#MyJewishValues Nos. 1 - 23

A while ago I started posting this topic on my other social media accounts to cultivate a healthier and more sustainable social media praxis.

But I never thought to share them on here! Well, to correct that oversight, here are all the posts since I started in order from the very first to the most recent.

NB: for any term you don't understand, Google is your friend! But I'm happy to answer more in the comments.

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What are #MyJewishValues? Well, these include aggadah, minhag, musar, and nusach that are part of my Torah, my yiddishkeit, but especially what I'm passing on to my daughters as the heritage they inherit. So, here goes...

Avodah: work, worship, service. Especially the power and value of service in work as well as in worship. This is distinct from its original and modern meanings in Hebrew. For me, what is tikkun olam if not avodah persevering?

Shalom bayit: peace and harmony in the home. For my family that includes equity in the division of domestic labor running our household, especially with our kids. The responsibilities we assume for different needs are valuable unpaid work. None of it is relegated. There's also the cultivation of habitual intimacy and affection, through various love languages, because shalom bayit also means the fulfillment of our best self by joining our lives with another person who is our equal. It's the building of a life together.

B'tzelem Elohim: in the Divine Image we are created. We are created by it, from it, within it. Every life contains a divine spark, a holy and beautiful essence. Because of that, we are obliged to treat others accordingly. Human life or worth is not transactional. Who am I that I should ignore you?

Beshert: often used to mean “soulmate,” but the literal translation from Yiddish is “destiny.” The concept of beshert is much more than finding love by being at the right place at the right time. It is, in essence, fulfilling your personal destiny, thereby playing your part in the destiny of the world. Your beshert is the reunion of a whole that was split but also the ability for us to change into our beshert or that of another. Every relationship, every flirtation, every fling is beshert, but there is only one that exceeds them all. Even still, we must make the choice to be with our beshert. It cannot be forced by anyone or anything.

Zachor: Hebrew for remember. Given how ancient we are in spite of the attempts to destroy us over the past millennia, we can say there is arguably no value which has sustained us Jews as a people more than our memory, our capacity to remember.

Nigun: a form of Jewish religious song or tune sung by groups. The vocal music is characterized by repetitive sounds such as "Bim-Bim-Bam", "Lai-Lai-Lai", "Yai-Yai-Yai" or "Ai-Ai-Ai" instead of formal lyrics. Nigun can be prayers of lament, joyous, or victorious. Nigunim are largely improvisations, though they can be based on thematic passages and are stylized in form, reflecting the teachings and charisma of the spiritual leadership of the congregation or its religious movement. I like to think of nigun as the Jewish equivalent of scat singing in African American Jazz. My favorite nigun is sadly not recorded, but a version of it can be heard in the background of The Prince of Egypt's soundtrack. The song is called Through Heaven's Eyes.

Sinat Chinam: baseless hatred. After all the recent turmoil, it feels right to talk about the hatred we hold for others. It can be subtle or overt. It's a hatred that infects our hearts and our institutions.

Maklokhet l’shem Shamayim: an argument for the sake of heaven that elevates an issue rather than denigrates the people, such as Hillel vs Shammai, instead of Moses vs. Korach. It's like arguing with fellow progressives instead of arguing with hate groups.

Zionism: the right of Jewish people to self-determination in their ancestral and historic homeland. For this to be true, it must be true for all other people too. Zionism cannot coexist with oppression, injustice, or crimes against humanity without losing its meaning entirely. Indeed, the right of all people to self-determination in their ancestral and historic homeland is the core tenet behind Zionism since Exodus. Without it, Zionism is merely another form of tyranny.

Hachnasat Orchim: welcoming guests, making people feel honored, relaxed, and valued. Say little, but do much. Treat their visit as the gift it truly is, even if it is a stranger.

Pikuach nefesh: watching over a soul. The Jewish principle that the preservation of human life overrides virtually any other rule. When the life of a specific person is in danger, almost any negative commandment of the Torah becomes null. If it's uncertain whether a situation is life-threatening, the situation must be considered life-threatening until proven otherwise, thereby allowing action to be taken. "One who destroys a life, is considered to have destroyed an entire world; one who saves a life, is considered to have saved an entire world." 

Hineni: Here I am. Hineni he’ani mima'as is a prayer for the ability to pray, for preparation and humility, for more than the simple indication of being physically present in a location. Hineni is an existential expression. I’m not only here, but I’m *here* in this moment. Spiritually, emotionally, mentally, I’m all in. I’m prepared to reflect on who I am, what’s important to me, and how I can effect change for others & myself. Hineni: I'm ready.

Makher: while it's Yiddish for maker, there's no exact translation of what it really means. Who's a makher? The person who gets things done, a fixer, and wheeler-dealer. A makher is someone who, often with no official position or title, makes it their job to get other people to do things, without being too finicky about the means they employ. Sometimes they’re a force for the better, sometimes for the worse.

Israel: from the Hebrew meaning "God Contended," "Wrestles with God," "Triumphant with God." We are the people of Israel who wrestle with God, the world, ourselves, and all things known or unknown. We wrestle, we contend, and we emerge, triumphant.

Doikayt: hereness in diasporism, strengthening Jewish communities wherever we live as our philosophies, practices, & traditions are a product of the environments we live in. This is not Bundism, but rather a compliment to Zionism in many ways. It is recognizing our differences in background and knowledge from sources around the world, realizing that they are all part of what make the Jewish people so stalwart in the face of our collective struggles.

Sof ma'aseh b'mahshava tekhila: the end action was first in thought, the end of something is evident at the start of it. Your ultimate impact reveals your initial intentions, so we must be carefully deliberate in our thoughts as much as our acts.

Cheshbon nefesh: an accounting of/for the soul. More directly, it's a rhetorical question Jewish must ask ourselves, which is "what is the sum calculation of my life right now?" It's the first step of humility & integrity.

Veger lo toneh velo tilhatzenu: do not wrong a stranger, do not oppress them. Love the stranger, since we ourselves know the feelings of a stranger, for you also were strangers in the land of Egypt. When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not do them wrong. They shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love them as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. "I am the Lord your God. I say to Him, ‘God is it okay to luff strangers?’ And God says to me, ‘Yitzak, vat is dis strangers? You make strangers. I don’t make strangers.'" Kitchen Table Wisdom.

Refuah Shleimah: a fast & full recovery, for injury, illness, sickness, etc.

Eliyahu Hanavi: who is this? More than just the person who comes to every seder and bris, more even than just Purim's Charvona. They are the person who always comes to our rescue whenever we need them. They are our heroes.

Hillel's Golden Rule: That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. That is the whole Torah; the rest is commentary. Now go and learn. If I am not for myself, who will be for me? But if I am only for myself, what am I? If not now, when?

Hadran Alach: “Hadran alach, ve’hadrach alan”, Aramaic for “We have returned to you and we will return to you, dear tractate, and you have returned to us and will return to us.” We say this when finishing any book, not just religious ones. We treat books almost as their own people, capable of thought and feeling. We respect and reverse them and treat them as guests of honor in our lives, to be visited often, to be remembered, and to be returned to in gratitude and thankfulness for the gifts of knowledge, enjoyment, etc., that they have provided.

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Take note and take care.