August: Sugar Scrubs (shmirat ha’guf/self care)

What is shmirat ha’guf? Shmirat ha’guf can be translated as “guarding” or “caring for the body.” Of the 613 commandments, or mitzvot, by which Jewish people should follow, being healthy and well is one of them. (Deuteronomy 4:9)

Why is this project important? The ability to love and care for our bodies should not be contingent on where we live or the amount of money we have at our disposal. Yet, many of the products women use to practice self care – like lotion, makeup, perfume, etc. – are expensive and inaccessible. The modern practices of self love and self care take time and require financial resources that are not easily accessible by women in shelters.

The sugar scrubs being produced through this month’s project are made from just three ingredients – sugar, olive oil, and essential oils. Though it might seem as though these items are easy for us to just pick up at the grocery store, it’s not that simple for the women at Beans and Bread, Community Crisis Center, and Sarah’s Hope. By creating, and then donating, these sugar scrubs, we are providing women in need with the opportunity to care for themselves.

Discuss:

• What are ways in which you care for yourself on a daily basis? Weekly? Monthly?
• If you could teach a lesson on self care, what practices would you introduce?
• What do self care and self love mean to you?

Go Deeper:

Learn more about Dignity Grows, a community wide initiative that provides women in need with hygiene and menstrual products. Dignity Grows removes obstacles to better self-esteem and improved health through the security and comfort of having hygiene essentials every month.  https://associated.org/getinvolved/women/dignity-grows/

PJ Library Books:

Yitzi the Trusty Tractor by Naomi Shulman

All of Me by Molly Bang