T O O T I R E D T O T R Y?

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "T O O T I R E D T O T R Y?"

Everett Powell
5 years ago
Views:

1 TooTiredtoTry?

2 T O O T I R E D T O T R Y? ב ר ו ך א ת ה י י א לה ינ ו מ ל ך ה עו ל ם, ה נו ת ן ל י ע ף כ ח Blessed are you Hashem our God King of the Universe, who gives strength to the weary The Cure for Exhaustion? More Exercise By TARA PARKER-POPE When a person is sapped by fatigue, the last thing he or she wants to do is exercise. But new research shows that regular, low-intensity exercise may help boost energy levels in people suffering from fatigue. University of Georgia researchers decided to study whether exercise can be used to treat fatigue. The research, which appears in the February issue of the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, involved 36 volunteers who were not regular exercisers but who complained of persistent fatigue. One group of fatigued volunteers was prescribed 20 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise three times a week for six weeks. The second group engaged in low-intensity aerobic exercise for the same time period, while a third control group did not exercise. Both of the exercise groups had a 20 percent increase in energy levels by the end of the study, compared to the control group. However, the researchers found that more intense exercise isn t the best way to reduce fatigue. The low-intensity group reported a 65 percent drop in feelings of fatigue, compared to a 49 percent drop in the group doing more intense exercise. Why exercise helps fatigue isn t clear, but Dr. Puetz said his findings suggest exercise acts directly on the central nervous system to increase energy and reduce fatigue. Notably, the improvements in energy and fatigue were not related to increases in aerobic fitness. WHY DO YOU THINK THAT EXERCISE HELPS WITH FATIGUE? HAS IT EVER HELPED YOU? Morning Brachos Page 1

THE LONG EXILE Yishayahu 40 28) Do you not know? Have you not heard that the everlasting God, creator of the heavens and the earth does not weary or tire? His acumen has no bounds.

3 THE LONG EXILE Yishayahu 40 28) Do you not know? Have you not heard that the everlasting God, creator of the heavens and the earth does not weary or tire? His acumen has no bounds. 29) He gives power to the weary and to those who have no might He increases his strength. ישעיהו פרק מ כח( ה לו א י ד ע ת א ם לא ש מ ע ת א לה י עו ל ם י ק ו ק בו ר א : ק צו ת ה אר ץ לא י יע ף ו לא י יג ע א ין ח ק ר ל ת ב ונ ת ו כט( נ ת ן ל י ע ף כ ח ול א ין או נ ים ע צ מ ה י ר ב ה Radak s Commentary He gives power to the weary, and he gives strength and power to the Jewish people when they are in exile, tired and exhausted with no release. רד "ק ישעיהו פרק מ כט( נותן ליעף כח - והוא יתן כשירצה כח ועצמה לישראל שהם בגלות ויעפים ויגעים מאין אונים WHAT TYPE OF POWER OR STENGTH IS NEEDED TO SURVIVE A LONG EXILE? 1 TYPE OF TIRED Bereishis: 25 And Yaakov was stewing a stew and Eisav came in from the field and he was tired תולדות פרק כה :כט( ו י ז ד י ע ק ב נ ז יד ו י ב א ע ש ו מ ן ה ש ד ה ו ה וא ע י ף Rashi s Commentary With murder: as it says in Yirmiyahu- My soul is tired because of the murdering רש "י והוא עיף - ברציחה, כמה דתימא )ירמיה ד לא( כי עיפה נפשי להורגים WHAT DO YOU THINK TIRED SOUL MEANS? Notice that Eisav comes in when Yaakov is cooking, he does not experience hunger after a long day of hunting, rather he comes in tired. This tired refers to a person who is emotionally drained; it is not merely physical. Morning Brachos Page 2

2 TYPES OF TIRED Devarim: 25 Remember what Amalek did you on the way when you came out from Egypt. That they met you on the way and they attacked the stragglers behind you.

דברים פרשת כי תצא פרק כה יז( ז כו ר א ת א ש ר ע ש ה ל ך ע מ ל ק ב ד ר ך ב צ את כ ם :מ מ צ ר י ם יח( א ש ר ק ר ך ב ד ר ך ו י ז נ ב ב ך כ ל ה נ ח ש ל ים אח ר י ך ו א ת ה ע י ף ו י ג ע ו לא י ר א א לה

4 2 TYPES OF TIRED Devarim: 25 Remember what Amalek did you on the way when you came out from Egypt. That they met you on the way and they attacked the stragglers behind you. And you were tired and weary and did not fear God. דברים פרשת כי תצא פרק כה יז( ז כו ר א ת א ש ר ע ש ה ל ך ע מ ל ק ב ד ר ך ב צ את כ ם :מ מ צ ר י ם יח( א ש ר ק ר ך ב ד ר ך ו י ז נ ב ב ך כ ל ה נ ח ש ל ים אח ר י ך ו א ת ה ע י ף ו י ג ע ו לא י ר א א לה ים Ohr Hachaim Tired still from the slavery in Egypt and weary from the tribulations of the journey. אור החיים ואתה עיף ויגע וגו'. עיף עדיין משעבוד מצרים ויגע מטורח הדרך, HOW DOES THE OHR HACHAIM DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN THE 2 WORDS FOR TIRED? The word that our Bracha uses is עיף this word refers to an emotional tired rather than a.יגע physical tired, for this we use the word WHAT DO YOU THINK BEING EMOTIONALLY EXHAUSTED MEANS? WHAT DO YOU THINK CAN CAUSE THIS? HAVE YOU EVER BEEN EMOTIONALLY DRAINED BEFORE, AND IF SO, WHY? RUNNING AWAY Yonah: 1 1. And the word of God was with Yonah son of Amitai saying: 2. Get up and go to the great city of Ninveh and proclaim against her that their evil has risen up before me. 3. And Yonah got up to flee from God to Tarshish and he went down to Yafo and he found a ship bound for Tarshish, he paid its fare and boarded it to travel with them to Tarshish from before God. 4. And God cast a mighty wind towards the יונה פרק א א( ו י ה י ד ב ר י ק ו ק א ל יו נ ה ב ן א מ ת י ל אמ ר ב( ק ום ל ך א ל נ ינ ו ה ה ע יר ה ג דו ל ה וק ר א ע ל י ה כ י ע ל ת ה ר ע ת ם ל פ נ י ג( ו י ק ם יו נ ה ל ב ר ח ת ר ש יש ה מ ל פ נ י י ק ו ק ו י ר ד י פ ו ו י מ צ א א נ י ה ב אה ת ר ש יש ו י ת ן ש כ ר ה ו י ר ד ב ה ל בו א ע מ ה ם ת ר ש יש ה מ ל פ נ י י ק ו ק ד( ו יק ו ק ה ט יל ר וח ג דו ל ה א ל ה י ם ו י ה י ס ע ר ג דו ל ב י ם ו ה א נ י ה ח ש ב ה ל ה ש ב ר Morning Brachos Page 3

But Yonah had descended to the ship s holds and he lay down and fell asleep.

5 sea, there was a great tempest in the sea and the ship threatened to be broken. 5. And the sailors became frightened and they cried out, each to his god; they cast the wares that were on the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Yonah had descended to the ship s holds and he lay down and fell asleep. ה( ו י יר א ו ה מ ל ח ים ו י ז ע ק ו א יש א ל א לה יו ו י ט ל ו א ת ה כ ל ים א ש ר ב א נ י ה א ל ה י ם ל ה ק ל מ ע ל יה ם ו יו נ ה : י ר ד א ל י ר כ ת י ה ס פ ינ ה ו י ש כ ב ו י ר ד ם WHAT IS STRANGE ABOUT YONAH S REACTION TO THE STORM? WHY DO YOU THINK HE GOES TO SLEEP? Rabbi Yosef Kara מהר י קארא The Mahri Kara suggest that what is described here as sleep is profound and utter depression that enveloped Yonah as gloom settled over his mind and heart. A man of highest caliber, of profound spiritual and intellectual gifts, he was finally and completely bested. All rationalizations and theories crushed, all rebellious romanticism melted away before the might of the storm and He who sent it. Now, all illusions fell away. He was but a puny human being, a nothing before the grandeur of the Master of Nature. Sleep was death and death was the only remaining escape. As the storm howled outside, Yonah sought death and he found refuge in slumber, its closest cousin The word ד ם -ו י ר and he went to sleep comes from the word ירד to go down. BASED ON THE APPOACH OF THE MAHARI KARA WHAT IS THE CONNECTION BETWEEN SLEEP AND DECENDING? Talmud Bavli: Brachos 57b Sleep is 1/60 th of death תלמוד בבלי מסכת ברכות דף נז עמוד ב שינה - אחד מששים למיתה What is the ultimate escape from suffering? To be put out of your misery. To die. People often sleep to escape. Sleeping too much is strongly associated with depression. Morning Brachos Page 4

THE STRENGTH TO GO ON In our blessing we are clearly asking God to give us strength to overcome emotional weariness. What kind of strength are we asking for? WHAT WOULD YOU ASK FOR?

6 THE STRENGTH TO GO ON In our blessing we are clearly asking God to give us strength to overcome emotional weariness. What kind of strength are we asking for? WHAT WOULD YOU ASK FOR? tiredness. - We ask god to give us physical strength to overcome emotional ה נו ת ן ל י ע ף כ ח WHY ARE WE ASKING FOR PHYSICAL STRENGTH? HOW DOES THIS HELP US? Morning Brachos Page 5

7 Prescribing Exercise to Treat Depression By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS Can a stroll help ease depression? That question preoccupied Dr. Madhukar H. Trivedi, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, after several of his patients, all suffering from serious depression, mentioned that they felt happier if they went for a walk. The patients in question were taking the widely prescribed antidepressants known as S.S.R.I. s, for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, but not responding fully. They remained, by clinical standards, depressed. Dr. Trivedi and his colleagues began to wonder if adding a formal dose of exercise would increase their chances of getting better. Certainly the possibility was worth investigating. Clinical depression, as anyone who has experienced or watched a loved one struggle with the condition knows, can be stubbornly intractable. Even if patients have been taking an antidepressant for months, recovery rates tend to hover below 50 percent. This prompted Dr. Trivedi to look to exercise. His investigation joins a growing movement among some physiologists and doctors to consider and study exercise as a formal medicine, with patients given a prescription and their progress monitored, as it would be if they were prescribed a pill. Each volunteer exercised for four months, while continuing to take an antidepressant. At the end of that time, according to the study published recently in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 29.5 percent had achieved remission, which is a very robust result, Dr. Trivedi said, equal to or better than the remission rates achieved using drugs as a back-up treatment. I think that our results indicate that exercise is a very valid treatment option for people whose depression hasn t yielded to S.S.R.I. s, he said. Still, Dr. Trivedi said, although additional studies certainly are needed, there s no reason for people with unyielding depression not to talk now with their doctors about exercise as a treatment option. Side effects are almost nonexistent, he said, while you get additional benefits, in terms of improvements in cardiovascular health and reductions in other disease risks, things antidepressant drugs do not provide. Plus, he pointed out, the cost profile is very favorable. Exercise, as medicines go, is cheap. WHY DO YOU THINK PHYSICAL EXERCISE OR ENTHUSIASM TO GET UP CAN HELP WITH EMOTIONAL DEPRESSION? Morning Brachos Page 6

THE ANTIDOTE Shulchan Aruch 1:1 A person should get up like a lion in the morning to serve his Creator שולחן ערוך אורח חיים : סימן א יתגבר כארי לעמוד בבוקר לעבודת בוראו, Mishna Brura Gloss If your

8 THE ANTIDOTE Shulchan Aruch 1:1 A person should get up like a lion in the morning to serve his Creator שולחן ערוך אורח חיים : סימן א יתגבר כארי לעמוד בבוקר לעבודת בוראו, Mishna Brura Gloss If your Yetzer Hora entices you in the winter by saying How will you get out of bed? It s so cold outside. Or in the summer How will you get out of bed? You haven t had enough sleep. You need to strengthen yourself against him and not listen to him. You need to think to yourself, If I were needed to serve a human king I would be enthusiastic and excited to get up early to prepare for this service. How much more so, to serve the King of Kings- God Himself! משנה ברורה סימן א ואף אם ישיאנו יצרו בחורף לומר איך תעמוד בבוקר כי הקור גדול או ישיאנו בקיץ לומר איך תעמוד ממטתך ועדיין לא שבעת משנתך יתגבר עליו ואל ישמע לו ויחשוב בנפשו אלו היה נצרך לעמוד לשרת לפני מלך ב"ו כמה היה זהיר וזריז לעמוד בהשכמה להכין עצמו לעבודתו כ"ש וק"ו בן בנו של ק"ו לפני ממ"ה הקב "ה WHY DOES JUMPING OUT OF BED WITH ENTHUSIASM HELP TO AVOID FEELING TIRED? CONCLUDING THOUGHTS ב ר ו ך א ת ה י י א לה ינ ו מ ל ך ה עו ל ם, ה נו ת ן ל י ע ף כ ח Blessed are you Hashem our God King of the Universe, who gives strength to the weary The tired that this bracha is referring to is emotional tiredness. Sleeping is often used an escape from emotional turmoil. We ask God to help us find the strength to overcome emotional lethargy, depression or other weariness. We ask for Koach- physical strength. Physical exertion such as exercise is proven to improve mood and stabilize emotions. Morning Brachos Page 7

eriktology Torah Workbook Bereshiyt / Genesis [1]

eriktology Torah Workbook Bereshiyt / Genesis [1] [2] [3] FOREWORD It should be noted when using this workbook, that we ( Eric, Lee, James, and a host of enthusiastic encouragers ) are not making a statement