Elul Links
On Thursday night we talked about the current month of Elul. The themes of this special month are parallel to a lot of recovery themes, so here are a few links to learn more about Elul.
Elul in a Nutshell- Chabad.org
An Elul Anthology - Chabad.org
Excerpts from 60 Days by Rabbi Simon Jacobson :
4 shares:
I am finding many differences as to how the experience is bet. AA and going to Shule / Davening, which is diff. than DAvening by yourself.
I find that in AA, there is a focus for one hour on a topic.
Most of the time, there has been a great exp. in having gone to the AA Meeting. You get alot out of just about every share. There are people there who have grown unbeleivably and there are also those who just got out of jail,
people who are jealous and say so in so many words in a share regarding say world wide AA, and then someone who relapsed and was back in his first AA meeting Thurday night having last drunk all of Sunday and then detoxed for 3 full days.
The topics and shares add so much to my growth.
I experience being able to deal with a problem that i could not quite do so in the past.
I am ecstatic to learn that i have somthing called Sanity. If you would have asked me 3 months ago, what this is, I would have had no clue.
now there is something that affects my sanity, I must take care of the issue, bef. I would drink it away.
Unfortunately I cannot say the same about my Synagogue exp.
Yes, the Rav gives us a beautiful Rashi, on that days Parsha. But it is not as profound an exp.
Bec. there is no human growth element within the Shule.
Even in the element of growing in Judaism ther is not that feeling.
Perhaps this is the particular shule, but I don't think so.
I am not enjoying the communal socializing aspect of Shule.
I want to be with AA people more.
It is not that I feel less a Yid.
I am looking for a way to bridge the 2 very different spiritual approaches.
FJ,
I hope that by reading what Rabbi Ben A. and myself post here, you will come to realize that the things that inspire you in AA, can be found in your Jewish heritage as well. It is a matter of bringing it to light. Most Rabbis are not trained to translate Jewish concepts into practical recovery. If more people would demand it, the Rabbis would have to reshape their thinking and speaking into delivering tools for a better living to their congregations, not just nice homilies and profound dissertations.
yes for sure Rabbi, but I am pointing out to the difference between spending time in SHule. Personal learning is a great thing that we have. My house is piled with Seforim. I recently started just opening up and learning out with my son, he is like, What?
No I say, listen and learn with me. This is awesome. this never happened bef. never.
My point was about the Shules but then I guess I am not saying anything new.
TO tell you the truth I bring the as Bill sees it little book with me and look at this bein Gavra li Gavra. this does help.
LOL, that is very funny. The purpose of every human being is to create a PERSONAL relationship with G-d. Use every tool that you have to build that relationship.
Going to shul and praying from the siddur is like going to the store and buying your wife a Hallmark card for your anniversary. You can pick the best written card for the occasion, unless you add a personal message on the blank part, it is meaningless on a personal level. They just printed thousands of them and husbands gave them to their wives in all 50 states. When you use "how bill sees it" to personalize your card to G-d, you made it a unique relationship.
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