What Is Independence?

What is Independence?

Independence: The quality or state of not being under the control of, reliant on, or connected with someone or something else.

There is independence on the micro-level of the individual and on the macro-level of a nation governing itself. The Jewish people have yearned to be independent in their own country since our forefather Abraham set out for the promised land. This became more felt or urgent when we were enslaved in Egypt.

We cried for freedom from our masters and Pharaoh.

When we were freed, there was a condition:

So that we can worship our G-d and choose to enter a mutual covenant together.

This is more like freedom with “strings attached'' or freedom with a purpose, and not just to be free to do whatever we like.

When we were freed from slavery, we were physically free, but were still psychologically dependent with fears and anxiety about the future.

The people felt insecure. They kvetched and cried and actually wanted to go back to Egypt and be dependent on their masters once again! It was a long process to become an independent nation.

But independence is not always a positive virtue. It’s okay to rely on other people, and fitting into a society or community that is benevolent is also positive.

Building a thriving nation isn’t possible without cooperation and mutual assistance.

There are countless ethnic groups in Israel from a wide range of backgrounds and mother tongues. It’s not utopia, but I can honestly say that the feeling of community and peoplehood is like no other place I have been. Coming as an immigrant with no family was like no challenge I’ve ever faced. And yet, I wasn’t really alone. The stranger on the street asking me if my baby was warm enough, the neighbor asking me if I needed anything while my husband was away, the delicious meals from my synagogue after I gave birth, the group of army parents supporting each other while our sons served together, and so many more.

The saying it takes a village means that many people must cooperate to achieve a goal.

You don’t forfeit your own independence completely, but rather harness it with others towards a common good. That is what we’ve accomplished here in 74 years.

Happy Independence Day! יום עצמאות שמח

Don't Forget to Remember!

The Hebrew word for remember, zachor, is repeated over a hundred times in the Hebrew Bible.

The commandment to remember has been significant to the survival of Jews over thousands of years.

How else can we explain the continuity of the Jewish people through times of persecution, migration, destruction, and renewal?

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks (z"l) has said that there is no word for history in the Hebrew language. The word that comes closest to the idea of history in Hebrew is the word zachor – remember.

Remembering is usually thought of as referring to the past.

Our forefathers made a covenant between G-d and the Jewish people, which

is also about "remembering the future" due to a promise made about our destiny.

But how do we think about our future when there are people who want to harm us or destroy us?

We will always have to deal with Amaleks throughout our history.

Haman from Megilat Esther is a descendant of Amalek, and today there is also a resurgence of antisemitism.

If we try to remember our memories from the past, it can change us, and the act of remembering can affect the future.

We tell stories and remember also to maintain our identity, such as at the Passover Seder.

But how does memory work?

How do we process information?

And does mindfulness have anything to do with memory?

Dr. John Teasdale, pioneer of MBCT (mindfulness based cognitive therapy), proposes that mindfulness practice also changes the way we process information.

Teasdale believes that there are two forms of working memory where information can be temporarily held and processed:

The first has direct input from the sensory system, such as sensations in the body, and happens in real time.

The second one receives information from the senses only after it has been processed– not in the present moment (Journal of Cognitive Psychology).

This type of memory is associated with anxiety and depression as a result of our mind being pulled into the past or future, and this can affect the outcomes of different situations.

Memory for past personal experience does more than allow us to remember our past.

It is also linked to our ability to imagine our futures and different scenarios.

Research in Neuropsychologia Journal suggests that in depressed people, impaired memory not only makes it difficult to remember past events but also to imagine different outcomes – making their situation feel even more desperate.

In mindfulness practice, we pay attention to our memories, as we do to our thoughts and sensations, with acceptance and curiosity.

Meditation can reduce anxiety and increase concentration, and studies have also shown that it can improve working memory.

Mindfulness practice can help us change the way we look at and experience the world, which can affect our own future as well as our collective future.

Loneliness and the Half Shekel

​This Shabbat we mark Shabbat Shekalim to commemorate that every person was commanded to give a half-shekel for the upkeep of the Temple.

Everyone gave the same amount, regardless of whether they were rich or poor, nobility or commoner. There is a beautiful message in that: everyone is considered equal before G-d.

Even though we are all individuals and can stand alone, the ideal is not to be alone. We all come from Adam and Chava, and as a result, are equal in our ancestry.

But it was not good for Adam to be alone, he needed a companion.

Each person gives the half-shekel, and those half-shekels add up to a much greater whole. So each person is distinct as an individual, but we complement one another.

Entering a relationship allows us to be closer to someone and find a companion. But it also makes us vulnerable and susceptible to getting hurt.

Studies have shown that people with companions live longer​. ​ We are communal beings and we need social networks and social support. Some of us, however, have barriers that prevent us from connecting at a deep level, and this creates loneliness. Mindfulness can help lower or remove those barriers.

​University of Chicago researchers investigating the neuroscience of loneliness found that a lonely brain is​ overly​ in-tune with social cues, ​especially​ the ones signaling a social threat. ​People who feel lonely are subconsciously scanning their environment for hostility​ and threats​, which may​ minimize ​their connecting to positive social experiences​. ​According to the study, people who experience loneliness should " get out of their heads''.

In mindfulness practice, we notice our mind and thoughts, but train ourselves to pay attention to body sensations in the present moment.​ ​ We can train ourselves to become more aware of ​ our thoughts and ​feelings, such as vulnerability and lack of trust, ​which prevent us from connecting with people​. Mindfulness ​can ​give us tools to identify the triggers of those ​thoughts or ​emotions, and helps us manage them​.

The contribution of the half-shekel illustrates that each individual is important on his/ her own, but that each person is also part of something bigger than themselves. Knowing that we are part of a larger community can alleviate loneliness and give existential meaning to our lives.