TEACHER: Begin the class by asking the students to share, if they want, what morning practice they tried. (See homework at the end of last week’s unit). What was the experience like? What were the challenges in doing it daily?

This chapter focuses on the importance of bringing awareness or kavanah/intention to our lives. It reframes ritual as practices that we do regularly to cultivate certain qualities. It uses daily awareness practices as a model.

“The Sefer Ha-Hinukh is a medieval work that gives a brief explanation of each of the 613 commandments in the order in which they appear in the Torah. Mitzvah #16 is the mezuzah. Once hung on the doorpost, the mezuzah remains there. Every time you move from one room to the next, the mezuzah serves as a continual reminder to live a life committed to Jewish practice and principles. Today we would describe that practice as helping us to live a life of awareness.”

Of course, as with all such symbols, its very prevalence makes it disappear from consciousness. A traditional practice is to touch the mezuzah with your hand, which we then kiss, as we pass by it. This too can become a rote practice.

Here is an alternative suggestion: consider touching the mezuzah when you leave your home in order to acknowledge the transition from the home to the outside world… as we leave in the morning can be a good practice.

While home is not without its challenges, there is a comfortable familiarity and a sense of safety at home. The outside world has both opportunities and challenges. Acknowledging this with a simple ritual can help navigate this transition with awareness. Similarly, it could be a good practice when you return home at the end of the day to wipe off the distress of the day in order to greet loved ones with pleasantness or to just slip into the comfort of your own space. Since it is impossible to be aware at every single moment or even every transition, choosing this transition as the one to ritualize as a moment of awareness may be helpful. Remember to take your keys, your cellphone and a moment of awareness as you leave for the day.” p.76

QUESTIONS: Would this practice work for you? Would you want to create a different practice? Do you already have such a practice but you may not have thought of it as a spiritual practice? Can you give some examples?

“The Sefer Ha-Hinukh views the mezuzah as one of the constant commandments (mitzvot temidiyot). The author is referring to a special category of mitzvah that has no action associated with it and whose sole purpose is to focus on matters of belief. Traditionally, these mitzvot are referred to as the constant commandments because they apply all the time. Maimonides (12th-century philosopher and rabbinic scholar) lists six: to believe in God; not to believe in any other god; to believe in the oneness of God; to love God; to fear God; not to be misled by your heart and eyes. The Sefer Ha-Hinukh adds the mezuzah to the list. These mitzvot could be seen as examples of a different kind of an awareness practice in that they don’t really involve an action such as lighting candles or even saying a blessing, but rather require cultivating fundamental beliefs.”

QUESTIONS: Can you imagine creating a constant commandment that reminds you of a principle or value that you hope informs your life? It could be unrelated to God, for example, I want to regularly express gratitude for the blessings in my life.

“Let me suggest one that is not on the traditional list of constant commandments. It is a commandment/mitzvah to remember that we were strangers in Egypt and therefore take care of the “strangers” -- those that are in need in society. Today many Jews see this as an ongoing commitment in life that shapes how we interact in the world. It is not fulfilled by a specific action, but calls for an ongoing awareness and shapes how we react to many different situations and issues. There may be other such principles by which you want to live your life. Bringing them to consciousness in a regular (ritual) way can make them even more present for you. Can you think of other principles that act as constant commandments in your life?

Since you cannot be conscious of everything at every moment, there are practices done at a specific moment to bring our focus to a moment of transition, for example, lifecycle rituals or the mezuzah ritual suggested above. Holiday rituals are a different kind of an example. Once a year they are meant to bring our attention to a basic human activity, for example eating food on Passover or to an important issue such as our responsibility to take care of this planet on Sukkot.”