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the sydney jewish report | September 2022
AROUND
T H E
COMMUNITY
Social connection
ANNE-MARIE ELIAS As we approach the new year, it is hard not to reflect upon just how unusual the past couple have been due to the COVID-19 lockdowns. Fortunately, more recently we have moved back to a more normal way of living and we can consider again just how important it is for us to have social connections. Here are a few comments from my clients: • “I enjoy being with other people.” • “I love being with my family and friends, and miss them terribly when we needed to isolate.” • “Everyone says I’m a social butterfly. I flit from one engagement to another.” • “During lockdown I really missed seeing people and having companionship.” Psychologically, social connection is the feeling that you belong to a group and are close to others. Research has found that social connection is a core psychological need, essential to feeling satisfied. When we connect, we receive a dopamine hit. The pleasure centre of our brain registers a feel-good moment.
JUDAIC A
QUIZ
RABBI DAVID FREEDMAN There is so much to look forward to this year, with synagogue doors mercifully open and guests permitted at our Yom Tov tables. It is post-pandemic in the most positive way! One dimension of the sweetness – beyond the apple and honey – will be the gantze mishpochah – the whole family - answering these quiz questions below. This edition of the quiz is firmly focused on all-things-Rosh Hashanah and there is truly a marvellous mix of questions for the young – and the notso-young too! Through a Jewish lens we explore this special time of year delving into history, sport, politics, culture, customs and so much more! Make sure you keep this printed copy handy, so generous hosts and grateful guests alike can join in to have a collective crack at the range of Rosh Hashanah questions below! 1. Which ritual associated with Rosh Hashanah is first mentioned in the writings of the Maharil, Rabbi Yaakov Moelin (Germany 1365-1427)? 2. On festivals such as Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur we read from a Machzor (a festival prayer book) as opposed to a Siddur (a daily prayer book). The word Machzor is derived from the Hebrew word la-ch’zor – what does this mean?
During isolation and lockdown we were unable to activate this important element of our chemistry. Many younger people, in particular, missed out on forming vital relationships at school and university as studies went online only. Depression and anxiety were rife. The need for connection, inherent in our evolution as a species, starts to explain the huge uptake in psychological counselling.
Researcher Laurie Hare-Duke developed a five-element CIVIC framework for connectedness. He identified these as closeness, identity and common bond, valued relationships, involvement and care. One of my clients recently announced that he had done some “spring cleaning” of his friends, sticking with those that made him feel good and valued. A common theme from ex-military and emergency services personnel is that they no longer feel involved. Their
primary network of colleagues is absent and they seek re-engagement with likeminded people. With the High Holydays upon us, now is again the time to embrace social connection. Doing so helps lower anxiety, regulate emotion, increase empathy and improve our immune systems. In other words, the hard wiring of our brains can work as intended. Anne-Marie Elias is a psychologist in clinical practice for 25 years.
Test your knowledge 3. What dish made from carrots, cinnamon, sweet potatoes, prunes, and honey, is a traditional Rosh Hashanah food? 4. What custom on Rosh Hashanah is related to the tears of a non-Jewish woman who mourned and cried over the death of her son, a Canaanite general in conflict with the Israelites? 5. True or false – Rosh Hashanah always coincides with a full moon? 6. On which days of the week can Yom Kippur never occur? 7. What problem did the inhabitants of Tzfat (Safed) face when they wished to perform Tashlich, and how did they overcome this difficulty? 8. What cycle of study began on First Day Rosh Hashanah back in 1923? 9. Which US President included the following words in one of his annual Rosh Hashanah greetings: “This year, Rosh Hashanah comes at a particular difficult time for many across the globe as we mourn the loss of former Israeli President and Prime Minister Shimon Peres.” 10. What kind of food, traditionally eaten on Rosh Hashanah, is known as Lekach? 11. Which famous American member of the judiciary died on Erev Rosh Hashanah, September 18th 2020? 12. The following is a quote from which movie: "My son came to me in my dreams—he sang Kol Nidre so beautifully. If he would only sing like that tonight—surely he would be forgiven."
13. The name Rosh Hashanah does not occur in the Torah – by what other name or names is this festival known within the Five Books of Moses? 14. In July 2020, Rabbi David Lau, the Chief Rabbi of Israel, along with Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, called for which prayer, often associated with Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, to be recited twice daily in response to the spread of coronavirus in Israel? 15. The following relates to which one of these three famous Jewish philosophers? “Under the influence of his cousin and close friend Eugen RosenstockHuessy, he considered converting to Christianity. Determined to embrace the faith as the early Christians did, he resolved to live as an observant Jew first, before becoming Christian. After attending Yom Kippur services at a small Orthodox synagogue in Berlin, he underwent a mystical experience. As a result, he became a Ba’al Teshuva. Although he never recorded what transpired, he never again entertained converting to Christianity.” a) Martin Buber b) Franz Rosenzweig c) Franz Kafka 16. According to the sages, why is the traditional shape of a Shofar curved and not straight? 17. True or false – Isaac and Ishmael (the two sons of Abraham) are both mentioned within the Torah reading for First Day Rosh Hashanah?
18. ‘Elul’, the month preceding the High Holy Days, is an acronym for which phrase from the Song of Songs, which is meant to describe the close relationship between the Jewish People and G-d? 19. Why did Dudi Sela, at the time he was Israel’s Number One ranked male tennis player, quit his quarter-final match in the third set of the 2017 Shenzhen Open forfeiting a possible $34,000 in prize money and 90 rankings points? 20. What activity, often enjoyed on Shabbat afternoons, is according to custom discouraged on Rosh Hashanah? 21. What particular type of food should not be eaten on Rosh Hashanah because the numerical value of its Hebrew letters is close to chet, meaning sin? 22. Given that we kneel on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, why do we not kneel during prayer at other times of the year? 23. Which Jewish community, now resettled in Israel, uses the horn of a kudu antelope instead of a ram’s horn for Shofar blowing? 24. What name is given to the personal introductory prayer recited by the chazzan/cantor immediately before Mussaf/the Additional Service? 25. What is the greeting offered to another Jew, immediately after Rosh Hashanah has ended?
ANSWERS PAGE 16
