3 minute read
Delving into the Daf 7
Dear Readers,
You know, they say that it’s hard to truly understand someone until you walk a mile in their shoes. This week, I saw this adage in a different light.
As this year has felt a bit “longer” than others, we decided to head to warmer climes for a few days. But packing proved to be a bit tricky. The truth is that packing for a warmer or colder destination always presents problems. Because, while you’re sitting in your home packing and the weather outside is a frigid 30 degrees, it’s hard to imagine that in a few hours you’ll need to wear t-shirts and slap on sunscreen. You want to pack your sweaters and sweatshirts because you can’t imagine a hot day in the middle of the winter. And so, you end up packing “logically” instead of “emotionally.” You logically look at the weather reports and pack bathing suits because it’s supposed to be 80 degrees outside.
On the flip side, as the storm blew more than a foot of snow into New York, it was hard for me to imagine the icy, slippery sidewalks while I was hundreds of miles south. In my mind, I knew how bitter and cold it could be when the temperatures drop and the snow hits the city, but I couldn’t really feel the iciness in my bones.
This sort of situation happens daily on different scales throughout life.
Your friend talks of a troubling circumstance with her child, and you can’t really feel what she’s going through. Baruch Hashem, you don’t have that challenge, and so it’s hard to truly relate to what she’s facing. But you dig deep and logically put yourself into her shoes so you can connect with her and hear her pain.
Or your child comes to you with a fear that she has that’s been concerning her for the past few days. As an adult, that concern doesn’t bother you but you want to help your child, and so you take a few moments to think about what’s truly bothering her. You picture yourself in that challenge so you can help her navigate her fear.
Or your neighbor shares a financial predicament that he and his wife are facing. Thankfully, you don’t suffer from monetary struggles, but you picture yourself and imagine the dread of unpaid bills and not being able to fill a shopping cart to the brim every time you shop. You try to feel his pain so you can be there for him in his time of stress and struggle.
Yes, it’s truly hard to understand what someone is going through until you walk a mile in their shoes. But, that doesn’t mean that you can’t feel their pain or share in their happiness. If you take the time to picture yourself in their sorrow or in their joy, you can walk with them and help them navigate along the way – whether you’re wearing flipflops or snow boots.
Wishing you a wonderful week, Shoshana
Weekly Weather | February 5 – February 11
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Showers Partly Cloudy / Wind
43° 29° 39° 25°
Rain / Snow Showers
40° 22°
Partly Cloudy PM Snow Showers
30° 22° 28° 19°
Partly Cloudy Partly Cloudy
26° 19° 27° 17°
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