HOW TO STAY IN THE JEWISH FAITH EVERYDAY

How to keep with your Jewish faith everyday? What can we do to practice it when we are not in a Shul or not at a Kiddush or other ritual community gathering? How can we practice our faith everyday no matter where we are, who we are with, or what we are doing?

We have the gift of the Hebrew language as ours. Hebrew can roll off our tongues at anytime. If we cannot chant it loudly, we can always whisper it to ourselves, say blessings every time we eat, before and after a meal. There are blessings we can chant in Hebrew for mostly whatever it is we are doing. We can constantly praise and thank G-d for everything that we are doing, everything that we have, for our relationships with other people, for our families, the list goes on and on and on.

There are Jewish radio stations we can plug into, to keep the singing in our hearts, there are worship service computer audios, and we can always sing to ourselves, no matter where we are, we can sing and remember the Hebrew words and keep up a daily rhythm.

We can write about our faith, we can teach it to our children or others who could benefit from the lessons, as a way to keep peace with all people so the barrier of misunderstandings can be lifted. What people do not know, is what they fear. Fear puts up walls between people and defeats peace efforts, the more we can teach others about our faith, the more comfortable they will feel and therefore the more peace that can be had.

Wear a yarmulke, tallit katan, or other religious garment that identifies you as Jewish. This is a good way to always be in the faith, kissing the tzitzit on a daily basis as it becomes part of you, an extension of who you are--as a Jew, and not just another person on the street. You can become a good example, a mentor, and visually be identified as Jewish, and people will see how righteous a Jew is, by watching your behavior.

Be in communion with other Jews in your community. Hang with them. Pray with them. Get to know them. Solidify your space in your environment with the support of other Jews. Keep up a good relationship with all Jews, Jews of every denomination. Do not segregate. Be inclusive in your friendships, and respect and honor all other Jews.

This is how to keep holy everyday. Continue to wash your hands and recite the blessings. Clean hands clean heart. And of course, study Torah everyday.