Let's Walk Together Through Our Jewish Journey

Photo by Jeffrey Grospe on Unsplash

I like to take walks. It used to be that I was happy to meander, and perhaps lose my way and spend time trying to figure out my way back. Something has happened as I aged, and my sense of direction has gotten progressively worse.

I often find myself farblunget - as my dad used to say - a Yiddish adjective that aptly describes the state of aimless wandering, or being hopelessly lost and unsure where to turn next.

I am happy about the invention of the GPS. It is an incredibly helpful tool for me. It supports and accommodates me for the deficiency in my directional challenges. Sometimes all I need is a little support and guidance, and sometimes I require more - step by step instructions spelled out clearly and precisely.

Last week while enjoying a stay at a beautiful retreat center, I set out on a walk through a local neighborhood. Past experiences in the very same neighborhood provided the inspiration for my proactive preparations for my inevitable farblunget-ness. I was prepared. I had my phone with the tools to assist and support me as I began my walk. Each time I took a left or a right at a street sign, I took a picture of that sign. So resourceful! So proactive! Soon enough I realize that the sun was shining in the wrong direction so the photos were too dark.

I then used the next tool. The voice recorder. Each time I turn the corner, I spoke clearly into the phone narrating my turns. All I needed to do, the logic in my mind told me, was to play it back as I was reversing direction to return to the retreat center. My own logic did not take into account exactly how directionally challenged I was. Somehow I could not even find the street that I had dictated into the recorder. Thanks to my technological Moreh Derech (Hebrew for tour guide), I still had at my disposal the final tool to assist me in my short, but now much longer than planned journey. Google Maps.

When I opened my map application, there I was - a small blue dot moving on a map right in my hand. Traveling east? North? No matter. I was able to see my route right on my phone as I wended my way out of the neighborhood back to the retreat center.

As I reflected on my personal experience, I began to realize that we all have resources at our disposal to assist us in the various meanderings of our lives. Sometimes we just don't know how or where to access them. And in our Jewish journeys, there is support available to us to help us navigate and find our way when we need it. The resources can span the spectrum in terms of level of support. Sometimes all we need may be a little suggestion, a creative answer to a query, or sometimes the answers require more in-depth action or education: How can I create a meaningful Shabbat with a special dinner and appropriate blessings when I work full-time and have no time to cook? How do I read and understand the Hebrew in my prayer book when I go to synagogue? I am looking for some ongoing discussions about prayer and its meaning. What does it mean to be a Jew in the 21st century as we navigate a technological world?

I can be your Moreh Derech - your tour guide - as you meander your way through the streets of an uncharted Jewish course. I will get a sense of your needs, and ultimately assist you in finding your way, with as little or as much support as you require or desire. Allow me to offer support and guidance and help you determine your course so you will not be farblunget.