The Synagogue: Your Spiritual Gym

By Rabbi Steven Abraham
Kol – October 2011

I love going to the gym! I would not necessarily call it a religious experience, but it’s close. The synagogue has always been the place I go to grow religiously and spiritually, and the gym physically. The gym, like the synagogue, is a place we go to better ourselves, to better our health, to better our souls, and to better the world; and the parallels do not end there.

When do most people join a gym? Not all, but most people join at the beginning of the year, due to the fact that we make a resolution to eat better, to exercise more and to lead a healthier lifestyle. We use the New Year as a reason to recommit ourselves to our health. Yet for so many people, the commitment they make is short-lived, and while they continue to pay their membership, their attendance dwindles. It’s a sad story and it happens too often. What is even more upsetting is that this is the same state of affairs that affects so many synagogues, including our own.

Today, as we sit in the middle of the High Holy Days, Jews around the world are making any number of commitments to themselves — everything from attending services more often to lighting Shabbat candles. These resolutions are sincere, and while people may even have a plan in place on how to reach their goal, just as the person who joined the gym but stops going after only a month, both cases lack follow-through. Thankfully, in both cases there is a mechanism in place to help keep people on track.

When you need an extra push at a gym, you can work with a trainer. A trainer keeps you on track, a trainer helps you set reasonable goals, a trainer gives you motivation, and most importantly, a trainer wants to see you succeed.

I became a rabbi because I wanted to be a spiritual trainer! If you need that extra push, some motivation, or want to talk through setting reasonable goals, there are a number of people here at Beth El who can help. For a trainer – and for that matter, a rabbi – there is no better feeling then seeing someone they worked with meet their goals.

Beth El Synagogue is your spiritual gym, and we have fantastic trainers here to help you reach your goal. The High Holidays are upon us and it is a time when so many of us return to the synagogue to hear the tunes and melodies of our youth. We take comfort in the familiarity of being with people we know and taking part in a service that is recognizable. In short, it’s a safe place to be.

As a rabbi, as a trainer, I would encourage you to push yourself further and perhaps step outside your comfort zone – join us for any one of our amazing services year round. The goal you set for yourself should be tough but attainable. Make the commitment to come once a month to morning or evening minyan (set a date in your calendar, as you would with a trainer) and simply show up. I promise you, that just like the gym, you will feel better afterward. The clergy and staff at Beth El are here to help you along your journey. Leading a religious life, a spiritual life, a meaningful life takes practice. It will have its ups and downs, but the growth will be immeasurable.

Gemar Chatimah Tovah