January 22, 2013 | 12:25 pm

What’s the Deal with Sweet Potatoes?

Posted by Beit T'shuvah

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By Michael Welch

That brilliant idea that you have, the one that will change the world, the next Facebook, the next moveable print, the next Jack Lalanne Juicer—sorry to tell you, but it’s already been done.  Your original hypothesis will prove to be unoriginal. Brainstorm all you want, but it’s been pre-brainstormed. There is no such thing as independent thought. This may appear to be insolent banter but I believe this could mean something imperative to our existence that also informs social change. I am not saying that nothing new will ever evolve out of us—I am just saying that it is likely to arise out of collective agreement rather than independent thought. 

My favorite example of this is the 100 monkey theory. About 10 years ago a good friend of mine introduced me to this theory of social change. The gist of the theory began with a monkey fond for the taste of sweet potatoes struggling with the notion of them being covered in sand. The monkey then found a way of eradicating the sand by washing them in the ocean. Soon the other monkeys in the community slowly began to catch on and washed the sweet potatoes in the ocean. When the number of monkeys reached 100 later that day, the entire tribe caught on and began to wash their delicious sweet potatoes! The added energy of this hundredth monkey somehow created an ideological breakthrough. The biggest surprise to this experiment was when the habit of washing the potatoes jumped over the sea and other colonies began replicating this approach.

When a certain number of people achieve a critical number, a new awareness can be passed on from mind to mind. All I’m really saying is that if there are limited numbers of people introducing new concepts it will stay the conscious property of those few people. At this point, the idea achieves critical and spills into the general population.  Truly this is the only reason I can account for so many humans doing the Macarena. It has to be why I’m a half step behind every time I go to the patent office with my brilliant inventions. Sayings, words, and gestures that one day seem original appear in popular commercial branding the very next day. 

So, remember next time you find something intriguing, instead of issuing a generic comment such as “interesting”, “fascinating”, or “wonderful”, you should probably just say “Game day bucket go boom!” (KFC)

January 21, 2013 | 2:28 pm

Poem for Redemption

Posted by Beit T'shuvah

By Yeshaia Blakeney

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January 19, 2013 | 9:05 pm

Welcome to the Real World.

Posted by Beit T'shuvah

By Rachel Goldman Neubauer

I had a discussion with a rabbi this past week that really had me appreciating the Beit T’Shuvah community even more than usual. 

He was describing to me a particularly standard response from a congregant to studying some realm of Jewish spirituality.  “…but Rabbi, I live in the real world…” which is usually followed by something along the lines of “where I need to make a living” or “where I need to think of my business.”  He then stated that in order to move someone into a more spiritual realm, you need to ‘break down’ that concept of “the real world.”

I thought about my own concept of the “real world” which, ironically, I found summed up pretty well on a Lululemon shopping bag.  “Friends are more important than money.”  I think about all of the times that I am or have been broken, and how the thought of money usually ends up either distracting me from growing out of my brokenness, or leading me into a deeper fracture.  Yes, success in business can give you a sense of purpose; however, friends, family, and community are there to hold you when you cry when something goes south.  Sure, they say that “money talks," but money doesn’t listen like friends do.  I guess this is something you have to be broken in order to really internalize.     

I then realized how lucky Beit T’Shuvah is.  Most people come to Beit T’Shuvah broken in one way or another.  They actually have the opportunity to realize that it isn’t just money that makes the world go ‘round.’  It’s life, it’s death, it’s friends, it’s family, it’s community, it’s connection. Those that don’t come overtly broken seem to catch on to this switch in perception, and they actually start to LOOK for the broken parts in them.  When people come to services at Beit T’Shuvah for the first time, they often say it’s just so “real”…and I think I finally understand what they mean by that.  It’s not something we necessarily advertise or say out loud…but walk around Beit T’Shuvah for a half hour and you will probably feel this sense of a “real world.”  I’m happy I get to be a part of that world. 

Shavuah Tov.

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January 18, 2013 | 11:39 am

How Many People Really Believe in Redemption?

Posted by Beit T'shuvah

By Rabbi Mark Borovitz

The problem with Redemption is that most people don't believe in it! I watch and participate with people all day, each day and I am amazed that, while most people give lip service to the idea of Redemption, very few believe they and/or others can achieve it. I have dealt with this all of my life, as I look back. I didn't believe in Redemption when I was a drunk and a criminal. I certainly didn't believe others really changed. I bought into the lie that "leopards don't change their spots." Until I learned Torah and T’Shuvah, it was impossible for me to accept the possibility of change. Yet, every revolution is a statement of Redemption/change. It is so hard to believe, for most humans, however.

As we get ready for the Inauguration, I am struck by how difficult it is for the Congress to redeem itself through working together and trust each other. I am struck at how difficult it is for people to accept an African-American as President. "Put the White back in the White House" was a slogan in the last campaign. While this was a small minority of people who ascribed to this statement, there was also a small minority who repudiated this slogan! This is the 100th anniversary of the Emancipation Declaration and some people still believe in the inferior nature of African-Americans! We celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday this weekend and he was all about Redemption! Yet, I ask how many people really believe in Redemption?

Last Shabbat, David Siegel, the Consul General of Israel here in Los Angeles spoke at our services. He spoke about Israel being the beginning of Redemption and Beit T’Shuvah being the place where Redemption becomes fulfilled. Yet, even with our success, it is difficult for people to really believe others have been Redeemed and are Redeeming themselves. Why?

I think I have one of the reasons; it just came to me while writing this. When we support institutions, countries, and communities that are actively redeeming themselves and others, it places a burden on us to look at ourselves. Counsel General Siegel was eloquent in his words and inspiring with his deep Spiritual Commitment to Redemption. He saw it in action and recommitted all of us to work on Redeeming ourselves, each other and our Countries. He was/is unafraid to look at himself, his community and his country? Do we have his courage? Most of us, I have found, don't!

I challenge President Obama, Vice-President Biden, the Cabinet, and the Congress to dedicate themselves through action rather than rhetoric to redeem our economy, our people and our country. I challenge all of us to dedicate ourselves to the work of personal redemption rather than just lip service. I challenge all of us to support organizations that are involved in Redemption of the Human Spirit! Then we will be truly on the road to Redemption and be involved in the work we are created for: making our corner of the world a little better than we found it.

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January 17, 2013 | 12:31 pm

Sex, Drugs, and other Blogs

Posted by Beit T'shuvah

By M. Alexander

I was recently looking through the analytics on the “Addicted to Redemption” blog and noticed some interesting statistics.  One would think that the most popular blogs on the Jewish Journal would be about Torah, Israel, and the state of modern morality—but this is not the case.

The most popular entries have been about sex and marijuana—pop culture topics that I had thought would get the most traction on other Internet forums, but not necessarily on the website of a newsletter designed for the Jewish community.

I want to know why.   Why do these topics stir our attention and grab our focus while discussions of Torah lay by the wayside?  Maybe we are not so different from everyone else.  Maybe enlightened readers fiend for instant gratification just as much as gossip column junkies.  I wonder— what are the most popular articles in The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, and The New Yorker?  Do they follow this same trend?

I am not exempt.  I am certainly more likely to read a blog that has a picture of a marijuana leaf than one with an image of Moses hoisting two stone tablets, but I thought that I might be the exception rather than the norm.

Why are you reading this blog?  Is it because you thought it would be about sex and drugs?  Be honest…I’m not a harsh critic.

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January 16, 2013 | 4:05 pm

Do You Suffer From SJD?

Posted by Beit T'shuvah

By Ben Spielberg

I was sitting in class yesterday, and the teacher asked us what we thought future utopian and dystopian ideals would look like. As my new classmate began to speak, I began to hate him proportionally with the amount of words he said (for the record, that's around Hate^75. Comparatively, it's rumored that the Grinch Who Stole Christmas only reached Hate^98. And yes, I am qualified to develop a scale of units of Hatred. It's technically in the metric system for easier conversion, but you can just as well Google the calculation for imperial units). It turns out that I suffer from something I like to call Systematic Jealousy—a disorder that is characterized by intense feelings of frustration in school, work, and family functions when viewing a fellow student, colleague, or cousin being praised.

The symptoms begin like this: at school, somebody other than myself does a good job at writing a paper, answering a question in the classroom, or creating a colorfully informative PowerPoint presentation. The teacher vocalizes his or her positive feelings about the assignment--and thus the student. I become angry. My first thoughts are immediately that this student is paradoxically stupid, that they missed the point, and that iWork's “Numbers” is way more effective than Microsoft's “PowerPoint.”

These same symptoms are magnified in the workplace. To preface, I would like to remind my readers that I have a pretty cool job: I get paid to write blogs once a week (that sentence just bought me half a candy bar), I get to play memory games with crack heads and murderers, and I am one of the only people who uses a “Bop It!” therapeutically. Nonetheless, I can't help my knee-jerk reaction to a coworker's success: absolute spite. Sometimes, my jealousy is completely nonsensical; sometimes I want to be praised for running the LA Marathon, even though I didn't run it.

Systematic Jealousy occurs in complex systems like these, but there is a remedy for my fellow SJD sufferers. While we cannot stop our initial reactions, we can remember that it's good for other people to be successful. At Beit T'Shuvah, the success of my colleagues leads to more lives being saved. In the class, the most critical thinkers are responsible for enriching the classroom experience. And in my family, every degree earned brings about an overwhelmingly large sense of knowledge between us.

And we shouldn't feel bad about it. It's okay to have a competitive nature; as I'm writing this, I'm imagining my blog getting hundreds of clicks per day, compared to Michael Welch's (Tuesday's writer) hundreds per week. But, I've learned that it's okay to click on Tuesday's blog, because it supports the company that I support and work for. Just make sure to click twice on Wednesday.

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January 15, 2013 | 12:32 pm

The Reality of OCD

Posted by Beit T'shuvah

By Michael Welch

 

The level of ignorance that exists around Obsessive Compulsive Disorder astonishes me. If you are wondering whether or not you possess this anxiety disorder that consists of a repetition of feelings, behaviors, thoughts, and ideas that compel immediate compulsion…. The answer is NO you DO NOT have OCD.

Those that possess OCD don’t share it with anyone; in fact, they are ashamed to discuss their disorder in fear of terrifying loved ones and scaring them away. If you are intent on having a tidy desk at work or struggle with the public restroom (such as I do) this does not give you carte blanche to utter, “My OCD is kicking in.” OCD does not kick in! And more importantly, you can’t have a bit, a dollop, or a sprinkling of OCD. If you obsessively wash your hands and are intolerant of a germy door handle; sorry, you do not qualify for membership. If your home is clean and appears to be well-organized, you still do not have OCD. Further, as much as the media would like you to believe OCD is a positive attribute, it is not. To morph an anxiety disorder into a catchy, hip, slick, and cool character trait is egregious.  It is akin to a disgusting college frat boy declaring himself a victim of alcoholism as an excuse for his lasciviously inappropriate behavior.

 

Instead of making it popular and jumping on the bandwagon, I feel the urge to share the reality of OCD— here is an example: a woman with two children who has daily obsessions about her imminent death due to germ exposure, bacteria, viruses or other contaminants. Because of these concerns she is unable to hug her children. I wonder if her child (someone so desperately in need of human touch and connection) finds it humorous that her mother’s OCD hasn’t stopped “kicking in.”

Having OCD is not a positive character trait.  So, don’t seek it out.  Don’t aim for it.  Instead, just be productive, keep your area clean, and make it common to keep you and your surroundings in order. That way the next time you move your papers from one side of the desk to the other to make it look like you’re busy it will make sense that your OCD never existed and you are just lazy!      

Having OCD is not a positive character trait.  So, don’t seek it out.  Don’t aim for it.  Instead, just be productive, keep your area clean, and make it common to keep you and your surroundings in order. That way the next time you move your papers from one side of the desk to the other to make it look like you’re busy it will make sense that your OCD never existed and you are just lazy!      

Having OCD is not a positive character trait.  So, don’t seek it out.  Don’t aim for it.  Instead, just be productive, keep your area clean, and make it common to keep you and your surroundings in order. That way the next time you move your papers from one side of the desk to the other to make it look like you’re busy it will make sense that your OCD never existed and you are just lazy!       Ooops sorry, my OCD was kicking in.

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January 14, 2013 | 2:17 pm

Cigarettes for the Psyche

Posted by Beit T'shuvah

By Yeshaia Blakeney

I am an ex-smoker.  When asked why I smoked cigarettes I had two basic answers, "I like dying slow", and "they give me something to look forward to" (hope).  The first was a rebellious embrace of my finite existence; the second was a mock faith.  I could have just said "I'm addicted," because these are the same motives that exist for me in any addiction.  An addiction is a fix that makes you feel positive quickly, and leaves you empty and wanting more.  It seems to me that in affluent areas cigarette smoking is on the decline because there is a different consciousness around health.  More and more people are being mindful of what they put into their bodies and therefore less people are getting addicted to cigarettes.

I often like smokers because their struggle to live, to choose life is overt, meaning anybody who smokes is playing with death.  I like smokers because life is hard and when I see others struggling to choose life as I do I feel like we are comrades in this sacred struggle.  I don't think this struggle to choose life is declining with the declining rate of cigarette smoking in affluent areas however.  I think this struggle is just becoming more covert.  People are more obsessed with physicality and appearance than before.  I would rather live in a world where people overtly poison their body than a world where they covertly, unknowingly poison their psyche or spirit and the spirit of others.  I am speaking of the absurd and meaningless tidbits of death that we absorb all day in our greedy, mindless, addicted consumer culture.  Whether it be on the Internet, television, in the stores or market, on the radio or during water cooler conversation, we are a society addicted to the quick fix and left feeling empty.

 

So I am introducing a metaphor to identify these addictive qualities embedded in the fabric of our culture, I am calling them cigarettes for the psyche.  One can see second hand smoke drifting towards them like some kind of wondering poltergeist.  However let me show a more subtle example, that we are all subjected to, and don't give much thought.  In listening to the news, they were reporting on twenty teenagers that were murdered (murdered!) in Chicago in the last seven days and then switched to talking about a new local hot dog stand that had opened.  The differentiation in tone and emotion when talking about hot dogs and murder was minimal.  Cigarettes for the psyche!  Or the fact that the most popular videos on the Internet are cats and pornography, (I won't make the crude but obvious connection) cigarettes for the psyche!  So what I'm proposing is that we put huge labels on our modern cultural propaganda that say "cigarettes for the psyche." These may contain spiritually harmful agents that are known to slowly eat away at your soul damning you to a life of meaninglessness and degradation.  We perhaps will also have to make T-shirts to put on certain individuals such as Ryan Seacrest and Kim Kardashian, who are too corrupt to be redeemed (and all we can do is protect others from them).

I'm being sarcastic, however my hope is that at some point our society takes our spirit as serious as we are starting to take our bodies. Until this balancing of inner and outer occurs, I am afraid we are on a treadmill.

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