Page 14 - The Jewish Voice - December '20

Page 14, The Jewish Voice

asK the rabbi aLL about Kids

Just Burnt Out

By Rabbi Leib Ezagui Beth David Preschool
Question: Life always has its
challenges, but this year has been Organizes Virtual Thanksgiving
particularly hard. I had to close our
family business, a family member Al t h o u g h
passed away from coronavirus, 2020 has been
and our grandchildren are having very different
a hard time coping in school. for Temple Beth
What tips does the Torah offer to David ‘s preschool
someone who is just burnt out? in many ways, it
Answer: When things get has not stopped
rough, what do you do? them from being
As the lockdown was just starting, I saw a couple jogging able to share with
down the road in the dead heat of the day. With heavy feet, they the parents all the
were puffing along and desperately trying to keep pushing. things formerly done in person that now must be virtual.
It reminded me of a story in the early 2000s when two guys Thanksgiving this year could not be celebrated in the
went hiking in the Sandia Mountains in New Mexico. What was traditional fashion with the entire school and all the families
supposed to be a fairly simple hike turned into a deadly situation getting together for a show. Instead, a virtual celebration was
when a boulder detached from the rock wall and pinned one of organized in which each class put on their own individual
the hikers against the floor, pushing him toward the cliff. With a performance. Each of these class performances was recorded
shot of adrenaline, his brain fired every single fiber in his body and a video was prepared so parents could enjoy watching this difficult year, Temple Beth David will make sure that
to unleash all the power in his muscles and lift 1,200 pounds, their children. The meaning of Thanksgiving remains the families, though not up close and in person, feel included
one-and-a-half times the bench-press record, freeing himself same — being thankful for whom and what we have in our in all that the children experience daily at school. Each
from the boulder. lives — and that message was sent with virtual love! As we experience is as heartfelt and thorough as always, despite
So why is it that you can struggle to get in your daily jog, but continue to navigate through each new hurdle presented in the current circumstances.
when push comes to shove you can exert an immense amount of
power?
Your body is a power bank storing superhuman strength. This
combination of brainpower and strength is stored in the fibers simchas
of our muscles and, when an emergency calls for it, adrenaline
allows us to tap into that superhuman power that would otherwise
go to waste. As much as you consciously try to exert your mental Mateo Darwish summertime is attending Camp Shalom of Central Florida.
focus and strength, you may find it difficult to generate the same Matthew is also an eighth grader at Independence Middle
amount of energy. Mateo Darwish will School. He is in the band program, robotics club, and academic
The human body has far more resources than we can imagine become a bar mitzvah on games. In his free time Matthew enjoys bike riding, gaming,
and our body emulates our soul, so if we want to understand the December 19, 2020, at and hanging out with his friends. Matthew’s happy place in
soul we need to look at the body and learn its inner workings. Temple Beth Am. There are the summertime is attending Camp Shalom of Central Florida.
Just like your body, your soul and mental capacity only operate at those young people who bring For Samantha and Matthew’s mitzvah project they have been
minimum capacity. In crunch time we have the ability to unleash thoughtfulness, dependability, collecting Coke caps for multiple charities. Each cap is worth
a deadly charge of faith and mental power to carry through the talent, and intelligence to the 5 cents and they raised over $36 to date for multiple charities
challenges. Our survival depends on the deep mental ability that’s world — Mateo excels at including the Boys and Girls Club of America, the American
locked deep in the soul. them all. Since he was a small Red Cross, and Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
You need to make sure not to let the squeeze crush you and child, his interest in music
get in your way, but to allow the challenge to bring out real power was evident, and he currently Leah Klein
so you can show the world what you are really capable of. Have plays classical guitar, piano,
you ever seen what happens when we crush an olive? A little and percussion. The family Leah Isabelle Klein was
juice comes out. Do you know what happens when you grind loves to hear his concerts and share in the joy. For several years called to the Torah to become
the olive up and rip it apart? Pure virgin olive oil comes out. Mateo performed with the Maltz Theater, including the role a bat mitzvah on December
How far can you really go when put to the test? of the Wizard of Oz in “The Wiz.” Mateo is an eighth-grade 5, 2020, at Temple Beth
You have incredible strength inside. Far more than you know! honors student at Watson Duncan Middle School, where he Am. Leah is an eighth grade
Typically, you only use a small amount of external soul, but with has excelled in math, science, and history. He is an avid golfer student at The Benjamin
proper training you can unleash your soul’s full capacity. and he also loves to swim. Among other interests, he enjoys School, where she writes for
In normal times you can’t consciously or voluntarily exert cooking a variety of ethnic meals. He also succeeds at Spanish the school newspaper. She is
those powers. You can do the impossible because at its core the and Chinese language studies. very creative with interests
soul is a part of G-d nicely packaged in your personal traits, in digital photography and
limitations, and qualities. If you can only get to the core, the Samantha and design. She also enjoys
resulting power can trigger every faculty of your soul and a Matthew Harrisburg swimming on the North Palm
massive charge of faith. Beach Swim Team and riding
We all have inherent resources of faith, but it is possible for Sa m a nt ha horses. Leah is a founding member of Care Crew Inc., a
this belief merely to serve as an encompassing force, without Al lison and nonprofit that focuses on issues of literacy and food insecurity
being internalized within a person’s conscious thought processes. Matthew Hunter in the community. Leah is a conscientious student who
In order for this soul light to be revealed, it is necessary to Harrisburg became consistently makes the Headmaster’s Honor Roll at school.
have mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice), to reveal the internal bond b’nei mitzvah on She is passionate about causes that she believes in, and we
between G-d and the essence of your soul. December 12, 2020. know she will succeed in whatever path she takes in life.
Mesirus nefesh originates in the essence of the soul, unlike Samantha is
the revealed powers of the soul that express themselves on a day- an eighth grader Send us your simchas! The Jewish Voice welcomes
to-day basis. Mesirus nefesh transcends the soul’s packaging. at Independence announcements of life-cycle events in the local
The level of connection that comes through being “crushed” Middle School who Jewish community. The copy deadline is
unpacks the soul. is majoring in the Business program. She enjoys hanging the 15th of the month. Send text and images to
The Lubavitcher Rebbe made it possible for us to reach the with her friends, playing travel volleyball, loves creating bernstein.wendy@gmail.com.
level “crushed” all the time! The Lubavitcher Rebbe told us that art projects, and baking. Samantha’s happy place in the
these challenges are our call to action. Do, do more, and just when
you thought you did enough, do a little more because you have
the ability to self-sacrifice your personal, physical limitations, and
by overriding the fuse capacitor of the soul we release a deadly
charge of making real change.
You have the ability to tap into this well of faith and spiritual
euphoria where nothing can get in your way. You can dedicate
yourself to your goals without getting distracted by relatively
minor and small physical distractions. But you have to be willing
to have mesiras nefesh to kill all other personal tendencies and
negative feelings. All that matters is that you have a soul and that
soul is a part of G-d and you are ready, willing, and able to squeeze
yourself to the core in order to produce pure and virgin oil.
Rabbi Leib serves as youth director for Chabad House
Lubavitch of Palm Beach and runs the Jewish School of the
Arts kid’s program, (561) 624-7004. The advice offered in this
column is for informational purposes only and is not intended as
a substitute for professional advice. To ask the rabbi a question,
email rabbi@chabadpalmbeach.org.