Image by Courtesy Amichai Lau-Lavie

By Amichai Lau-Lavie September 16, 2016

Image by Wikimedia Commons

Friday 9/16/16

Elul 13 5776

Today, we are publishing a double love letter for your double super Sabbath souls. Wishing you a restful, peaceful, and love-ful Sabbath. Be back on Sunday!

Dear Pain In My Neck,

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis of the crisis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

You have been with me for years, at times so bad I had to take days off from work and just lie down with ice and pills in darkness. In the past year, it’s been better thanks to a chiropractor/physical therapy combo that finally made sense of why and what you are, what I can do to help us get along better, and for you to transform from an enemy into a gentle friend— a healthy part of my functioning and able body.

You, dear pain, are part of me; in many ways, my failure to be more diligent in my exercise regime of restoring balance to my vertebrae and limbs reflects poorly on my priorities and judgments. How many of us do not do what we can and should to be better to our selves and our bodies? I could do so much more to let you go away. I don’t. So sorry, dear pain, neck, body, self for this neglect. Excuses are silly. Is it fear of facing what is really at stake here that prevents me from doing the heavy lifting towards change?

Alan Watts once said: “We cannot be more sensitive to pleasure without being more sensitive to pain.”

Taking care of my body has been an increased priority in recent years— especially where pains, like you, invite attention. I think that’s why you show up – to highlight where mental/physical change is needed. Thank you for that.

Not that it’s always that simple. Living with chronic pain is a plight endured by many, including many friends of mine, whose endurance and patience I deeply admire. May there be relief and healing.

On this 13th day of this journey to better balance in our lives, as the second Sabbath sets, I take upon myself to take better care of myself today and in this coming year, not neglect whatever is needed for relief and health, and be more sensitive to the pains of those around me.

Let this Sabbath bring rest and healing, less pain and more pleasure.

Shabbat Shalom.

Love,
Amichai

Image by Courtesy Amichai Lau-Lavie

Saturday 9/17/16

Elul 14 5776

Dear Hammock,

When I first hung you up in my backyard several years ago it was with the best intentions of resting in you often. Truth is, you’ve been out there by yourself a lot, with birds and squirrels using you much more than I have. It’s not that I’ve been away and busy— often when I’ve wanted to use you, it was raining. It’s more like I do not reserve enough time for rest.

A daily siesta or a power nap can save your life, or at least improve your quality of living a lot. And yet, how often do we pause mid-day to close our eyes or lay down in a hammock?

On this 14th day of getting ready for a better year, this sacred day of Sabbath, I resolve to love you more, dear hammock, and commit to better rest for the rest of my life. It’s really that simple.

Sorry for neglecting you, and for neglecting me. Let’s hang out. The rest is details.

Love,

Amichai

PREPENT: Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie’s annual journey to the new year, with 40 ways in 40 days to reflect, refocus, recharge and restart life. This year features daily love letters inspired by Lab/Shul’s theme for the High Holy Days, “וְאָהַבְתָּ re:love.”

Subscribe to Lab/Shul’s mailing list to receive this free daily blog in your inbox by checking “Prepent” as a special interest, share them on Facebook or Twitter, or read it online at the Forward.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you move on, I wanted to ask you to support the Forward’s award-winning journalism during our High Holiday Monthly Donor Drive.

This year, we have stood together in strength and sorrow. Our Forward team has worked around the clock to help you find clarity amid the chaos.

If you’ve turned to the Forward in the past 12 months to better understand the world around you, we hope you will support us with a gift now. Your support has a direct impact, giving us the resources we need to report from Israel and around the U.S., across college campuses, and wherever there is news of importance to American Jews.

Make a monthly or one-time gift and support Jewish journalism throughout 5785. The first six months of your monthly gift will be matched for twice the investment in independent Jewish journalism. 

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount