Personal
On this page you will find articles that focus on those chance or passing moments in our personal lives that appear to be outwardly small but are significant nonetheless for their influence upon our mood, our feelings of connection with others, and our spiritual lives.
To access the Personal Archive, click here.
Traveling
This story is told: The JCC Maccabi Games send young Jewish athletes to
compete in a whole assortment of sports for a week at various sites. As the
mom of a Maccabi athlete and wife of a Maccabi coach, I was most curious to
see what was "Jewish" about these games, other than a chance to meet other
Jewish young people and Jewish host families and a chance to experience
good sportsmanship as a Jewish value (granted—dayenu--this was already
enough in my book.) When I dropped off my daughter and husband at our local
JCC where they would board the bus taking them to the Maccabi, I was moved
to discover three moving aspects of the Games, each one deeply Jewish. I
learned that first, every Maccabi athlete was asked to donate a new T-shirt to
tzedaka; second, part of the closing ceremony would be an obligatory 2-hour
community service project; and third, all Maccabi athletes and coaches who
were traveling by car, bus and plane to the Games were given a wallet-sized
tfillat haderekh card, an eloquent prayer and meditation for travelers going
from a familiar setting to a community they did not know. As I waved goodbye
and good luck to our team, I felt they were being accompanied by a watchful
eye. This is the meditation and prayer they held in their hands:
Meditation:
Why a prayer for traveling?
We find security in familiar settings, among the people and in the places we
know well. Therefore, traveling outside our community can make us feel a little
uneasy. We ask God to "lead us forward in peace," because life itself is an
endless journey in which we never really reach our destination. As Jews, we
are always journeying towards peace, for ourselves, for our people, and for all
of humankind.
Ritual:
As you prepare to depart on your journey, take a moment to reflect on the
wonder of being able to move from one place to another, of being able to
anticipate familiar and new experiences along the way. Now this ritual is
simple, but it must be done always:
Buckle up!
Blessing:
(After you have buckled up and are preparing the depart)
Yehi Ratzon milfanekha...:
May it be Your will, Lord my God, to lead me on the way of peace and guide
and direct my steps in peace, so that You will bring me happily to my
destination, safe and sound. Save me from danger on the way. Give me good
grace, kindness and favor in both Your eyes and in the eyes of all whom I may
meet. Hear this my prayer, for you are a God who hears to the heart’s
supplication and communion.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, who hears prayer.
Teaching:
If I take wing with the dawn and come to rest on the ocean’s farthest shore,
even there Your hand will be guiding me, Your strong hand will hold me.
(Psalms 139:9-10)
What should one say on entering a city in the course of a journey? "May it be
your will, O Lord my God, to bring me into this city in peace." When about to
leave, one should say, "May it be your will, O Lord my God, to bring me out of
this city in peace." When one is outside the city, one should say, "I give
thanks
to You, Lord my God, as you have brought me out of this city in peace, and as
You brought me out in peace, so may you guide me in peace, support me in
peace, and safeguard me from any danger along the way.
(Babylonian Talmud: Brakhot 54a, 60a)
When one is on a journey and has no company, one should occupy oneself
with Torah.
(Babylonian Talmud, Eruvin 54a)
Shomer tzaytekha u’vo’ekha, may’atah v’ad olam
You keep a constant eye on our comings and goings
(CLAL Faculty)
To join the conversation at Personal Talk, click here.
To access the Personal Archive, click here.
To receive the Personal column by email on a regular basis, complete the box below:
