Finding One's Authentic Voice: Empowered Through Others (Bo 5775)

We know Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. to be one of the most inspiring orators -- ever. Yet there is a legend about when he entered seminary that King was still developing his 'voice.'  For example, he took nine (!) homiletics courses in just three years at seminary.  According to one legend about his time there, King was encouraged to go out with classmates and listen to other preachers.  Learn from them.  Even before that, King had developed many powerful ideas.  But he needed to listen to and collaborate with others in order to develop his own authentic voice. 

Rabbi Heschel, Rev King, Rev Abernathy,
 Rabbi Eisendrath  Rabbi Gendler (1968)

I shared that message with the annual Women in Leadership conference of the Bay Area Teachers Development Collaborative hosted by Jewish Community High School earlier this week. The conference theme this year was "Honoring Your Authentic Voice."  

An oddity in this week's Torah portion suggests an insight.  It opens with God telling Moses, "Go to Pharaoh."  (Exodus 10:1) The Hebrew here is different from the first time Moses gets a similar instruction.  (Compare "bo" in Exodus 10:1 with "lech" in Exodus 3:27.) Yet usually both terms are translated the same:  "Go!"  The Hebrew term used this week literally could be translated as "Come!"  Like Martin Luther King centuries later, Moses was a community leader still trying to find his authentic voice.  Moses had developed powerful ideas but was reluctant to express them in words.  Just the opposite, Moses expressed reluctance to use his voice; afraid he was not up to the task.  

De-stress: Express Gratitude (Shemot 5775)

This weekend is the 45th anniversary of my becoming a Bar Mitzvah.  I am grateful for many memories from that day (like my parents’ pride or overcoming my anxiety).  But I am embarrassed about one memory:  I did not publicly thank my parents during the service.  I was so intently focused on explaining compelling aspects of the Torah portion -- Shemot, the first in the book of Exodus -- that I did not publicly express gratitude to my parents for all they had done to bring me to that amazing moment.  And they had done a lot!  

Starting a Gratitude Journal

Was I feeling too cool to say thanks? Or trying to keep the focus on Torah instead of on me? Looking back it was very uncool and fairly conspicuous not to say ‘thank you!’ Ironically, that same Torah portion expresses a powerful example of expressed gratitude (more on that below).  

And its not only Torah that teaches us the power of gratitude. 

Neuroscience confirms the power of expressing gratitude.  One of the world’s leading researchers in this field, Dr. Robert Emmons from UC Davis, is partnering ed with UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center to develop evidence-based practices that promote gratitude.  Emmons research proves that those who express gratitude are healthier physically and psychologically -- lower blood pressure, more refreshing and longer sleep, more alertness, greater joy.  The social impacts are powerful too -- more feelings of generosity and compassion, less of isolation and loneliness.  Link to learn more about the science of gratitude, Dr. Emmons, and GGSC.