Musings Of A Shliach From Montana
Sukkos is upon us, and we will spend the next eight days in the sukkah. I am a Lubavitcher, and Minhag Chabad is that we don’t even drink water outside the sukkah, including on Shemini Atzeres. So, eight days it is, and it should be amazing and meaningful. Like Belzer Chassidim, we don’t sleep in the sukkah, but other than that, we are sipping every coffee, every cup of water, every morsel of food in the sukkah. Even my midnight drink of seltzer entails that I run downstairs to the sukkah to quench my thirst.
Each Sukkos I use this column to share deep mystical insights into one of the aspects of the Sukkos holiday, but this week I want to do something different. I was thinking about the idea of being outdoors for the eight days and I think that in addition to the Biblical, Rabbinic and Chassidic ideas for the sukkah dwelling experience, there is a bonus subtle message here for all of us. Sure, we are commemorating the huts that served as the residences of the Bnei Yisrael in the desert, and I’m sure they remind us of the Ananei Hakavod, the Clouds of Glory, that guarded us in the desert too, but perhaps the outside dwelling experience is giving us a life lesson of another kind.
This is a health issue, and while I am by no means a health guru, Chavie is, and so I pick up many ideas from my better half and it eventually rubs off on my thick Brooklyn soul, which at times is stuck in the old mindset that is too conventional. So, as we head outdoors for Sukkos, let’s ponder all the benefits we can garner from being outside and how we can all do better spending more time outdoors this year.
True, Baruch Hashem, I see more and more Heimish Yidden discovering the outdoors. They are visiting national parks, camping with their families, hiking, boating, running, and swimming, and in general paying more attention to the health of their bodies. We are doing much better in adhering to the Rambam’s ruling in Yad HaChazaka that “being healthy and strong is a G-dly path.” But we have a long way to go and we must do better. Too many children and adults are spending too much time indoors in front of screens and with gadgets of all kinds. Not enough frum Jews have a regular exercise routine, eat healthy, and incorporate organic, non-GMO, and chemical free food in their diets. I have struggled with weight my entire life, but I love the fact that when it comes to health, like with spirituality, it’s not all or nothing. Less pesticides, less, MSG, less sugar, less nitrates, less artificial everything is better for us, and every time we can refrain from putting that stuff in our bodies, the better off we’ll be. Same with working out. I’m not a marathon runner or a body builder, but for twenty-seven months I’ve been working out with my trainer twice each week consistently and plan on adding more to that after yom tov.
And I do see amazing results. Bending over to get something from the back seat of the car, sitting down with my kids on the floor, shlepping boxes into shul, bowing for “Korim” on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is now so much easier. Bending down no longer causes me to pull a muscle or lose my breath. The consistency of guided workouts has changed my life. I can still lose some weight; I’m a work in progress, but it’s not just about the weight, it’s also about being healthy and strengthening the joints and muscles so they don’t wither away with age. While the frum world is always looking for the latest fad, from the latest diets to Ozempic, to gastro surgeries, it all stems from an all or nothing attitude when in truth, small changes can make a real difference.
As you sit in your sukkah enjoying the “Festival of Joy,” let’s resolve to spend more time outside all year round and see how much it can positively impact our lives. Here are some of the positive changes that it brings:
It helps with Vitamin D. We all need it, and we receive it from the sun, one of Hashem’s greatest gifts. So, it’s important to go out into the sun, without sunscreen that “blocks” its benefits, and allow the sun to heal you. You learn what your threshold is by observing when it starts to give your skin a burn, and then you know how much time you need to spend outside before it’s time to apply the sunscreen. It’s the burning that tells you you’ve had enough. So, learn how to work with the sun for your benefit. [Editor’s note: Please consult with a dermatologist if you have questions regarding sun coverage]
Sitting on the couch while surfing the internet, playing a video game, or watching a show isn’t good for our blood flow, our body rhythm, or the oxygenation of our blood. Taking a walk outside does wonders for your emotional, mental, and spiritual health, as well as makes you happier. Scientists aren’t sure why it works that way, but it does and we all could use a bit more happiness.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is becoming more of an issue due to the amount of time we spend scrolling and typing. Leaving our phones at home and going outside, device free, gives our fingers and hands a break from the never-ending texting and typing.
Walking with a spouse, child, or friend allows for important face to face social interaction so we’re not just corresponding virtually. There’s so much benefit to socializing in person for connection and attachment and it’s just one more benefit to going out.
Being outside helps build our immunity. We get close to plants, trees, and bushes and it adds certain substances to the air that helps boost our immunity. It’s one of the crimes of Covid that the politicians, acting like dictators, kept people indoors when the outdoors is one of the greatest healers ever.
I can go on and on with the research. It’s clear that being outdoors boosts our sleep quality, minimizes our anxiety, generates more creativity, supports heart health, improves our vision, helps us focus better, improves our short-term memory, and there is another aspect too, as we immerse ourselves in nature and allow it to do its magic, we are healed through and through.
Again, I’m not a health guru and don’t plan on becoming one, but as Sukkos approaches, I feel compelled to share what I’ve learned from Chavie because it’s key to ridding ourselves of the all or nothing mindset. We don’t need to join a dieting or breathing retreat; we don’t need to do a total makeovers or train for a marathon; we don’t need to take supplements whose side effects are yet to be determined; we just need to take daily actions that are good for us. A good start would be to take a daily walk, work out a few times per week, or find a local park where you can go for a jog or just sit in nature. You’ll thank me later.
Have a rockin’ Sukkos and don’t forget to increase your joy, because that’s what it’s all about. n
Rabbi Chaim Bruk is co-CEO of Chabad Lubavitch of Montana and spiritual leader of The Shul of Bozeman. For comments or to partner in our holy work, e-mail rabbi@jewishmontana.com or visit JewishMontana.com/Donate.