September Newsletter: Elul Bravery

Hello Friend,

Can we be brave for ourselves?

As I settle back into Pittsburgh life from my three months abroad, I’ve noticed how overwhelmed I feel by the intensity and complexity of my emotions, by the joy of being reunited with friends and family, the difficult events I see on the news, and the intensity of politics. It does take courage to stand steadfast through the difficulties of work, life, and the world. While doing so it is natural to begin to feel hardened and push aside your more complicated emotions. When I eventually allow myself to soften and unravel my emotions, that feels brave.

Pirkei Avot teaches, “in a place where there is no humanity, try to be human.” There are less times that are truly without humanity than there are when humanity is hard to find. When flooded by complicated emotions, I find it very grounding to remember that I always have a choice to be human, to feel the feelings that I have and to bring them with me to the places I go.

We all deserve to transition from standing against the storm to becoming present in our minds and bodies again, and learning how to open ourselves up through gentleness, kindness, and courage. There is never a better time to focus on being human and in the present than the Jewish month of Elul, where we find ourselves right now. As we anticipate the coming high holy days, this month in the Jewish calendar grants us time to wake ourselves up every day to our incredible power to bear witness to our own true emotions and humanity. It takes time to uncover those secondary emotions that lie dormant while we are gritting our teeth against the difficulties of day-to-day life—feelings like fear, sadness, or deeper underlying worries. Those emotions need our time just as much as the outside world that demands so much of us. Every day of Elul gives us an opportunity to choose to do that.

We hope our space, staff, and programs can help facilitate that process, and we invite you to come visit and take part in this community. I hope that all of you have a wonderful month, and that you have the space and time to appreciate the complexity and beauty of your own humanity.

Yours,

Maggie Feinstein