Living With the Times

Living with the times is synthesizing the weekly Parsha into my life.

My high-school Chumash teachers tried this with a corny section on their tests entitled,

“From where do you learn”—

this could be as random as “Amelia Bedelia,” and you had to remember that the teacher connected the ashes spread in the Mishkan to Amelia Bedelia’s dusting antics (these random associations gave me much grief).

You get the gist.

In this season of Parshiot, we engage with the emerging family of Yaakov, Rachel, and Leah— the twelve tribes that become the Jewish Nation.

As an adult, I ask myself, “from where do I learn”— parenting, communication, leadership, et al. in the weekly Parsha? I am always looking for clues.

This week, there is a clue:

Conscious Discipline and brain-based research have been my foundation for self-awareness and growth are so beautifully illustrated with the names of the first four tribes.

“In connection to what do we learn Conscious Discipline?”

Leah, the second-choice wife, says;

“I feel seen,” and she calls him Reuven

“I feel heard,” and she calls him Shimon

“I feel loved,” and she calls him Levi

Feeling seen, heard, and loved are what brain science research tells us a child needs to be fully online, connected— to function in their optimal (executive) state.

The results, the research says, are that a child (or adult) can then experience and give: gratitude (compassion and generosity too).

When she gives birth to her fourth son, Leah says, “I feel grateful,” and calls him Yehuda.

When you are living with the times, it’s all relevant and revelatory.