December / January -- Histap'kut / Simplicity

For Everyone
In a season that is increasingly marked by gifts and giving, the Jewish value of “simplicity / histap’kut” may seem a bit out of touch. To be clear, Judaism has nothing against purchasing material goods and enjoying the pleasures of the world. In fact, we are encouraged to see everything as God’s creation and therefore we should embrace all that life has to offer.

At the same time, we are encouraged to follow the teaching from Pirkei Avot: “Ben Zoma said, ‘Who is wise? The one who learns from everyone . . . Who is mighty? One who controls one’s [natural] urges . . . Who is rich? One who is happy with what one has . . . Who is honored? One who honors others . . .’”

Being happy with what we have and making new purchases may seem to be concepts in competition with each other. And yet, Judaism teaches that these inclinations are only in conflict when purchasing becomes a goal in and of itself. If the purpose of an acquisition is solely to acquire more of something, our tradition teaches us that we are heading in the wrong direction.  Rather, we are encouraged to find contentment in what we already have and then we are challenged to take the next step and find happiness as well.

At TAE, the months of December and January are dedicated to simplicity / histap’kut.  May we all find riches in this practice.

For Parents

For Jewish families interested in improving their quality of life there is a practice of Simplicity embedded in Judaism. The Hebrew term is histapkut — contentment with less. If simplicity is both authentically Jewish and sensible, why do we feel uncomfortable with the practice? Why do we not all strive to live simpler lives? We are parenting in a hyper- commercialized society and there is resistance to limiting consumption for many reasons. It’s difficult to resist our children’s requests, and to resist the expectations of affluent life filled with music and sports lessons, entertainment, vacations, and a stream of new clothes, electronics, toys and sports equipment. In Blessings of a Skinned Knee, psychologist Wendy Mogel says that Jewish values should work to limit these expectations, which are in the long run destructive for children, who need limits. In an environment saturated with advertising, it is difficult for parents to resist pressure from their children, and messages from society telling them they should give their children every advantage. The real advantage we can give our children is healthy values and a loving community. Simplifying life is a process, done most effectively with the support of others in our community who are doing the same. Let’s demonstrate to our children that what we have is a gift, not an entitlement. By training ourselves to be satisfied with what we have we are teaching our children to do the same. If we have a greater emphasis on spiritual rewards and values and focus on community involvement, the quality of our lives can’t help but be enriched!

(Contributed by Michelle Princenthal)