Why You Should Cry Your Eyes Out -- Rabbi Evan Moffic

 "In truth, however, tears are a sign of strength. They are a sign of life. They are a sign of real feeling. We cry because we are alive. We cry because we care.



The ancient Israelites knew this truth. They saw tears as sacred. Several decades ago, for example, archaeologists discovered a 3000-year-old vessel. It served as a sacred container for human tears.



Sometimes we do not know our feelings until we let them out. Tears do so. Tears, uniquely, can express a range of feelings, often seemingly opposite ones. We cry in pain. And cry in joy. We shed tears of loss and tears of happiness.



What happens when we don’t let ourselves cry? We strangle our feelings. We hold them up inside.

Sometimes holding inside our feelings is necessary. Yet, over time we can become acclimated to it. Hiding our feelings becomes natural, and we become callused and insensitive. We forget how to love, how to cherish, how to feel, and feel deeply. We may lose the pain, but in so doing, we also forget the joy.



I tell grieving family members to let themselves cry. Tears testify to their love. They evoke the tenderness and intimacy that make life meaningful and sacred.



One writer calls tears “a sacrament of love.” They are an x-ray of our heart. Even  for the ancient rabbis—who privileged  study and the intellect as the critical means for relating to God—tears transcended other forms of worship."



Why You Should Cry Your Eyes Out