OrH Newsletter

Weekly Newsletter

22 July 2020

Words of the Spirit

Between the Wilderness and the Land Beyond

This week in the yearly Torah cycle brings us to an extremely interesting junction in relation to this moment in our pandemic experience, and to this point in our rabbi-congregation partnership.

Where we are in the Torah is in the space between the last parshah of Bemidbar or the book of Numbers called Masei, literally the “settings-out,” or journeys, and the first parshah in the book of Deuteronomy or Devarim, which goes by the same name meaning words or matters.

In the Torah scroll, the shift from one book of Torah to another is marked by the equivalent of five lines, creating a white space in which you can faintly see the etching of five horizontal rows created by a sofer, the scribe who prepares and inks the scroll - five lines worth of time, of space, of story not yet written, of story told and lost, of a pause to catch one’s breath after the many stages of the journey through the wilds of the midbar, the desert.

Upon arriving at this junction, the people stop and gather to listen to a series of discourses from their leader, Moshe. The messages include a re-affirmation of the covenantal relationship established at Sinai, and a deep dive into the structures and values needed for living well in the times ahead.

What’s the message to be gleaned as we take a deep dive, or at least an energetic swim, in our organizational waters?

Layered over the imaginative invitation of those five lines-worth of space are two important factors: the global experience of COVID-19 that has impacted how we Jew what we Jew since mid-March, along with our highly localized experience of working together since the summer of 2013.

It has been seven years since I joined Or Haneshamah as its resident rabbi. As a few of our Bart Mitzvah students know well, we learn in Parshat Behar that the seventh and eight years of a cycle call for special practices for growth, in its literal sense regarding crops and harvests, and in conceptual spheres regarding laws and social structures. As the community lets the land and its inhabitants enjoy a year-long shabbat, it is also anticipating the new planting and seeding, the new potential that emerges in year eight, launching forthcoming harvests that will nourish and sustain them during a new seven-year cycle.

In this moment, we take that deep dive through the increasingly familiar medium of our screen tiles, those little rectangular images of ourselves and each other that simultaneously separate and connect, protect and expose. We’re learning, adapting and expanding into all kinds of possibilities, each from our connect-able rectangles. The energy and creativity that comes from not knowing the shape and nature of the landscape ahead all while sustaining and adapting to the moment provides fuels this work of ours, this leading and visioning.

In the name of the sages and quoting from the midrash, Rabbi Sari Laufer teaches:

‘Be the wilderness.’ With uncertainty comes the unparalleled potential for expanding our horizons … it’s a startling image, this one of being a wilderness. It’s an image that any of us, standing on the precipice of something new and unknown, might take to heart. Am I to be trampled by uncertainty? Yes. Tread upon by anxiety? Yes. Am I also going to be open to new people, new possibilities, new adventures? Yes, yes and yes! For the rabbis teach that if we are able to do this, if we allow ourselves to be a wilderness, then Torah will be given to you as a gift. Here the sages meant Torah in its strict sense — the five books of Moses. But it includes being the possibility of and vehicle for new learning, for a new way of looking at ourselves and the world, for a different direction entirely.

All of us – all the folk in this community, all of our neighbours in our city, province, country, and by extension in the global village beyond – are poised in the white space between the wilderness and the land beyond. From this junction, with all that technology has to offer – including the marvelous ancient technology that is Torah – we can nurture our little community with attention, innovation, and a willingness to embrace what is possible.
 
Rabbi Liz

Or Haneshamah’s Family Storytime Circle
 
Attention OrH families with young children! Join Morah Jenny every Saturday morning for songs and stories to help celebrate Shabbat! Stories will be streaming on Facebook Live at facebook.com/orhaneshamah beginning at 9:30 am. For more information visit www.orh.ca/event/storytime or contact educator@orh.ca. 

Tisha B'Av: From Darkness to Light

Join us for a joint Tisha B'Av program with KBI on moving from the sadness of Tisha B'Av to a more hopeful future. Led by Rabbi Liz and Rabbi Kenter. Thursday, July 30, 2 pm at https://zoom.us/j/674368849.

OrH is on Instagram!
 
Announcing our new Or Haneshamah Instagram account! If you, too, are on Instagram, please follow us for information about our events, our programs and our community. #orhaneshamah

Upcoming Services and Events
  
Storytime Circle! With Morah Jenny
Saturday, July 25
9:30 AM to 10:30 AM, Facebook Live  

Tisha B'Av: From Darkness to Light
Thursday, July 30
2 PM, via Zoom

Storytime Circle! With Morah Jenny
Saturday, August 1
9:30 AM to 10:30 AM, Facebook Live  

Chanting and Chocolate
Sunday, August 2
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM via Zoom  

Reconstructionist News

Convention 2022. Mark your calendars now and plan to join us on March 23-27, 2022 for the next Reconstructing Judaism Convention, outside of Washington, D.C., which will be held in partnership with the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association and Havaya Summer Programs. Bookmark our Convention website, Reconvention2022.org, which will be updated regularly.  Schedule and program details coming soon!  For questions or more information contact Jackie Land or Lani Moss.

Reconstructing Judaism offers us a Virtual Shabbat Box: https://tinyurl.com/qqdr4l9

The archive of back issues of Reconstructionism Today is available at: https://www.reconstructingjudaism.org/article/newsletter-archive

In The Ottawa Community
* = New item this week
 
Community Events and Announcements

* The Canadian Society for Jewish Studies is hosting a 2-person panel presentation (via Zoom) Sunday evening, July 26 at 7:00 - 8:00 pm. Guest speakers  Aubrey Glazer and Joel West.
Aubrey Glazer is senior rabbi of Shaare Zion Congregation; he is also a musician, visual artist, filmmaker and author, and a devotee of Jewish mysticism and meditation. Leonard Cohen, whom Rabbi Glazer regards as a mystic, had a huge influence on him. In 2016, Rabbi Glazer published the book, Tangle of Matter & Ghost: Leonard Cohen's Post-Secular Songbook of Mysticism(s), Jewish & Beyond.
His presentation is: "Betrayal is Something Like Religion That "Happens to the Heart": How Leonard Cohen Lives on as Montréal's Bard of the Heart
Joel West is entering the PhD program at the Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology at the University of Toronto.  However, he is no stranger to the requirements of academia as he has 14 peer reviewed or pending peer review publications, including the monograph, The Sign of the Joker: The Clown Prince of Crime as a Sign. Joel is a former stand-up comedian, and his academic interests include popular culture, methods of reading texts, religion today, and the philosophy of science.
His presentation is: “Jew Jewish Judaism: Broad City, Yid Life Crisis, and Breaking Halakha as Jewish”
For further information and access to the Zoom link please contact: Justin Jaron Lewis

* On Tuesday, July 28, at 2:00 pm EDT, join us for an Evolve web conversation with Rabbi Benjamin Barnett, on the topic, “Acknowledging the Truth is the First Step on the Path to Healing Racial Injustice,” based on his Evolve essay, “Hineinu: Being Here With Truth.”  More info here. Register to join here.  

* Upcoming Courses from Gamliel Institute.
Jewish Sacred Aging, Wednesdays, August 5 and 12, 2020; Rabbi Richard Address; 8:00pm EDT, 5:00pm PDT; 90 minutes per class. $72. Register here. The longevity revolution has produced major changes in our Jewish community. We are older, more active and more eager to engage the tradition. We will examine some of the texts that form a spiritual foundation for positive aging in this new frontier and then examine some of the more powerful new rituals and prayers that are being created to respond to the new life stages that have emerged as a result of our longevity.
 
Course 1: Chevrah Kadisha: Origins and Evolution, September 1 through November 17, 2020 Tuesdays, 8:00pm EDT, 90 minutes per class. Register here. This course traces the evolution of Chevrah Kadisha practice and the chevrah’s role in the community from early times, through the standard of practice in Medieval Europe, and into the changes that took place in the transition to the Western Hemisphere and modern times. Each topic in this course is enhanced by text study related to the specific time period being discussed.

Free Offering from the Institute for Jewish Spirituality: Jewish tradition offers rich, accessible, and time-tested resources to cope with moments like these. The Institute for Jewish Spirituality, which has pioneered the development and teaching of Jewish mindfulness practices for over 20 years, is here for you now. We are offering the following resources to our community: 
https://www.jewishspirituality.org/get-started/resources-for-challenging-times/
(note: Rabbi Liz has been enriched by these programs, retreats, and resources for the past 18 years!)

The Yiddish Center in Amherst, MA, hosts a series of presentations, plays, and discussions available at this link: https://www.yiddishbookcenter.org/language-literature-culture/recordings-yiddish-book-centers-virtual-public-programs. To see all upcoming events, visit: https://www.yiddishbookcenter.org/visit/calendar-events

In addition to our own Hesed Caring Committee support, we want to bring to your attention other services provided in the Ottawa Jewish Community for those in need:

• If you need help placing an online grocery store order, call Tanya at 613-798-4696, ext. 241, or email tpoirier@jewishottawa.com. Federation volunteers are available to do the pick-up and delivery for you and/or help those less familiar with computers to navigate online systems.
• A highly skilled and trained Jewish Family Services team is ready and able to help those who are suffering from food insecurity, mental health challenges, abuse, loss of income, confusion around government supports and eligibility, challenges in supporting unwell or senior family members, or those who are disconnected from family and community because of social isolation and distancing. All inquiries are kept fully confidential – please call 613-722-2225, ext. 300, and leave a message or email info@jfsottawa.com.
• The Ottawa Kosher Food Bank remains at your service for those who are struggling to put food on the table. Please call 613-728-3501, ext. 235.
• Finally, visit Federation’s Facebook group Jewish Ottawa Helps to connect with community volunteers for general help, and visit Federation’s resources pages to keep up to date on virtual offerings. 

Donations to OrH

Donations are a significant part of the funding for activities and rabbinic support in our community. You can direct your contribution to different areas of Or Haneshamah’s activity, including: general donations to fund programming, rabbinic leadership, donations in honor or in memory of a person or event, or dedication of ritual objects. We also welcome donations to the Gita (Tova) & Zvi Taub Memorial Fund, the Rabbi's Discretionary Fund, the Or Haneshamah Endowment Fund. Federal employees or retirees can also give to OrH through the Annual Government of Canada Workplace Charitable Campaign. Information on all these programs and how to give can be found at this link, or by clicking on the "Donate" tab on the main menu of the OrH website.

Board of Directors

July Board Chair: Barbara, membership@orh.ca

Treasurer: Ari, treasurer@orh.ca
Secretary (acting): Joanie, secretary@orh.ca
Communications: David, communications@orh.ca
Membership: Barbara, membership@orh.ca
Learning: Diana, learning@orh.ca
Ritual: Shira, rituals@orh.ca ​​​​​​​
 Member-at-Large: Elijah

Rabbi Elizabeth Bolton: rabbi@orh.ca
OrH Members are welcome to contact Rabbi Liz, or any member of the board, regarding pastoral needs.

Or Haneshamah
30 Cleary Ave., Ottawa, ON, K2A 4A1
613-239-4988
www.orh.ca
info@orh.ca

** Disclaimer Regarding Community Event Postings **

Or Haneshamah frequently receives requests to post notices of upcoming events in the community at-large.  These events run the range from cultural, educational, and in some cases explorations of topical political issues.  In the interest of providing information to our congregation about the diversity of interesting events in the Ottawa community we will post notices of these events in our regular newsletter.

We recognize also that from time to time we are requested to post notices of events which are highly controversial in nature and reflect a wide range of opinions among our congregation on particular issues.  We are, however, of the opinion that it is appropriate for us to post events taking place in the community which may challenge us, which may cause discomfort, and which may cause us to reflect on some of our beliefs.  Our openness to post notices for a wide range of community events, however, does not mean that we have abdicated our responsibility to show discernment and to distinguish between those events which demonstrate an open-minded and thoughtful approach to specific issues and those which do not appear to reflect such values.  So, we will make judgments about what notices we believe are appropriate to post and those which we believe will not contribute to a thoughtful and balanced exploration of ideas and issues.

Will we make mistakes along the way?  Probably.  But the possibility of errors of judgment does not mean that we can excuse ourselves from the responsibility to show judgment in posting notices about events in the community and we promise to do so with openness tempered by a sense of responsibility.

In agreeing to post any notice of an event in the community, Or Haneshamah does not endorse, support or promote any perspectives, positions or ideas expressed in the events which are posted in our newsletter.