Take a Break from Relating — I Just Took One from Writing to You
PLUS: Scenes from Pesach foraging with 200+ foragers.
Dear Healthy Jew,
Healthy Jew hasn’t entered your inbox the past two weeks. Maybe you noticed, maybe you didn’t. Either way, I warned you: At the end of the last newsletter, I announced my first vacation since Healthy Jew launched on January 1, 2023.
In a minute I’ll share with you more about my break, but first I’m excited and grateful to report that over 200 foragers (in 8 groups) - ages ranging from infants to octogenarians - joined me in Israel’s natural world to taste the living story of our Nation in our Land.
Check out these highlights and watch:
Talib shear a sheep - one of our foragers asked me to find him a fleece to knit a sweater from scratch!
Foraging in a 3,000 year old Jewish city, then a 2,000 pottery lamp factory
Foraging water from a well - hey, we’ve also got to drink.
A nice little pitch for subscribing to the newsletter you’re reading right now. (Good for you!)
Also check out this post about last year’s Pesach foraging walks where I explain some of the unique experiences of Pesach foraging:
Getting back to our missing newsletter, this wasn’t just a needed break (although that’s also true): this was also a conscious, principled choice that you might find helpful in your life.
For our online writer-reader relationship to succeed, I’m told that I need to consistently share with you quality content, and have lots of patience while the relationship deepens and expands. When readers reply to emails and post comments, as so many of you have done, our relationship becomes a true interaction.
Yet even though consistency is king, I’m learning that it’s also important to take an occasional break. Not to slack off, but to purposfully “stop” the same way that we usually “go.”
Here’s why:
Genuine relationships bring out our imperfections, allowing us to be vulnerable and sincere in a way we won’t be in superficial business interactions. But I’ve been trying to be perfect - showing up for you every single week. That’s not real: nobody is completely there for their spouse or work every single day of the year. Because I want to be real with you, I took a break for Pesach from writing Healthy Jew, just as you might have done from your job.
On a related note, I’ve been holding on tight to my perfect streak of over 2 years sending out Healthy Jew at the same day and time every week. Holding on stifles creativity and growth; letting go invites new opportunities and perspectives. So I decided to let go, and trust you to still be there after several weeks of silence.
Finally, I heard many years ago a brilliantly simple insight about the bein hazmanim (between semesters) break period in the yeshiva world: it’s not about stopping Torah study, but enabling a new beginning when we return afterwards. Here too at Healthy Jew, we took a break from our forays into Wellness with Wisdom, the Land of Life, and Sensible Spirituality so that we can return to a renewed and revitalized Healthy Jewish experience.
If you haven’t yet heard of those 3 sections of Healthy Jew, it’s because I recently redesigned our website and publication, and haven’t yet gotten a chance to tell you all about it. Next week I’ll give you the full rundown of everything that’s new here at Healthy Jew, so stay tuned.
In the meantime, perhaps consider in your life how you might benefit - and contribute - by taking some time off from your relationships with people and work. Show your imperfections, let go, and then return with a new energy.
Thank you for reading Healthy Jew.
Here are 2 great paths to continue the journey:
Also check out this intro and index to explore hundreds of posts about our 3 Healthy Jew topics: Wellness with Wisdom, Land of Life (Israel), and Sensible Spirituality.
Finally, always feel free to reach out here with any comments, questions, or complaints:
I look forward to hearing from you!
Be well,
Shmuel Chaim
Please note: All content published on Healthy Jew is for informational and educational purposes only. Talk to a qualified professional before taking any action or substance that you read about here.
Time off is very healthy 😊