagined.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Collaboration” tab_id=”1624965233290-a4cd3ee5-e16e”][vc_column_text]Dr. Ayelet Erez is dual-certified in pediatrics and genetics. While completing her fellowship in medical genetics at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Dr. Erez treated a child who lacked the gene for an enzyme necessary to synthesize the amino acid arginine. The child suffered from persistent, intractable high blood pressure.
The connection between the missing enzyme and the various symptoms the boy suffered from were a mystery to doctors, who were helpless to treat his condition. What happened next is a classic example of the power of collaboration between basic science and medicine. Dr. Erez successfully developed a mouse model with the same genetic defect, and discovered that the missing enzyme is also necessary for the production of nitric oxide, a substance that is found throughout the body and has many effects on the cell. Lack of nitric oxide was the cause of this boy’s dangerously high blood pressure. The simple solution was to administer supplemental nitric oxide, which relaxes blood vessels, and the boy’s condition immediately improved.
“The combination of clinical experience and research enabled me to succeed,” says Erez, “and it gave me a lot of personal satisfaction – as a doctor, a scientist and a mother.” Dr. Erez currently works in clinical genetics and cancer research, and combines her research at the Weitzman Institute with clinical practice in the Chaim Sheba Medical Center in Tel Aviv.
Collaboration is the name of the game in scientific research today.
Biologists work closely with computer scientists to produce advanced biomedical equipment. Physicists work on genetic engineering, and researchers in artificial intelligence use discoveries in neuroscience to build more sophisticated robots. There is no field of science left that is isolated, that does not draw heavily on discoveries from different fields. In fact, it’s considered the height of creativity when one can draw upon research from one field and apply them to a problem in a different field.
It’s clear today that to succeed, we must all work together and share information, in all areas. The post-modern scientist in some ways is returning to the master-of-all-fields model, the doctor-engineer-philosopher-astronomer-musician, otherwise known as the “Renaissance man.”
This development is surprising since it follows more than two centuries of increasing specialization in the sciences. There is so much to know within their own field that researchers have a hard time keeping out with discoveries outside of it.
However, in truth, this development is not so surprising. Chassidic teachings describe a time when all knowledge will be revealed to us. “The earth will be filled with knowledge of G-d, as water covers the ocean.” Once we have access to G-d Himself, all mysteries of the world will naturally be open before us. Indeed, all the world is His, and through knowing Him, we come to know everything.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Open a Window!” tab_id=”1624965327821-3e77ff4a-c9f4″][vc_column_text]As the coronavirus continues to sweep through our towns and communities, health experts have offered a simple tip that can help control the spread of virus: Open a window. Whenever an infected person sneezes or coughs, droplets containing virus particles are forcefully expelled into the air. It’s not clear how long these tiny particles can remain airborne. Singing, talking loudly or even breathing heavily can send the droplets flying. But if stale air is continuously replaced by fresh air, the virus particles will soon work their way out of the building.
The best way to keep air flowing is by opening a window or door on both sides of the building, creating a cross-breeze. Even during winter months, keep a window cracked open to allow air to circulate. In this regard, having an older home can be an advantage, because they’re not sealed as tightly. While they may not be as energy efficient, they also allow virus particles to escape and fresh air to get inside. Of course, wearing a mask is the best way to keep your respiratory particles to yourself without infecting others.
What’s the spiritual significance of a window? It serves two purposes: to allow light and fresh air in and to allow contaminants and viral particles to escape.
When Noah built his ark, G-d told him to put in a tzohar, a window. Some commentators say that it was a precious gem that radiated light. The Baal Shem Tov comments that the word tzarah, distress, has the same letters as tzohar. When we’re going through a stressful situation, we need to open a window. We need to gain a new perspective on our struggles, to shine new light upon them. Sometimes we realize that what we thought was suffering was actually an opportunity. Opening a window inside our mind allows the negative thoughts and feelings to escape, and the truth and light to enter.
Have you ever been around someone who is trapped in their own negative thoughts? They spread their droplets of despair and discouragement all around them, infecting everyone in their path. It’s difficult to be around such people; you may be tempted to quarantine and isolate yourself from them! But there is a way to engage with them safely while keeping your sanity intact: Open a window. Don’t add to the negativity. Simply show them a new perspective, a new path forward. Lead by example and show them how to transform their own tzarah, their pain and anguish, into tzohar.
This change in perspective is exactly what we refer to when we talk about Redemption. According to Maimonides, in the initial stages of Redemption nothing in the world will change substantially. The only difference will be that we will see the Divine radiance illuminating all of creation and bringing it into existence. That alone will be enough to rid ourselves of all travails and usher in an era of light, health and peace.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Breaking the Ice” tab_id=”1624965377113-21085acc-51a9″][vc_column_text]A patient about to undergo surgery asks the doctor, “After the surgery, will I be able to play violin?”
“Don’t worry, of course you will,” the doctor reassures him.
“Great! I never was able to before.”
Groan as you might, laughter is known to be the best medicine, and doctors who kid around with their patients often have better outcomes. A recent study published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine examined doctor/patient interactions and found that they exchanged jokes about 60% of the time. When doctors and patients share a laugh, it can help lighten a heavy atmosphere, improve the doctor-patient relationship and enhance the patient’s ability to cope with a difficult diagnosis.
Going to the doctor can be an anxiety-inducing experience, and some humor on the part of the doctor helps put the patient at ease. The patient feels the doctor is more approachable and is comfortable asking questions about his condition or treatment. This is not to say that a doctor needs to have a comedy routine memorized before entering a patient’s room. Just a quip or two can be enough to make the interaction less stilted and more humanized. Sometimes the humor is initiated by the doctor, sometimes by the patient. The result is the same–a better experience for the patient and better health outcomes.
When people turn to the Rebbe King Moshiach Shlita for advice about a medical condition, he often instructs them to turn to a Rofeh Yedid, a “doctor who is a friend.” Why is it so important to find a doctor who is a friend? Why not simply seek the biggest expert in that field?
There are a few reasons. A doctor who is a friend is on your level. He doesn’t consider himself above you. He gives you good advice because he cares and wants you to be healthy and well. Further, a doctor who is a friend may be aware of aspects of your condition and situation that a stranger would not know. For example, he would know if your family is supportive and whether you’ll be able to follow through with the treatment plan. He knows your strengths and can help uplift you and get you to focus on the positive.
The role of a doctor who is a friend is to instill hope and trust in the patient that things will be okay. In that way we become partners in our own healing. We feel strengthened and empowered to make healthier decisions and to choose life. An optimal balance between our physical and spiritual health characterizes the era of Moshiach, when G-d will “remove from you all illness, and all of the evil diseases of Egypt which you knew” (Devarim 7:15), when all sickness and disability will be removed forever.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Breathing Easy” tab_id=”1624965413301-1a7b06fc-12c8″][vc_column_text]Thunderstorm asthma is an odd but documented phenomenon in which asthma attacks and other respiratory problems spike in the days before a thunderstorm arrives. People with asthma may be even better than the weather announcer at predicting when a storm is coming.
What causes thunderstorm asthma? There are a few theories. On days with high pollen counts, the pollen gets sucked up into clouds and when they take up enough water they pop, releasing even smaller pollen particles. These particles fall back to the ground with a storm, where they can be easily inhaled. Wind can send these particles flying for miles, impacting many people over a wide radius.
Those with asthma or hay fever are more likely to be affected, but an especially strong pollen storm can cause problems for anyone even without a prior history. The best way to prevent thunderstorm asthma is by staying indoors and out of high winds on days with high pollen count, especially when a thunderstorm is expected.
What’s the spiritual analog of thunderstorm asthma? As we know, we need air for our existence. As the Hayom Yom (11 Tevet) states, “Man’s life is dependent on the air around him. Without air he cannot live and the quality of life is dependent on the quality of air.” We usually associate unhealthy air with pollutants like noxious chemicals and emissions. But pollen by itself isn’t a pollutant. It’s a natural part of the environment, yet in some people, it can cause serious disease.
In spiritual terms, there are atmospheric pollutants like anger, negative speech, lewdness–that are clearly toxic and poison the atmosphere in our home and our surroundings. We try to avoid these damaging environmental effects at all costs. But there are also subtler impurities that can cause us difficulties but are also harder to detect and avoid. Examples could be attitudes or discussions that are not completely holy but aren’t unholy either. In Chassidic parlance they are referred to as “Reshus”–not forbidden but discretionary. However, even discretionary indulgences can be toxic when too intense or when dispersed over a wide area. In those cases, we need to take stronger measures to protect ourselves.
What’s the antidote to spiritual pollution? The Hayom Yom continues, “The first general step in healing is to purify the atmosphere. Purification of the air is the task of every person familiar with Torah and Torah-literature, and is effected through the letters of Torah. When reciting words of Torah while in the store or walking in the street or riding the subway, one cleans the air. Everyone knowledgeable in Torah must have some Torah memorized – Chumash, Tehillim, Mishna, Tanya, etc., so that at all times and in all places he will be able to think and utter the holy letters of Torah.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Placebo Benefits” tab_id=”1624965824867-865062c8-d938″][vc_column_text]The placebo effect is well-documented in medicine. When a person expects a medication to have a positive effect, very often it does, even when the medication itself has no active ingredients whatsoever, Somehow, the act of taking a pill convinces the person that his symptoms will improve.
For ethical reasons, a doctor cannot deceive a patient and tell her to take a useless medication. But what if the doctor prescribes a placebo and informs the patient in advance that it’s a placebo? Will a non-deceptive placebo be of any benefit? A recent study published in Nature Communications showed that when a group of patients was given a nasal spray and told it would help with stress relief, their stress level went down, even when they were told in advance that the spray had no medicine in it.
The placebo effect indicates that the mind has a powerful effect on the health of the body. Even a treatment that, in itself, has absolutely no therapeutic properties can induce healing if the patient believes that it does. However, doctors have generally neglected to study the implications of the placebo effect.
Is it possible that positive thinking itself is a healing tool, more so than the medication?
Some skeptics view faith in G-d, prayer, and ritual as mere placebos, with no intrinsic value of their own. Prayer and faith have been shown to have a salutary effect and help people cope with life’s challenges and difficulties. But is the effect only psychological? When we turn to G-d and feel that He answered us, is our mind simply playing tricks on us?
Accepting that faith has a placebo effect is not the same as saying that it is meaningless. On the contrary – the fact that placebos work indicate that faith is a powerful force in our lives, more than rational, empirical science is prepared to admit. We did not dream up G-d to help us cope. Rather, faith is our way of transcending our limited, material-bound existence to connect with the true reality.
Belief in Moshiach can similarly be viewed as another panacea, a pipe dream that enabled the Jewish people to survive centuries of persecution. Or we can see it for what it really is: A powerful vision to bring the world to its original intended state of perfection; a purpose so compelling that it gave the Jewish people strength and inspiration to overcome all obstacles. Our faith in the imminent redemption is what animates our daily behavior and leads us to make positive, life-affirming choices.
According to the prophecy of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, King Moshiach Shlita, the world is prepared for redemption and Moshiach will soon be revealed. Our faith, which protected us and kept us intact over the long years of exile, will finally be vindicated and borne out as the true reality.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Body Swapping” tab_id=”1624965874196-e4fecd7e-1cfc”][vc_column_text]Have you ever imagined what it would be like to be someone else? Children often have fantasies of swapping bodies or lives with their friends–just to see what it would be like. As adults, perhaps we don’t go as far as imagining ourselves literally in someone else’s body, but we do spend a lot of time thinking about what life would be like if we had someone else’s circumstances. What if I was beautiful like that one? Or rich like someone else?
A study recently published in the journal iScience delved more deeply into the psychology of what would happen if we could inhabit someone else’s body. Researchers from the Brain, Body, and Self Laboratory led by Henrik Ehrsson outfitted pairs of friends with goggles. Each participant in the study saw their friend’s body projected onto their own. Furthermore, the experimenters applied touches to both bodies at the same time, so that the subjects could actually “feel” what was going on in their friend’s body. After just a few moments, the illusion generally worked; when the researchers threatened the friend’s body with a prop knife, the participant broke out into a sweat as if they were the one being threatened.
While the experiment lasted only a few minutes, the effect lasted well beyond that. After “sharing” a body with their friend, the participants rated their friend more similar to themselves on traits like independence, cheerfulness, and confidence.
For now, this “merging” of our own body with someone else’s is achieved by an illusory trick of technology. But according to Chassidic teachings, it’s not an illusion at all. Tanya, the fundamental work of Chabad Chassidic thought, describes in chapter 32 that all of us are really part of a single being. On a soul level, we are one, except that we inhabit different bodies. Therefore, the more we emphasize our physical bodies, the more we sense a separation and distance from each other. However, when we focus more on the spiritual, superficial differences fade away and we feel the other person’s pain just as our own.
Thinking about our essential oneness inhibits our natural judgmentalness. We tend to be blind to our own flaws and become endlessly defensive when they’re pointed out, but can be extremely discerning when it comes to seeing a flaw in someone else. The Baal Shem Tov says that whenever we pass judgment on someone else, we are really seeing our own flaw projected onto them. If we didn’t have that character defect, we wouldn’t notice it in someone else.
The Holy Temple was destroyed and our people sent into exile because of disunity and senseless hatred. The antidote to that is selfless love. Hold judgment; give the benefit of the doubt. Think about the ways that your friend is struggling just like you. Instead of criticism, offer help, support and compassion. Unity and selfless love are keys to overturning the cause of exile and hastening the complete Redemption.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Breaking Free of Gravity” tab_id=”1624965918127-c2f3dce9-98af”][vc_column_text]It’s well known that space travel puts stress on the human body. Long periods of weightlessness can weaken bones and muscles, and exposure to radiation has unpredictable effects on human physiology. Until recently, though, there was no way of measuring those effects precisely. That changed with the publication of a study of identical twin astronauts–Scott Kelly and his brother, U.S. Senator Mark Kelly.
Scott Kelly spent a year in the International Space Station, and on his return, genetic tests were done on him and compared to his identical twin brother, who remained on earth. By the end of the mission, Scott Kelly had clear signs of DNA damage, dehydration, and cognitive decline, the researchers found. Many of his telomeres — stretches of DNA that protect our genetic data and have been associated with a person’s lifespan — were also shorter.
Spiritually, what does the concept of gravity represent? Chassidic teachings explain that there are two equal and opposite forces that battle in our soul: that of Ratzoh and Shuv, literally “running” and “returning.” Ratzoh is the force that makes us want to escape the earth, that pushes us to reach beyond our boundaries, to dream big and achieve greatness. Shuv is spiritual “gravity”–the force that keeps the soul grounded within the physical body.
Prolonged Ratzoh, or escape from earth’s boundaries, can have profound physical as well as spiritual effects. There are numerous tales in Jewish tradition of tzadikim whose souls soared so high in spiritual realms that the soul left the body and the person passed away. One such story is told of the Alter Rebbe, who after studying a particularly sublime kabbalistic concept with Rabbi Avraham “the Angel” (son of the Maggid of Mezrich), immediately went and ate a bagel with butter. He felt that without it his soul would have left his body. He understood that his purpose was not to soar the heavens but to bring G-dliness to earth.
The human drive to transcend our boundaries and explore the furthest reaches of space is understood. Scientists are now trying to put the findings of their research into effect, to figure out how to help people withstand long periods in space without deleterious effects. Similarly, as we approach the era of Moshiach, we are better able to absorb and assimilate the tremendous spiritual light and power that surrounds us. Soon there will be no need for us to break the shackles of earth to experience G-dliness, because through our work we have brought the G-dliness here to earth.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”The Healing Power of Compassion” tab_id=”1624965976723-dbb133fe-87f7″][vc_column_text]We all know the power of compassion to uplift our spirits and help us get through a hard time. We instinctively turn to caring, supportive people to guide us through life’s darkest moments. But is there clinical evidence that compassion can actually heal? Doctors Stephen Trzeciak and Anthony Mazzarelli, both physicians at Cooper University Health Care, made it their mission to find out.
In a recently published book, Compassionomics, they provide vivid examples to show how caring for others had measurable impacts on health and even helped them live longer. In one experiment, patients about to undergo surgery were randomly placed into two groups. One group received standard preoperative care. The other group had a special pre-operative appointment with the anesthesiologist just for support and reassurance. The patients who had the special intervention were calmer before surgery and needed less pain post-operatively.
In another study, patients with chronic low back pain were randomized to receive either standard physical therapy, or “enhanced” physical therapy, where the therapists were trained to also provide supportive and encouraging words and compassionate statements like, “I know how hard this back pain must be for you.” The patients receiving the extra dose of compassion had more than double the pain relief of the patients receiving standard physical therapy.
What these examples share in common is the healing power of a simple word, a caring touch. When people work in healthcare, whether as doctors, nurses or other members of the team, they can start to experience “depersonalization,” seeing the people they work with as objects to be manipulated, rather than as human beings with thoughts and feelings. Patient well-being depends on having a doctor who really cares, who slows down to look at you and think about you as a person.
When people approach the Lubavitcher Rebbe King Moshiach Shlita for healthcare advice, he often refers them to a “Rofeh Yedid,” a doctor who is a friend. It’s not enough for a doctor to have expertise in your condition. They should also care about you on a human level–to understand your fears, your pain and suffering. Just being around a person who truly cares helps lift a bit of the burden from your shoulders so you can begin to heal.
We currently live in a world that is in desperate need of healing. We are adrift, battling each other over silliness, unable to focus on the common good or the truths most relevant and meaningful in our lives. Maybe the answer is as simple as turning to one another with compassion. Show you care. Ask a friend how she’s doing and wait for the answer. Give an unexpected gift. Call that person whom you haven’t spoken to in ten years. Express appreciation for kindnesses done for you–you never know how it may change someone’s day.
Compassion is our ticket out of exile, our path to a smooth transition to the true and complete Redemption.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Unadulterated Joy” tab_id=”1624966008743-b14d28d6-eed5″][vc_column_text]Recent studies have shown that individuals suffering from depression have a smaller hippocampus than those who are not depressed. This region of the brain, which lies right behind the ear, appears to play a crucial role in mood regulation, motivation and long-term memory. The studies have also shown that severe stress and trauma can cause shrinking in this very important area of the brain.
A normally functioning brain constantly grows new neurons, which forge pathways connecting brain cells to one another. Researchers speculate that stress can somehow impede the brain from forming neurons. Psychotropic drugs such as Prozac have proven to be effective at generating new neurons in the brain. This also helps to explain why there is generally a lag of two or three weeks before medications for depression are effective–this is simply the length of time it takes for neurons to regenerate.
One who is depressed experiences a literal “shrinking of the brain”–an inability to focus or make decisions, or experience pleasure in life. Traditional sources have drawn a parallel between a state of depression and exile. The famous kabbalist R. Yitzchak Luria expounds on the verse, “Because you did not serve G-d with joy and gladness of heart..” (Devarim 28), that exile comes about because of a lack of joy in our service of G-d. This lack of enthusiasm is a form of spiritual exile, which leads to various sins and deficiencies, culminating in a physical state of exile.
In order to redeem ourselves from exile, we must undergo the same process in reverse: Through removing ourselves from a state of spiritual constriction, we can also be released from our physical exile. We must rid ourselves of depression and anxiety, and place ourselves in a state of joy.
Not mere joy, mind you. The Lubavitcher Rebbe, King Moshiach Shlita refers to the joy we need as “unadulterated joy,” and describes it as the single thing we have not yet done in order to merit redemption. We are now entering the month of Adar, and our sages say, “When Adar comes in we increase in joy.”
What exactly is “unadulterated joy?” It is an inner happiness, independent of external circumstances, that comes from living a life based on fundamental principles. It derives from having a secure identity as Jews, children of the Divine, King of all Kings, who has given us the merit to fulfill His mission. With the coming of Moshiach, Hashem’s Kingship will be revealed to all, in full glory. What could bring greater joy than that?[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Emotional Labor” tab_id=”1624966031611-20a278af-4e3b”][vc_column_text]People who work in customer service or other professions that involve a lot of interaction with the public are trained to always keep their emotions on an even keel. In social psychology, the term for this is “emotional labor”: managing one’s emotions to present a certain image.
There are two types of emotional labor. One is called “surface acting”–that’s when you put a smile on your face or say nice words but you don’t feel them inside. The other is “deep acting”–when you actually invoke compassion within yourself for that person’s suffering.
Which one do you think is more difficult? You might think that digging deep inside yourself to feel compassion for a stranger is more demanding. But research shows that it’s the reverse. It turns out that as human beings, we’re not very good at faking emotions. It becomes stressful and anxiety-producing when we’re forced to do it for long periods of time.
In chassidic terminology, the word for emotional labor is avodah sheb’lev, “service of the heart,” our work to connect to G-d through prayer. If arousing positive feelings towards another human being is difficult, how much more so when it comes to arousing feelings for G-d. After all, another person also has needs and desires similar to ours, while G-d is on a completely different plane entirely. How do we relate to G-d, let alone generate real emotions of love and fear for Him?
The entire book of Tanya, the seminal work of Chabad Chassidus, is built around answering this question. The Tanya explains that there are two approaches. One path is to tap into our innate Divine essence, which usually emerges only in times of dire emergency, when we feel our relationship with G-d is on the brink. The longer path is to deeply meditate and contemplate G-d’s greatness, which will naturally evoke in us a love and fear of G-d. This process is slower but ultimately, if we stick to it long enough, we’ll reach our destination.
In this week’s Torah portion, the Jews were asked to donate their precious materials to build a sanctuary for G-d. The Jews responded eagerly, with tremendous generosity. The Torah describes the gifts as a “donation of the heart”–the donations were completely voluntary. Each person brought exactly what his heart desired. When they brought offerings to the Sanctuary, they elevated and united both the physical and G-dly part of themselves so they worked in unison, with no conflict.
Through our labor of the heart, we invite G-d inside ourselves and inside our homes, transforming the world into an abode for G-d.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Filled With Laughter” tab_id=”1624966058994-74d47626-165d”][vc_column_text]It’s true: laughter is strong medicine and is good for us both physically and emotionally. A good belly laugh can strengthen our immune system, boost our mood, alleviate pain and help us cope with stress. Laughter is also great at bringing people together. We are more drawn to happy, positive people than we are to dour, morose ones. There’s an expression, “Misery loves company, but company doesn’t love misery!”
Children play and laugh all day, but as we grow into adulthood, life begins to seem more serious and we lose the easy joyfulness of youth. How can we recapture some of that free-spiritedness and learn to enjoy life again?
We are now in the month of Adar, a time in the Jewish calendar given over to levity. During the holiday of Purim, we let loose with celebrations, rollicking fun, jokes and jests. It’s one day on the Jewish calendar when it’s considered appropriate to drink oneself silly, “until one can no longer distinguish between ‘blessed is Mordechai’ and ‘cursed is Haman’”!
There’s a statement of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai: A person may not fill his mouth with laughter in this world, for it is written (Psalms 126:2), “Then [in the Messianic era] we will fill our mouths with laughter.”
There were always those who took a perhaps overly narrow interpretation of Rabbi Shimon’s statement, and presented a somber face to the universe to avoid even a semblance of laughter. However, Chassidic teachings tend to stress the reverse – that we must serve G-d with joy, and live each day with joyful anticipation of the future redemption. What, then, is the meaning of Rabbi Shimon’s statement?
In the time of exile, our laughter is never full-hearted. Our laughter often only covers over an underlying layer of anxiety, fear or distress. Only when Moshiach comes will we “fill our mouths with laughter” – then we will experience genuine happiness, free of any vestige of sadness.
The Hebrew name of our forefather Isaac, Yitzchok, comes from the root of tzchok, laughter. The Talmud states that in the future, we will consider Yitzchok as our primary forefather. Isaac’s main occupation was well digging, removing layers of dirt and stones to uncover the living waters below. The spiritual analog is removing the muck and impurity of the world to reveal the potential for holiness hidden within.
This has been our task since the beginning of creation. Standing now at the threshold of Moshiach, when we have already completed the work of refining the world, we can already begin to live with the exhilarating joy reserved for the future. Our joy will know no bounds because it will be the result of our own efforts.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_accordion][/vc_column][/vc_row]