Brian S.
Reflections on Rabbi Michele’s Class
By Brain S.
Michele Medwin, Rabbi at The Family Foundation School, has been holding a class on Monday nights for the Jewish students at the school. The class is currently focused on the story Healing From Despair by Rabbi Elie Kaplan Spitz. The book is divided into three sections: the author’s journey in overcoming his depression; personal accounts of other Rabbis, and how they overcame their struggles.
The book is very easy to understand and in my opinion, worthwhile. I would invite all of the Jewish students who are interested to talk to Rabbi Michele about joining the class. The class isn’t just about the book itself, it touches base with other Jewish teachings that could be helpful to students.
The story has taught me a lot about not quitting, even if things seem pointless. This is something I have battled with most of my life, but through reading this book, talking to Rabbi Michele, and connecting with a higher power, I am learning a great deal about perseverance, and how a relationship with God is really important.
A relationship with God has helped me to keep on track through the bad times. Before, I was ignorant of a spiritual way of life, but the stories she shared with me made me see that I can lean on God regardless of the situation. I have learned that with God, nothing is impossible. That made living a whole lot simpler, and I work each day knowing that God is at hand in my life.
To make the ideas more concrete, Rabbi Michele and the class work together on activities which include: inventories, writing psalms, and relating past actions to the events described. Rabbi Michele also makes the exercises easy to incorporate in daily living. The lessons Rabbi Michele has taught me have made my relationship with my higher power strong. The Jewish community has shrunk in size since I have been at the school, but the lessons haven’t.
