"We're moving into shabbes-time..."
21/10/2014 09:44:01 PM
Have you ever said, out loud, “I have no time to rest?” We think that resting is something to do, to do later, that resting is a waste of time, or a frivolous indulgence.
And how about that frivolous indulgence thing? Hosting lovely dinners, trying new places – among many others – I mean, who has time??
Torah and Judaism offer a radically different perspective on rest, and on joy. We say: just do it. And just do it...Read more...
Sukkot and Shabbat, Inside and Out
21/10/2014 09:42:48 PM
Eating inside a sukkah and at the Shabbat table – different or the same?
Voices for different call out: the sukkah is outside! It’s shaky and flimsy and open to the cold or the rain! You can see the stars through the leafy roof, for heaven’s sake! The Shabbat table is lovely and cozy and … INDOORS!
AH, but what makes each special? THAT’s the same. It’s the special visitors who are included. On Sukkot they are...Read more...
What, No Kaparot?*
30/09/2014 09:40:49 PM
What do we do with ourselves during these ordinary-yet-distinctive days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur?
Tradition offers a few liturgical hints: the recitation of Psalm 27, designated for the penitential season; the selihot/confessional prayers; a repeated word in the Mourner’s Kaddish (l’elah/higher); the insertion of “remember us for life” and other Days of Awe phrases.
Mainly, we’re called to focus on...Read more...
Praying In the Key of Awe
23/09/2014 09:39:28 PM
Repetition, translation, meaning. Length! Obligation! Yearning! Hope. Renewal. Connection.
We careen among these rubrics during these High and Holy Days. Particular passages may be both anticipated and dreaded.
Two alphabetical acrostics take us through an aleph-bet of transgressions, the Ashamnu and Al Het prayers. This device may signal “what we already know of our daily lives.” * But we don’t necessarily relate well...Read more...
Happy Recommitment to Us
16/09/2014 09:38:39 PM
What does the Jewish New Year mean – for us at OrH, for our families, for our extended networks of kin and friends from diverse backgrounds?
At its best and highest expression, the New Year can mean growth through introspection, celebration through renewal and Recommitment to core values.
When we celebrate the last Shabbat of the outgoing year, hear the shofar on selihot night, toss our crumbs into the moving waters on the...Read more...
Purim and Passover
20/03/2014 09:37:52 PM
Purim and Passover. Mardi Gras and Easter. Feasting and Fasting. Over-doing it and then planning on limits. Days on a mountain = 40; years in a desert = 40. Days of special preparation = 40. Special rituals. Sacred texts. Revered figures. Wild celebration followed by solemnity followed by celebration. Confusing? Naw. The deep meanings of so many Jewish and Christian holidays that are near to each other in the year cycle have significant...Read more...
Tu B'Shvat
14/01/2014 09:36:45 PM
Master of the Universe, grant me the ability to be alone;
May it be my custom to go outdoors each day
Among the trees and grass - among all growing things
So begins a beautiful text attributed to Reb Nahman of Breslav, and although it’s hard to imagine encountering trees and grass outdoors at this very moment, we are coming up to Tu B’Shvat on the Jewish calendar, the New Year of the trees. Just as Reconstructionist rabbis...Read more...
What time is it
20/10/2013 09:35:04 PM
What time is it – what Jewish time, that is? Why ask? Is it because once the big holidays are over, we wonder what we can meaningfully do in Jewish time? The rhythm of the year has shifted to its slow, cool groove, so – it’s time to revisit the basics: take a breath, say thanks, and re-turn again.
Take a breath: re-boot whatever practices remind you of well-being for yourself, your friends and family, the wider world; think...Read more...
Happy Rest of the Year
06/10/2013 09:33:48 PM
Happy Rest-of-the-Year! The Tishrey/fall holy day cycle has come to a close, and now our first Jewish year together continues. It was a great and welcome beginning. I look forward to re-meeting many of you throughout the year – please be in touch anytime with thoughts, questions, ideas for learning, leading and growing Or Haneshamah. We are indeed a light-and-soul-filled bunch. Thank you all for your warm welcomes.
Our next...Read more...
Yom Kippur
12/09/2013 09:32:52 PM
A message from Rabbi Liz:
This last full day of the season of teshuvah offers an opportunity to look back, look at ourselves, and look to the future, intently and intensely. It is also a time of celebration of community and continuity, and of tradition coupled with innovation. We allow ourselves to be open to the mysterious and inexplicable, to luxuriate in the time to consider our purpose and the world around us.
May your Yom...Read more...
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