{"id":34793,"date":"2020-04-24T01:52:18","date_gmt":"2020-04-24T08:52:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=34793"},"modified":"2020-04-24T02:08:28","modified_gmt":"2020-04-24T09:08:28","slug":"choose-to-be-and-to-do-good","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2020\/04\/24\/choose-to-be-and-to-do-good\/","title":{"rendered":"Choose to be and to do good"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>As Jews, we\u2019re acutely aware of our core Jewish values: help others, perform mitzvot, respect human dignity and life, love your neighbour as yourself, act morally, save lives, repair the world. But do we actually do those things? As we\u2019ve heard before, it\u2019s the duty of every single person to leave the world better than he or she found it.<\/p>\n<p>During this unprecedented time, when the world is reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, now, more than ever we need to remind ourselves of Jewish morals and ethics. And be better Jews.<\/p>\n<p>Exceptional times typically bring out both the worst and the best in people. I\u2019m choosing to focus on the best, though. For instance, folks around the world going outside at a set time every day to make noise and show their gratitude for frontline workers \u2013 and not just the doctors, nurses and caregivers, but also grocery store cashiers, letter carriers, pharmacists, delivery people, tradespeople, chefs and taxi drivers. Anyone and everyone who puts themselves in harm\u2019s way each day, to keep us safe, fed and healthy.<\/p>\n<p>If we don\u2019t, as a society, learn the value of showing gratitude and generosity in desperate times, we become a society without a soul. If we think only of ourselves, we become lacking in conscience and void of morality.<\/p>\n<p>What I know for certain is this: if a Jew needs something, another Jew should always step up and help out. It\u2019s what we are supposed do. It\u2019s what we\u2019ve always done, most of the time. It might even be embedded in our DNA. In fact, we\u2019re commanded to do it. Here are some tips for being a better Jew during COVID-19 (and always):<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Take care of yourself so that you can take care of others. This may sound trite and over-used, but it\u2019s true: your health is everything. I have suffered a long and serious illness and it\u2019s shown me that nothing is more important than having your health. Unless it\u2019s faith.<\/li>\n<li>Be an active participant in life \u2013 this is not just a long lunch break. There is more to life than Netflix and reading (says the retired librarian). There are meaningful things you can be doing with all your spare time now. Think about where you can be of service, and whom you can help.<\/li>\n<li>Practise random acts of kindness, compassion and loving care for your fellow human being \u2013 remember the Golden Rule. It can be something as simple as thanking a healthcare worker or letter carrier you see walking on the street. It doesn\u2019t take much to show someone that they\u2019re needed and appreciated.<\/li>\n<li>Practise generosity \u2013 share, don\u2019t hoard. Surprise a family member or friend with a meal or small gift that might just make their day. It can be something as simple as an extra few rolls of toilet paper or a container of disinfectant wipes (COVID-19 gold). Something that lets them know you\u2019re willing and happy to share. Just remember physical distancing! A friend of mine recently brought me some extra face masks she had on hand (again, coronavirus gold).<\/li>\n<li>Offer to do errands (grocery shopping, picking up a prescription, walking a dog, etc.) for family, friends or acquaintances in need. Be someone\u2019s hero. People won\u2019t always be comfortable asking for help, so be proactive and offer, if you can.<\/li>\n<li>Cultivate faith <em>(emunah)<\/em> and trust <em>(bitachon)<\/em> in G-d, that everything will be OK. Life is easier when you have a higher power on your side and understand that there are many things you can\u2019t control.<\/li>\n<li>Check in regularly with single friends and seniors, in particular. Isolation can be devastating, especially when it\u2019s ongoing. Even if you can just wave to a friend or family member through a window, that might just be their only human connection all day (or all week). It costs nothing and it\u2019s priceless. Small gestures can have big impacts. Help people feel part of their community.<\/li>\n<li>Show gratitude every day, because there is always something for which to be grateful. Whether it\u2019s big (your good health) or small (cherry blossoms on the trees), appreciate the abundance in your life. It\u2019s everywhere you look. Just keep your eyes open. And get out there at 7 p.m. every day and clap your hands or bang your pots and pans, to show your thanks to all the frontline workers who turn up for us every single day to make our lives easier. We are one big family \u2013 show the love!<\/li>\n<li>Keep in mind the social and economic impacts the COVID-19 pandemic is having on everyone. Be sensitive to the situations of those less fortunate than yours. If you can, offer financial help, food or any other kind of assistance when you see the need.<\/li>\n<li>Volunteer your time delivering food or supplies to others if you\u2019re healthy and able. Contact and get involved with your local synagogue, Jewish Family Services, the Kehila Society or any other organization, Jewish or non-Jewish, working to alleviate the many needs right now.<\/li>\n<li>Stay positive \u2013 for yourself and others. Positivity is the best medicine during this stressful time.<\/li>\n<li>Be your best self. Let your innate goodness shine through. Remember we each have a tiny piece of divine soul within us.<\/li>\n<li>Do mitzvot \u2013 tip the scales for good.<\/li>\n<li>Give tzedakah. You don\u2019t have to be a millionaire to make a difference in someone\u2019s life. Every little bit helps.<\/li>\n<li>Study a bit of Torah or other spiritual texts, if you\u2019re so inclined.<\/li>\n<li>Recite Psalms, if you\u2019re so inclined. (I have a copy that includes English commentary, and this makes it so much more meaningful when I read them. It started out slowly for me, but now I find huge comfort in reading Psalms. Why not give it a try?)<\/li>\n<li>Participate in some online classes or listen to speakers via Zoom video presentations. There\u2019s a lot of inspiration and new perspectives to be gleaned, and goodness knows we could all use some of that right now.<\/li>\n<li>Keep busy by finding purpose in your life. This is so important, especially right now, when there is so little to distract us from the devastation of COVID-19. Try to look for the good in every situation \u2013 it will serve you well. I\u2019ve been on both sides of that wall and believe me when I say that staying positive will make your life much easier.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Here are some simple rules to live by (unknown source): help others without being asked; help people who cannot help you; help without the expectation of return; help many people; do the right thing the right way.<\/p>\n<p>Remember that, every second of every day, we make choices. Choose to be good and do good. You can\u2019t go wrong with that.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Shelley Civkin<\/strong> <em>is a happily retired librarian and communications officer. For 17 years, she wrote a weekly book review column for the <\/em>Richmond Review<em>. She\u2019s currently a freelance writer and volunteer.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As Jews, we\u2019re acutely aware of our core Jewish values: help others, perform mitzvot, respect human dignity and life, love your neighbour as yourself, act morally, save lives, repair the world. But do we actually do those things? As we\u2019ve heard before, it\u2019s the duty of every single person to leave the world better than [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[9717,9784,2864,218,8302],"class_list":["post-34793","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-op-ed","tag-coronavirus","tag-covid-19","tag-health","tag-judaism","tag-lifestyle"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34793","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34793"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34793\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34793"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34793"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34793"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}