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Post by hollygail on Sept 14, 2016 4:46:02 GMT
Welcome!! You have entered a space where all people are invited to gather to discuss matters of Spirituality, in mutual respect and friendliness: "Considering...Spirituality." Here, the focus is on personal spirituality and not dogma. We welcome with open arms people from any, all, and no religious/faith backgrounds, and those who practice spirituality on their own, to join us for a discussion centered on a higher consciousness. Each day there will be a quote, question, or discussion prompt presented for all to ponder and respond to.
**In maintaining an atmosphere of comfort and trust, we do not allow proselytizing (the effort of trying to convert others) or the denigrating of the religions and viewpoints of others. We also avoid bringing up topics such as politics, hot button social issues, or anything that can be considered divisive**
As this was a WW board, we also discuss our personal wellness, including our weight management program. We share our struggles and our triumphs regarding such as well as discuss things like family, friends, jobs, hobbies, outside interests, etc... We strive to build each other up with loving support in a positive manner. Let us not ever tear one another down in any way, shape or form.
Regular thread starters for the time being are:
Sunday, Monday, Tuesday: Gary / Wednesday, Thursday, Friday: Holly
Yet if anyone is so inclined, please feel free to start a new thread by beginning with the title: "Considering ... (topic)," post this introduction (by way of copy & paste) then follow that with a post putting forth a question and/or quote (with or without some explanation) for us to ponder today. The topic can be inspired by your personal faith, but please do remember that anyone from other spiritual paths should be able to answer it.
Shalom, Love & Light, Blessed Be, Namaste...
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Post by hollygail on Sept 14, 2016 5:07:17 GMT
The Jewish High Holy Days are coming. Rosh haShanah (the "head" of the year, or more often translated, although not exactly "correctly," as the Jewish New Year) will begin at sundown on Sunday, October 2 followed by the first and second days of Rosh haShanah, and then on the 10th day (counting Rosh haShanah as #1) is Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. We're preparing. We hear the sound of the shofar every morning this month (that is, the Jewish month of Elul which leads into Tishrei; the first of Tishrei is Rosh haShanah, and the 10th of Tishrei is Yom Kippur). And we start our introspection...
Here's an excerpt from a class I'm giving next Sunday to 6th and 7th graders.
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Jews don’t usually use the word “sin.” The Hebrew word cheit [rhymes with "fate" where the initial "ch" sound is the guttural fricative, not like the initial and final sounds in the English word "church"] is sometimes translated that way, but it really means “missing the mark.” The idea is that sometimes we act in ways that are far from the way we want to be. The High Holy Days give us a chance to re-aim our actions. It is a chance to turn ourselves back into the people we want to be. This is when we try to hit the bullseye…
During the High Holy Days, Jews try to atone for missing the mark by doing t’shuvah — correcting our mistakes [the word comes from the root which literally means "turn" — the implication is that we want to "turn" back to who we were before we "missed the mark"]. We ask God to forgive the sins we have committed and ask the people we have hurt (accidentally or on purpose) to forgive us for hurting them. But before we can do t’shuvah, we must look at ourselves, determine how we have missed the mark, and admit that we have missed it.
This admission is called vidui, confession, and we say it as part of the Yom Kippur worship service. The vidui is part of Al Cheit, because those are the first two words of each line of this important prayer.
When we say the Al Cheit, we read a list from the special prayer book for High Holy Days of many of the ways we might have missed the mark. The High Holy Days prayer book lists only some of the possibilities. We are each responsible for examining our own list, so we may be able to ask God and the people we might have hurt for forgiveness. These lists have a Hebrew name, cheshbon hanefesh. Cheshbon literally means "an accounting" and cheshbon hanefesh literally means "an accounting of the soul." Israelis say cheshbon when they refer to a bill or a check (the restaurant kind). So we can think of a cheshbon hanefesh as the bill for the things for which we still owe t'shuvah…
Rabbi Moses ben Maimon (also called Maimonides, also called the Rambam) explains that t'shuvah is a three-step process: (1) admitting that you did something wrong, (2) telling the person that you really regret what you did (and meaning it), and (3) resolving not to do it again. You can do t'shuvah by making these three steps in whatever language you want. If someone apologizes to you, it's a good idea to accept the apology and forgive the person. However, if you do something wrong and plan to do t'shuvah, then you won't have accomplished t'shuvah.
Sometimes you have the opportunity to do the same wrong thing you did before. If you don't repeat the wrong action, that shows that you really accomplished t'shuvah. Think about a time when this was true in your life…
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q/q: 1. Think about a time you had the opportunity to do the same wrong thing you had previously done. Did you repeat the wrong action? 2. I'm going to assume that any non-Jews who read this thread have not made a practice of taking an account of their souls. Consider giving it a try, perhaps by reflecting back on the last year. 3. Think of a time this past year when you felt sorry for something you did. What did you do to rectify the situation? (You don't have to describe the specific events, only the general strategy or strategies you used to make the situation better.) 4. If you actually did any/all of the above, how did it feel? Was it easy, hard, somewhere in between? Once you agreed to give it a try, were you willing really to examine yourself?
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Post by hollygail on Sept 14, 2016 5:14:41 GMT
Let me say that most years, during Elul, I send an email to many individuals, apologizing for anything I may have said or done that caused them any kind of pain, or if I neglected to do or say something that caused them any kind of pain. Generally, I receive a response granting me forgiveness, and the majority of the individuals ask me to forgive them as well. It makes me feel really good.
Once upon a time, I did something that I knew caused bad feelings for several people in a group I belonged to. My rabbi told me I was going to have to do t'shuvah by the following High Holy Days, so I might as well start "now" (meaning, when we were discussing the situation). I didn't want to. However, I knew it was the right thing to do. I systematically went to each and every individual in the group and apologized. Some people said I hadn't hurt them by what I'd done; one woman cried and told me she had borne the brunt of anger shown by several people because of the same situation (not caused by what I'd done), and only one person out of the entire group told me she didn't believe me, that I had known what I was doing at the time. She didn't say it with any rancor, and I accepted that she was expressing her feelings on the situation and didn't take it personally; that is, I didn't hold it against her, and I didn't feel bad that she didn't accept my apology. To this day, she and I are still very close friends.
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Post by glrogers67 on Sept 14, 2016 15:55:52 GMT
First what you are describing is what we as Christians in general and LDS in particular call the process of repentance. I agree, we do need to take stock of ourselves periodically and make amends when we can, but we don't designate a certain time of year for the process. We do have a general conference twice a year in which our leaders present 10 hours of instruction spread over 2 days. The next one is October 1 - 2. The spring conference is usually the first weekend of April. I generally take the 2 days of conference off plus another 5 days for fall and spring cleaning. Members generally use this time to take stock and resolve to make changes in their lives, but we can go through the process of repentance any time mistakes are made and repentance is necessary. I did that during the crisis with my gf, and am still assessing changes I need to make so that when we are together it will last. It's mostly a process of overcoming bad habits. For example, I can see now that vacuuming only once per week is not enough when junk gets on the carpet and my cats ingest stuff they shouldn't. In fact I just vacuumed Monday and I can see stuff on the carpet that needs to be vacuumed up again.
On to the q/qs:
1. Think about a time you had the opportunity to do the same wrong thing you had previously done. Did you repeat the wrong action?
Oh, yes, many times. However, I am trying not to repeat the same mistakes over and over. It's hard to break bad habits.
2. I'm going to assume that any non-Jews who read this thread have not made a practice of taking an account of their souls. Consider giving it a try, perhaps by reflecting back on the last year.
As I said above, our general conference provides just such an opportunity to listen to our leaders point out common problems members may be experiencing and reflect upon changes that need to be made.
3. Think of a time this past year when you felt sorry for something you did. What did you do to rectify the situation? (You don't have to describe the specific events, only the general strategy or strategies you used to make the situation better.)
A big case in point was the recent crisis with my gf. I had over a month without talking to her to reflect on what I have been doing and strive to make changes. I am still a work in progress.
4. If you actually did any/all of the above, how did it feel? Was it easy, hard, somewhere in between? Once you agreed to give it a try, were you willing really to examine yourself?
It feels good when I can actually do what I resolve to do. I am a creature of habit and have to consciously decide to do what is right. For me, it is hard to make permanent changes, even good changes, because of the bad habits I developed over the years. I reassess frequently and very often still find myself lacking and in need of the proverbial kick in the butt!
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Post by hollygail on Sept 14, 2016 20:52:56 GMT
Gary, each time I read a post of yours where you include "I am a work in progress" (with or without "still"), I smile. I really enjoy that concept. Everyone is a work in progress, but in my opinion very few people acknowledge that fact. I appreciate it every time I see it in your post.
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