Count Elevate the Jews
In this week’s Torah portion (Ki Tisa) Moshe is commanded “Ki tisa et rosh bnei yisrael… (when you count the Jewish people..)”. Generally, words such as timna or tifkod are used to denote counting and the word tisa is more commonly translated as elevate. The Talmud (Bava Basra 10b) explains the word tisa was specifically chosen because the counting elevated the Jewish pride.
Out of sight out of mind
There is a tendency for us to pay less attention to people who are more shy, older, or different from ourselves. Often when people are suffering from depression or anxiety their illness leads them to neglect social relationships, worsening their sickness and creating a perpetual negative cycle.
You can literally save lives by counting
The research is clear. The more social contacts a person has the greater their happiness and self esteem. In cultures where people value elders and frequently seek advice from them, people live longer. By reaching out to someone and making them feel important enough to be counted amongst your contacts, you can literally elevate their pride and save a life.
- Mental Health in The Parsha: The Blessing of an Inflamed Nerve - December 3, 2020
- Mental Health in The Parsha: When Less is More - November 27, 2020
- Mind Games - February 24, 2019