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2016
108
years
1908
2016
107
years
Remember Weddings To 48
108th
ver Editi Anniversary Passo
on
• 15 Nisan 5776 April 23, 2016 • $5 per copy • Numbe r 1 Volume CIX
Number Volume CVIII $5 January 2016
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Him. And, even though we know that He may not answer in the same exact way that we addressed Him, He will answer us. But, there’s something else about this “monologue,” be it the one with G-d or the one with my son. When I sit down to email my son, I am forced to first think about what and how I’m going to write. Instead of writing, “Are you having a great time?” I’ll say, “I hope you’re having a great time.” Or instead of writing, “Do you like the food?” I’ll word it something like, “I noticed hot dogs, fries and pickles in the pictures the counselors put up on the website. I bet you were so happy with that food.” I also watch
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answers via email, but answers nonetheless. That same Tuesday, right before leaving for the pool and meeting my friend and her cute 7 year old, I received, and excitedly read, a handwritten letter from my son. (The first time I had heard from him since I dropped him off at the airport, a week earlier.) It was a short letter, which he had written prior to receiving most of my emails to date. Yet, upon reading the letter, I felt like he addressed most everything I had said to him via email. And, this is precisely my answer to my friend’s cute 7 year old – (OK, OK, to myself) “This is not a monologue! And, it’s certainly not inconsequential.” In fact, it’s quite similar to our communication with G-d, otherwise known as prayer. And, I’m not referring here just to the act of saying the words from a Siddur – although I mean those, too. I’m referring to the whole gamut of what prayer really is – avoda she b’lev, service of the heart. I say that because most women, particularly those who are mothers of young children, are hardly found with an open prayer book, meticulously pronouncing the pre-scripted text. However, I think we have cornered the prayer market. That talking to G-d thing, we just somehow know how to do it, intuitively. We do it quite often, and almost as naturally as sending emails to our beloved child in camp. Most of us are not privy to hear the voice of Hashem. However, we still talk to Him. We pray. We do it because we feel connected to Him when we do. We do it knowing that He treasures our attempts at connecting with
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how I express myself. Even if I miss my son dearly, I will not write anything that could make him feel like his family can’t manage without him. Yes, he is missed. But, what he should know and feel is that although we miss him, we believe that he should be there, and that we trust he’s gaining a tremendous amount from this experience. He should know that we are excited and happy for him. Similarly, the words, tefilah (prayer) or l’hitpalel (to pray), come from the shoresh (root word) p-l-l, which means to judge. Therefore, our sages tell us that l’hitpalel, a reflective form of the verb, also could be translated as “to judge oneself.” Not only is the objective of prayer to reinforce our connection with G-d, but ideally, when we pray, we make a self-judgement. We try to become cognizant of what we’re saying and how we’re saying it: Is what I’m requesting from Hashem the right thing to ask? Am I truly asking for the right reasons? What am I doing, or could be doing, to merit my request? This is how the act of prayer ultimately refines us as human beings – through the intentional self-judgement, selfreflection, that occurs during the “monologue” with G-d. I doubt the camp developed their communications policy based on the concept of prayer. But, I’ve learned that, in likeness to prayer, these seemingly inconsequential emails strengthen my relationship with my child and help me become a better parent. Thus, as I sit by the pool all summer long, I’ll most certainly carry on with my share of “summer monologues.” c
2016
108
years
1908
Volume CVIV • Number 11 • June 2016 • $5.00
107
2015
years
201 Ba r/B at 5 Mi Pa r ty Pla tzv ah nn er
Rosh Hash anah Editi 25 Septem on ber 2014 • 1 Tishri 5775 Volume CVII • Numbe r 26 $5.00
Volume CVIII
• Number 34
• October 2015
INSIDE: F OR H OUSTO N F AMILY , B AR M ITZVAH IN I SRAEL IS A C HOICE , T RADIT ION B’ NOT M ITZVAH B RINGS M OTHER , D AUGHT ER C LOSER TO F AITH
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