by Rabbi David A. Cooper

What Is Your Torah ?

When we think of the Torah, most of us think of Judaism's most sacred text. And, yes, the Torah does contain the five books of Moses from the Old Testament, and sometimes all of the holy writings are referred to as the "Torah." But the Torah is really so much more. It can mean doctrine, teaching, custom, or study. It can also refer to how we live our lives.

Someone might ask you: "What is your Torah?" They are asking. "Who are you? How do you see things? What are your priorities in life?"

The subject of priorities is at the center of our spiritual practice. In this way, Torah means how we lead our lives, how we prioritize our lives and give our attention to our souls, and those things that are, most important to us. Without this sense of priority, without this sense of spiritual imperative, ,we'll never get very far as spiritual beings.

It is epidemic that people think they don't have enough time to do the things they want to do. I call this situation T.D.S.-Time Deficiency Syndrome. We never seem to have enough time, and we start relying on the future. We think that "when the kids are out of the house, when I finish this task, when the house is paid off, then everything's going to be okay." Even though most of us are aware of this syndrome, we still hold onto the myth that sometime in the future our lives are going to change dramatically. Then we will be fulfilled.

It comes down to this: we're willing to give up nurturing our souls today in the hope that tomorrow we might have enough time to get around to it.

Prioritize Your Life

1) Give yourself at least one hour every day to nurture your soul. This is your minimum daily requirement.

2) Consider taking one day off a week. As a minimum, for one day each week take off four hours by yourself or with your family to engage in spiritually nourishing activity. It could be going camping, reading inspirational literature, looking at the day, doing nothing, just being.

3) Consider taking off one week each year as some form of spiritual retreat; not as a vacation, but as connecting with the divine.

 Many people find the only way they can slow down is by illness. Inevitably we get a flu and go to bed for a week. Then we are forced to live our lives at a slower speed. But still we don't have the message. Once we get well, we jump right back into the fray. The only time we get a full reality check is when we are stricken with a terminal illness. All of a sudden, then, we discover that there is only one priority: living in this moment to be present now.

Finally, we see that this is all there is, and this is all we have: now, and our soul's connectedness with the devine in the moment.

There are no hard and fast rules for evaluating the priorities in your life. But if you are interested in trying. I have an

exercise for you, and the exercise is very simple. Take a sheet of paper and a few minutes, and make a list of activities that nurture your soul. Are you taking long walks? Do you have artistic talent you work with? How much time do you spend with your family?

Once you have your list, calculate the amount of time you spend each week doing these activities. Do you spend five minutes a week nurturing your soul, or an hour, or five hours? Now ask yourself another question: Are you spending as much time as you would like nurturing your soul? And if not, what does that mean to you intellectually and emotionally? How does that feel in your heart?

Look at how many things on your list are experiences that are happening in the moment. You will discover that virtually everything on your list is an experience of the fullness of the moment, whether in relationship, in nature, or involved in some activity that releases us, purifies us, or opens up the beauty of now.

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