When I think of Passover, I naturally think of the food, matzo ball soup, brisket cooked with Lipton Onion Soup Mix and ketchup, macaroons and gefilte fish with horseradish. However, as a secular Jew, I mainly focus on the themes of liberation and redemption.
Here are some quotes I’ve compiled from the awesome IG profile, blackandjewishunity, that still ring true today:
To be free, you have to let go of hate. - Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
Our greatest freedom is the freedom to choose our attitude. - Victor Frankl
The Exodus from Egypt occurs in every human being, in every era, in every year, and in every day. - Rebbe Nachman of Breslov
Freedom is the ability to decide we won’t let others define us and how we won’t let others own how we feel. - Rabbi Efrem Goldberg
Most people are servants of their passions, but the truly free person is the one who can control his desires. - Rabbi Moshe Lieber
Freedom is won, not on the battlefield, not in the political arena, but in human imagination and will. To defend a land, you need an army. But to defend freedom, you need an education. - Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
This holiday is an important reminder of the importance of freedom both physically and spiritually. Any group of people who have been enslaved and oppressed as well as people who are enslaved by their own minds can relate to the story of Passover. I appreciate how this profile combines the heritage of Black and Jewish people recognizing that both groups of people have had immense suffering throughout history from slavery, segregation and discrimination. The story of Passover is about activism, resilience and hope for all people. It also is a reminder to let go of the individualism that is so pervasive today and to think more about the collective.
Freedom - We can refine our souls, tame our egos, and attain balance, clarity, strength, liberation, and peace. First for ourselves and then for the Collective.
May it be so.
Next week, I am excited to go to Sacramento, the state’s capital where I will be leading meditation to a group of parents before and after we meet with policy makers on the new proposal by Governor Newsom. This new proposal is called “Modernize our Behavioral Health System and Build More Mental Health Housing” which is a “bond to build state of the art mental health treatment campuses to house Californians with mental illness and substance use disorders and to create housing for homeless veterans, and modernize the Mental Health Services Act to require at least $1 billion every year for behavioral health housing and care.”
I am learning about the needed modifications of this attention grabbing headline which sounds really good but there are some red flags about how this will effect parents and children who use the Prevention and Early Intervention program. This could also negatively impact services to children and youth in the way that the proposal is worded. I will be going with a number of parents and members of California Mental Health Advocates for Children and Youth (CMHACY) and United Parents.
Why do I care about mental health and advocacy? You can read about it here. I also write on Medium, a platform for writers, I’d be grateful for a follow there as well.
A meditation for parents - by Shelley Karpaty
May the Divine who blessed our ancestors bless us here and now.
May our ancestors see our struggle and grief and be with us right now.
May we have the wisdom to pause as a compassionate witness for ourselves as parents and caregivers, right now.
May we not feel alone in this journey of wrestling with uncertainty and fear.
May we know we are supported in ways we cannot comprehend.
Meditation, Journaling, Using the Power of the Enneagram
Saturday - April 15th - 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm PT
Do you ask yourself these questions:
How can I gain a deeper understanding of myself?
How can I gain access to my inner voice and my inner guide for more clarity?
How can I incorporate meditation into my daily life?
The Enneagram is an ancient system or tool that guides us to our authenticity. While there are 9 points or types on the Enneagram, we all consist of parts of each type. The Enneagram helps us to get out of the box of our personalities or patterns to understand who we truly are and how we relate to the world.
Shelley, this partiuclar article took my breath away. The quotes...each one strikes a deep chord. YOU; your writing is raw, poetic, poignant and informative. Knowledge from your soul. Thank you for going to Sacramento to negotiate a bill that on surface sounds incrredible but as always there are hidden "poison pills". You are FIERCE and a beautiful ray of light. Thank you for educating and uplifiting all around you. So happy to be on this journey together. xx