2. Travel is exciting. Home and family life is inspiring, a sacred space that has no replacements.
IT IS NOT ONLY LOVE THAT IS REQUIRED FOR A HEALTHY HOME
A house is pragmatic, a place where we can store our possessions and experience shelter and protection. A home on the other hand is where we experience a true sense self, comfort, belonging and emotional security.
The physical structure of a house has alternatives. But there are no replacements for the spiritual and emotional stability a home provides. At home we are free to express our innermost selves without any masks, inhibitions, or defenses. From a Jewish perspective, a home is a sacred space for it shapes our attitudes and self-esteem and it determines our life decisions. In Judaism the HOME is everything.
The key component to a healthy home is Shalom Bayit – peace (harmony) in the home.
What is peace?
The absence of opposition is not peace. Peace requires opposites. But the goal is that after the initial conflict both parties learn to coexist. Unity that is generated from diversity is true unity and peace.
Peace in the home is not a quiet home where all have to agree and share the exact same standards and outlooks. Peace in the home is found specifically within the life, diversity and differing personalities that inhabit the home.
More than love, peace requires respect. Respect enables us to take a step back and give others the space they need to operate independently, to make their own decisions and walk their own path. For example, respecting another’s opinion even if we don’t agree with it. In fact, disagreement is an actual expression of respect, for when there is true respect between one another, there must also be true honesty between one another. Respect is appreciating another’s unique personality and character traits that sets them apart from you.
Love is something we fall into. Respect is something we climb into.
Yes we must try to identify with others and always look for what unites us. But we cannot allow that to blind the distinctions between us. We spend so much time and energy searching for the unifying factors between us that we forget to truly celebrate difference
The letter Bet which corresponds to the number 2 is spelled out in Hebrew with the same letters that create the word Bayit - Hebrew for home. The letter Bet introduces and represents dualism. True peace in a home is achieved once we appreciate, respect and celebrate the duality within it.