Living Through Learning

On any given Tuesday at 1:30 pm, a cluster of long-term care residents at The New Jewish Home (TNJH) gathers for a one-half hour for what they call a “spirituality group”. I learned of the group soon after I began in my role when one of the Therapeutic Recreation staff shared with me that the residents on a unit would like to convene. They assemble almost weekly in a common area on their floor, and they receive different types of support from Spiritual Care either from one of our Program Interns, me, or a Chaplain Intern on that unit.

Inspired by one resident who is a former minister, the group of usually 6-7 residents convene in a side area of the communal dining room. Sister K often provides a booklet of Psalms. Residents take turns reading, and at any time, Sister K., or someone else interjects a comment or intention about part of the reading. She seems to enjoy providing some direction to the group and when I am there, I am frequently asked to read aloud or offer a reflection on potential meaning. Based on my understanding of the verse or drawing from a particular resource of which there are many, I may have more to say. Admittedly, I enjoy being both an active and passive participant, and, as many in my role would share, there is value in being present and an active listener.

The feeling of positive energy and joy from being with the group augments my calling to this role at The New Jewish Home – a position that is equal parts ministerial, programmatic, coaching, and administrative. I expected to use some of my time to lead or begin additional spirituality groups, and this dimension is impactful for the residents and their home-like community that we endeavor to create and foster during their time with us. The experience of reading or speaking with them illustrates how I, as an ordained rabbi, can be inclusive toward a group from diverse faith backgrounds. I, too, feel that I am on the receiving end of the inclusion arrow.

The Talmud, in tractate Makkot 10a, discusses cities of refuge (ערי המקלט) and relays that when a student must be exiled to a city of refuge, he is accompanied by his teacher. The Bible named six cities of refuge so that when one individual accidentally killed another, they would flee to one of the cities and avoid harm from the relative of the victim called a blood avenger. The person who fled remained in the city until the death of the current High Priest. Why does the teacher go to the city of refuge as well? A verse in Deuteronomy cited by the sages becomes a prooftext to answer the question: “One who unwittingly slew another without having been an enemy in the past, he could flee to one of those cities and live.” (Deuteronomy 4:42) Our sages believed that a student escapes to one of the cities of refuge to live – and his teacher with him – because of the word ”וחי” – “and live.” Both the student and teacher are engaged in activities that enliven their spirits, and since their studies sustained their lives, the teacher fled along with the student to the City of Refuge. The text goes further to explain that if the teacher/rabbi needed to escape to the City of Refuge, then similarly his students go with him.
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The provision of learning and gathering with others to explore sacred text is not refuge in the sense it was intended during the designation of Biblical Cities of Refuge. For patients and residents, learning together preserves something that resonates and is a dimension of sustaining themselves. The Gemara adds that Torah is a refuge if you are always studying. If you were engaged in Torah study, you could not be persecuted. The weekly learning and devotionals are not the difference between life and death – freedom or persecution. However, the opportunity to gather and learn gives our residents purpose and is part of the larger vision of person-directed care at The New Jewish Home. Amidst the diverse offerings of a home-like environment in long-term rehab, learning has a place. We have a library to foster intellectual pursuits and be a meeting or worship space. We have a spiritual care team comprised of chaplains and chaplain interns and devotional literature in multiple languages.

​Yet, the smaller spirituality group such as the Tuesday afternoon group grew from the self-interests of a couple of our residents. This focus on establishing “home-like” environments and person-centered care is part of the Green House approach. Empowering the resident community to function in a self-contained and self-sufficient manner with the elders at the center means they are bringing life, meaning to others, and having the spiritual or educational experience they see fit.