Welcome to the Ethically Emily Newsletter!

Hello beautiful humans!

Thank you for adding your email to yet another subscription. I am truly so happy you decided to stop by. I’ve been imagining a newsletter for a while now, but have been hesitant to actually make it happen. To be honest, it’s been a hard year! Graduate school is no joke, and any free time to get creative is a rare gem. This week, I finished my first week of summer classes and I’m realizing how important it is for me to create space to get into my creative flow and put some fun things out into the world. So welcome to the said fun things. My goal is to send a newsletter every other week infused with Judaism and wellness, because honestly it makes me so happy to share that with other people.

So, it’s Friday. Let’s have a Judaism moment. But first, take a moment and think of the things that are on your “Joy List.” What are the things in your life that bring you the most joy? Not the things that just make you happy. What makes you feel joy in your entire body? Think about it for a minute. For me, the moment of pause that comes when lighting Shabbat candles is when I feel joy. It’s a moment where the noise of the world stops and I can give myself permission to just be. It definitely is a double joy moment because a sip of wine comes next…and wine is definitely up there on my joy list too.

As we head on into Shabbat, I offer you some reflection questions as you enter into your weekend. I invite you to share them with a friend, a family member, your Shabbat table, or ponder them with yourself! Let them be an opportunity to connect with an individual, a group, or a community. Create a space to clear whatever shit is holding you down and welcome in the good Shabbat energy, and connect with the special people in your life.

Ethically Emily Reflection Questions:

We start Shabbat with the lighting of the candles, sparking a flame! We also are just now entering a new month on the lunar calendar, Tammuz. Tammuz is all about feeling the heat inside of us. It also just so happens we are days away from a holiday that involves fireworks….

1. Is there a flame inside of you that you would like to ignite? If yes, what is it, and what is stopping you from making it happen?

2. Or, is there a flame inside of you that you need to extinguish? If yes, what is it? Have you tried to extinguish it before? What’s gotten in your way?

3. While it is always important to acknowledge the flames within us, our flames also need a moment (or a few moments) to rest. How can we honor our flame and ourselves and create a moment to rest as we enter into Shabbat?

4. We are definitely experiencing some heat waves this summer….how can we use our flames for good this week?

5. How can we cool off, even when our bodies and minds are telling us to keep going?

I hope that these questions can create the perfect space for you this Shabbat. Whether you choose to ignite, extinguish, rest, or cool off, I hope that you take what you need. That’s exactly what Shabbat is for. I can’t wait to share more thoughtful questions with you and hear how these questions resonated with you and the people you chose to share them with. Until next time…

Ethically,

Emily