Ayeka Reflections provides an opportunity to reflect on our personal relationship with God.
Each email presents 2 short pieces:
- Bringing God into
some aspect of our lives
- A Spiritual Moment
from one of our readers
If you would like to suggest an
aspect of our lives for us to focus on, or offer a spiritual moment, please
contact us. We also want to let you know that Ayeka Seminars are now available for
purchase on our website for small groups or pairs - "Ayeka for 2". Check it out.
Succot is called "The Time of our Happiness."
Wishing you a joyous Succot.
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Bringing God into - Our Happiness
By Aryeh Ben David
Did you ever say to someone: "I wish I could make you
happy"?
Should we post smiley faces all over the house? What is it
that can raise a person's spirits? Presents?
Or jokes? Or chocolate? Is happiness a function of how much I have or
the places I have visited?
Research claims that 50% of a person's happiness level is a
function of their genetic make-up. How much is in our control?
When I worked on college campuses I often started a session
by asking the students: "If you had a Happiness-barometer from 1 - 10, where
would you place yourself?" The typical answer was 5½. I think that's a failing
grade.
Happiness seems so fleeting. In a moment a smile is replaced
by a worry. I come from a family of Olympic worriers - how can I sustain
happiness?
Abraham Joshua Heschel writes
that happiness may be defined as the certainty of being needed.
Wow. When I first saw his
sentence I had to stop and catch my breath. Needed? By whom? For what?
When I question whether I am needed
or not - anxiety sets in. Self-satisfaction breeds futility and despair. It is being
needed by others which evokes happiness.
The same researchers write that
the one common denominator they discern among people with a high level of
happiness is their number and quality of friends and relationships. More than
money, health, and even career success, the number and quality of friends seems
to determine one's level of happiness.
Heschel adds one more penetrating
thought - "The human being is needed, he is a need of God."
We are born into a broken world. God
intentionally created a world in which our destiny is to heal this brokenness. We
have a role to play. We are needed.
And apparently we are
"spiritually wired" to respond with happiness when the awareness of this need
kicks in.
Succot is called "z'man
simchateinu" - "the time of our happiness." Not because of jokes, wealth,
or pleasure. On Succot we engage in
building - building a succah - a symbol of building this world. God started the
process, now we affirm that we are needed to complete it.
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION:
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Where would you place yourself
on the Happiness-barometer?
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What could you do to raise
yourself up a notch?
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Have you ever felt moments of
happiness as a result of being needed? By whom?
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Spiritual Moment
The
succah is often compared to the
huppah (wedding
canopy)
By Noga Fisher, Israel
A few weeks ago, I went
to two weddings on the same night, one the daughter of very close friends and the
other an "obligation appearance" at a client's son. The friends' wedding was in Ein Hemed, a
beautiful park in the Jerusalem hills, and the
client's wedding was in the port city of Ashdod.
The Jerusalem hills' wedding
was sublime. The site was a
secluded and magical garden, the bride was glowing in a simple gown and sandals,
and the guest list included friends that we've invited to our own smachot
(happy occasions) over many years. We felt relaxed with a dress code of "settler
chic" and Indian/Israeli "shanti", and loved the music, which enhanced the
atmosphere of sweetness, happiness and modesty with guitar, flute, and lyrics
from Shir Hashirim (Song of Songs).
If this was a
dream, then Ashdod
was a nightmare. As a
rags-to-riches success story, my client, a poor immigrant from the Ukraine who rose
to become the CEO of a publicly-traded corporation, was eager to display his
good fortune. The women wore spike heels and flashy dresses; the men had spiky haircuts
and Marlboros in their pockets. With 700 guests, long lines formed in front of
multiple food stations, and the music was louder than a very loud crowd. When
the "mothers" made their entrance, they were camera-ready with inches of makeup,
jeweled dresses and sparkling hair.
But then the
atmosphere shifted. Hip-hop was replaced by Achinoam Nini's haunting rendition
of "Boi Kalah" (Welcome the Bride), and other Israeli classics. In
deference to the moment, men covered their heads with napkins, and the audience
held its breath with expectation. My client, a tough guy, was visibly overcome,
and the couple looked young and optimistic. When the groom stamped on the glass,
the "mazal tov" of this secular, glitzy crowd was just as heartfelt and
hopeful as the one I had heard two hours before.
So this was my
spiritual moment. In a single night, I saw two new Jewish families set sail. As
the crowd shouted its "mazal tov" in Hebrew, English, Russian and
Yiddish, I found myself uttering a "shechiyanu" (prayer of gratitude) and
a silent prayer for luck and joy.
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Israel Events
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Aryeh Ben David During Succot
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Aryeh will present a Session in Jerusalem's Gateways Festival: Loving Difficult People, Thurs 8th October 8th, at 14:00, ICCC 12
Emek Refaim
Desert Retreat
Our next Israel retreat will take place near Jerusalem November 12-13.
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Check Out
Ayeka Seminars
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Bringing God Into My Daily Life and
Relating to God.
The seminars can be run by institutions, independent groups or two
people on their own. Seminar materials are provided when you register
online at our website.
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Advisory Board
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Ayeka is honored to have an Advisory Board of world-renowned personalities in the fields of Jewish education and public service:
Dr. Erica Brown
Rabbi Rachel Cowan
Rabbi Yitz Greenberg
Avraham Infeld
Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen
Rabbi Avi Weiss
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Ayeka Seminars
Across the U.S.
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Ayeka is deepening its roots in 6 cities:
Atlanta
Boulder
Cleveland
Denver
San Francisco Stamford CT. Groups are
forming across the denominational spectrum.
To bring Ayeka to your synagogue and/or community, or become an Ayeka facilitator, contact us at info@ayeka.org.il
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Ayeka's Mission |
Ayeka is bringing God back to the conversation.
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Ayeka provides
an agenda-free, safe space to personally explore the question: How can
I best fulfill the challenge of living in the Image of God - in my
daily life, my relationships, my work and community, with the Jewish
people and all of humanity.
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