“What in the flaming hell can a Jew guy do? Any Jews on here? Hell, can you even be typing on a computer now?”
Shalom!
I guess I shouldn’t be typing on a computer now, seeing as it is in fact a holiday, let alone Sabbath! This is gonna be a long post. I’ll have to ask your forgiveness…
Anyways, this is something that has bugged me for a long time. I did grow up going to orthodox Jewish schools etc and was very observant.
However, probably around the time I started lifting, a year ago, and became very serious about my health, getting in shape, love for the weights etc, I re-evaluated my religious activity.
What I decided is that every Jew (in fact every person regardless of what religion they practice) must find their own comfort level. That means, to be honest, picking and choosing just how religious they are going to be, and where their limits are. Don’t throw out everything just because not everything works for you.
For example, I could not imagine fasting today. After a year of eating every three hours, that’s just not happening. Instead, I decided that I will make some effort, I will eat less than usual, and as far as prayer, same thing - I can’t bring myself to sit in synagogue for 6 hours, so I went, stayed until I felt I no longer could honestly focus or appreciate it, and left.
I think that living a very healthy and active lifestyle in today’s world presents many challenges, but it’s important to be patient and realize that we each must find our own comfort level and draw our boundaries.
Look at eating healthy, especially for Jews - if you’re not careful it can be a fucking catastrophe. Shabbat meals, holiday meals, lots of sitting and eating, passover meals, fast days, kiddush after services, so on and so forth. It takes an effort. Be honest with yourself, figure out your comfort level, and don’t apologize.