12.23.16 A little Love

Lately, my Torah has been coming from other sources.  This week, I find myself turning to "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" by Jackie Sherman who composed it with her brother, Randy Myers, and Jimmy Holiday.  Feel free to sing along.

Think of your fellow man, lend him a helping hand
Put a little love in your heart
You see, it's getting late, oh, please don't hesitate
Put a little love in your heart

And the world will be a better place
And the world will be a better place for you and me
You just wait and see

Another day goes by, and still the children cry
Put a little love in your heart
If you want the world to know, we won't let hatred grow
Put a little love in your heart

And the world will be a better place
And the world will be a better place for you and me
You just wait and see. Wait and see

Take a good look around and if you're lookin' down
Put a little love in your heart
I hope when you decide kindness will be your guide
Put a little love in your heart
And the world will be a better place
And the world will be a better place for you and me
You just wait and see
Put a little love in your heart
Put a little love in your heart

"Rabbi Hillel would say: 
Be a disciple of Aaron, loving peace and pursuing it, loving people and bringing them to Torah."
- Pirkei Avot 1:12

Mekor Ha'Chayiim, Source of Life, as we approach Chanukah, continuing to move through this season of light, let us be mindful of our capacity to love the other and to love ourselves.  May we be in Shabbat with a renewed commitment to Rabbi Hillel's teaching and may our collective commitment bring us closer to a time when all human beings are are doing the same.

Wishing you all joy and light.

Happy Chanukah and Shabbat Shalom,
Laurie

12.16.16 A little "Possibilities"

YOU COMING TO DINNER?????

It's cold outside - very cold!  

Let's warm up together through song and a yummy dinner.

Shabbat is just better together.

Wishing you all light and joy.

RLP

Dwell in Possibility

I dwell in Possibility -

A fairer House than Prose -

More numberous of Windows -

Superior - for Doors - 

Of Chambers as the Cedars - 

Impregnable of eye - 

And for an everlasting Roof

The Gambrels of the Sky - 

Of Bisitors - the fairest - 

For Occupation - This - 

The spreading wide my narrow Hands

To gather Paradise - 

Emily Dickinson

In this season of light, possibilities seem numerous.  It's an opportunity to brainstorm all of them and to then pick, choose one - just one - and take action.  

What is the hope?  What is the desire?  What is the dream?  

What if the hope, the desire and the dream could be reality?

What will each of us choose to make possible?

עֹשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם בִּמְרוֹמָיו, הוּא יַעֲשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם עָלֵיֽנוּ וְעַל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְאִמְרוּ : אָמֵן

Oseh Shalom bimromav.  Who ya'aseh shalom Aleinu, v'al kol Yisrael, v'al kol yoshvei teivel.  V'imru "Amen".

May the One who creates peace[wholeness] to reign in the high heavens create peace[wholeness] descent on us and on all Israel, and all the inhabitants of the land and let us say: Amen.

We are the ones who create peace[wholeness].  We are the ones who enable change.  We are the ones who make a hope, a desire, a dream, a reality.

Mekor Ha'Chayiim, Source of Life, may we take the stillness of Shabbat and decide which possibility to make a reality.

Shabbat shalom u'mevorach - a blessed and restful Shabbat,

Laurie 

12.19.16 Conditional faith?

12.16.16 
"Ants In Your Pants" and Shabbat Beineinu
                            12.17.16 Pre-Chanukah Program and Gift Donation 
                                                               Scroll down for details and RSVP today!

The family drama continues.  This week we read "Va'yeitzei".  Jacob is fleeing from his home, because that's what you do after you steal the birthrite from your older brother (even if your mother told you to).  As he makes his way through the unknown to the unknown he stops for the night.  He sees a stone and thinks "that would make a great pillow".  Not ony is it comfortable but it appears to also be a magical pillow.  While Jacob sleeps he dreams of a ladder with angels going up and down (ding ding ding - they should be traveling down and up - afterall don't angels live in the heavens?).  God appears and promises Jacob the same thing that was promised to Abrahm and to Isaac.  He awakens and says "God is in this place and I didn't know."  He names the place "Beit-El"/house of God and builds and altar thanking God.  

What happens next is completely bizarre.  Jacob starts listing the terms of his commitment to God.  Paraphrasing; IF God is with me....IF God guards my coming and going...IF God gives me food and clothing...IF God makes sure I get home safely...
THEN...God will be my God.

Wow!  Now that's "chutzpah"!  Jacob has a very strong sense of himself (to say the least). He steals his brother's blessing, THE BLESSING, and makes his faith in God conditional.  He places demands on God which is usually what God does to people.

And then...

God accepts the terms.  Jacob's faith is solidified.

So...I started thinking.

What if, it's ok to make demands of God?  What if we could create conditions for faith? What would yours be?  What would you expect from God?  What if God agreed to your terms? Would you give God your full faith?  

Mekor Ha'Chayiim, Source of Life, as we move into Shabbat, let's think about the conditions of our faith and check in on our willingness to respond with full faith?.

Shabbat shalom,
Laurie

11.24.16 Enrich, Sustain, Elevate and Enable

SAVE THE DATES (DETAILS COMING SOON):

December 17th - 4:00-6:00pm, "Latkes, Lights and Love" 

A pre Chanukah celebration with All Angles' Church. 

January 26th - Beineinu, Syria Fund and S'Cool invite you to a night of music and culture. 

Raise money to bring music to Syrian Refugees.

•  מוֹדֶה (מוֹדָה) אֲנִי לְפָנֶֽיךָ מֶֽלֶךְ חַי וְקַיָּים. שֶׁהֶֽחֱזַֽרְתָּ בִּי נִשְׁמָתִי בְחֶמְלָה. רַבָּה אֱמֽוּנָתֶֽך
• Modeh(m)/Modah(f) ani lifanecha melech chai v'kayam shehecḥezarta bi nishmahti b'cḥemlah, rabah emunatecha.

• I am thankful/grateful before you, living and eternal King, for You have restored my soul within me with compassion; Your faithfulness [in me and all humanity] is great.

Every morning we have the opportunity/responsibility/privilege (depending on your personal view) to recite this prayer.  It is the first thing some people choose to do -  before brushing their teeth, taking a shower or even saying "good morning".  For me, it is the truest symbol of Thanksgiving.  My soul is the essence of my being.  Without it, I am only skin and bone and brain.  My soul provides life energy to all of me so I can be fully me.

I do not have a practice of reciting this prayer each morning (but maybe I should).  Most of the time, I take my soul for granted (along with the rest of my being).  Most mornings I am running around from the second I wake up.  My mind is racing, my body is rushing and I am in a constant frenzy to get everything done so I can head out for my day.

But, tomorrow (and this weekend) are different.  Thanksgiving is THE TIME when I stop to be mindful of all that I have and all that I am.  It is the moment in the year for acknowledging the bounty in my life - the people and the "things" that enrich, sustain, elevate and enable me to be fully me.  This gratitude (should) in turn compel me to GIVE my self and my soul to others in order to enrich, sustain, elevate and enable others to be fully them.  

How funny, that this practice is embedded in Judaism every single morning.  Not only can I/should I embrace gratitude as a way of starting my day but the end of the prayer is a reminder that God has full faith in me and you and him and her and them.  God, THE ONE who is greater than all humanity combined, has abundant faith in all humanity to use their soul to the fullest potential.  God has faith in all humanity to enrich, sustain, elevate and enable each other to be fully ourselves.

As we move through Thanksgiving and Shabbat, I am going to mark each morning by reciting "Modah Ani".  I invite you to join me.  Let's see if articulating gratitude for God's faith in us can impact how we enage our soul.  Let's see if we are able to bring the prayer to fruition - taking the faith God has in all of humanity and enrich, sustain, elevate and enable each other to be fully ourselves.

I am grateful to be part of this growing community with all of you.  Beinein - Between Us we are creating meaning.

Blessings, friendship and hugs - 

Laurie

11.18.16 Leonard Cohen (May his name be forever a blessing and his words forever a teaching.)

This week we read Parashat Va'yeira, the chilling story of God asking/commanding Abraham to sacrifice Isaac.  We read this on Yom Kippur as well.  "Thank you," Daniel Cammerman for sending me this powerful teaching from Rabbi Jonathan Sacks.  His teaching of "Va'yeira", through the compelling words of Leonard Cohen's, "You Want it Darker", provides meaning, relevance and even hope in a time when many are experiencing deep sadness and despair.  Wherever we stand politically, wherever our views diverge, wherever we experience a disconnect, we must, like Abraham as he made his way to the mountain, ready to sacrifice Isaac, "lift our eyes" towards justice.  Like Abraham, we must be ready to say "Hineinu"(here I am ready act).  It is a time for raising up one another through love and care, kindness and respect. 

It's worth every second of the 10 minute audio.  When you are done, take some time to listen to "You Want it Darker", by Leonard Cohen.  The entire album is tremendous.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1280970831954069&id=173906312660532

As we move into Shabbat, let us be extra mindful of how we lean into love and kindness. Where do we need to push ourselves harder? 

Looking forward to celebrating Shabbat together (details below).

Shabbat shalom u'mevorach,

Laurie

11.11.16 Mirror, mirror

Are you coming on Nov 18th to "Ants In Your Pants" or Shabb at Beineinu on Nov 18th?  All the cook kids are planning to attend.  Don't miss out.  RSVP today.

After you get busy with some words of Torah, get busy with some volunteering.  Nov 20th - make the commitment to deliver meals to seniors.  Meaningful and enjoyable for everyone!  

Details for both below.

This week we read "Lech Lecha" about Avram (he isn't Abraham yet) being tapped by God to "go to the place that I will show you."  If Avram agrees, God will make him a great nation, bless all who bless him and curse all who curse him."  Who could resist?  Not Avram.  He takes his wife Sarai (not Sarah yet), his nephyew Lot, and all of his property, including the "souls he acquired" (that's a nice way of saying servants/slaves) and sets out on his journey.  And it's quite a journey.  Here is some of what happens;
-Afraid for his life, because King takes interest in Sarai, Avram asks her to lie and say she is his sister (twice)
-Avram and Lot split their property and go their separate ways.
-Their maidservant Hagar (lit. "the one who lives" or "the stranger"), gives birth to a son, Ishmael.  Sarai cannot handle this and demands that Avram sends Hagar and the baby away (twice).
-God changes their names to AvraHam and SaraH (the "H" from God's name "Hashem" - lit. means "The Name")reaffirming the covenant. 

It's a really rich portion and I highly recommend reading it all the way through.  
http://www.chabad.org/parshah/torahreading.asp?aid=2474599&jewish=Lech-Lecha-Torah-Reading.htm&p=complete

I want to focus on the name of the porstion, "Lech-Lecha".  God tells Avram to "Lech/go, to the place that I will show you."  That takes care of the "lech" but what about the "lecha"?  This is curious. It means "TO you".  How can Abraham "Go to you."?  What does this mean?

The Torah is the story of God establishing a never ending relationship with humanity.  It's the story of the creation of monotheism.  It's a story of building faith.  It's a lot to take in. God appreciates this and provides a physical location and some really awesome promises in an effort to (possibly) have it all makes more sense.  God doesn't name the place, just says "lech/go to the place that I will show you."  

Perhaps the "you", "lecha" is about going inside - back into the self in order to arrive at a connection with God.  It's about turning inward to see the real self.  Only when we see our truest self can we enage with something  Divine.

The results of the election are a "Lech Lecha" message.  A message for us to turn inward and take a good and honest look at ourselves and our country.  America has said something very powerful and scary with the results of this election.  America, "the land of the free and the home of the brave," is filled with people who do not believe in equality for all.  America, where everyone is guaranteed "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" is acutally filled with people who do not believe that everyone has the right to equal rights.  There is racism, sexism, homophobia, zenophobia, agism, classism and hatred.

This portion challenges us to reflect on the (intentional and unintentional) role we play in contributing to the inequities.  When we can engage our insecurities, fears and discomfort honestly, we can move through them, maybe even past them.  And then, we can do the work necessary to really make the words of our Jewish and Amercia sacred texts a reality.

Mekor Ha'Chayiim, Source of Life, as we move into another Shabbat, another opportunity to step away from our busy lives and into the wide open space of relfection, may we have the courage to face our own "isms".  

In blessing and friendship,
Laurie

11.4.16 VOTE

This week we explore the story of Noah and the famous Ark.  A brief recap;

The Torah tells us.  Noah was a "righteous man in his generation".  He "walked with God".  There was a lot of really bad stuff happening - a lot of EVIL and WICKED behavior.  God just couldn't take it anymore and decided to bring a flood and destroy the whole world (except for Noah and his family and pairs of every animal).

Noah built the Ark according to God's instructions and loaded up his family and all of the animals.  The flood came and it rained (like sheets of paper coming down) for 40 nights and 40 days.  The water retreated and Noah and the animals left the Ark.

In the end, God declares that this is the last time the world will be destroyed (by God). The rainbow becomes the sign of the covenant between God and humanity.

Somtimes, it feels as if we are experiencing a flood in regards to the issues our city, country and world are facing. Poverty, homelessness, violence, poor education, war, global warming, the list seems endless and overwhelming.  Big things are happening and there will continue to be huge consequences and tremendous impact on our city, our country and our world.  

What are we willing to do?  What are we willing to say?  What are we willing to share?  What are we willing to give up?

Can we be like Noah, "righteous in our generation"?  

Can we be like Noah and "walk with God"?

This Tuesday, by voting, we are fulfilling a mitzvah (a responsibility, obligation and privilege).  Voting is one way to voice our ideas and thoughts about how issues should be handled and contribute to determining various outcomes.  

This Tuesday, may we be guided by the morals and ethics of our heart and our tradition.  May we be mindful that we are part of the issues that our city, our country and our world continue to face. We may not be able to solve the problems but we are not permitted to remove ourselves from the process of change.

As we move into Shabbat, may we take some time to honor our freedom and all of our privilege.  May we use this freedom and privilege to help address the challenges ahead.

Shabbat shalom u'mevorach,
Laurie

A Meditation on Voting (from T'ruah)

May it be Your will, at this season of our election, to guide us towards peace. By voting, we commit to being full members of society, to accepting our individual responsibility for the good of the whole. May we place over ourselves officials in all our gates…who will judge the people with righteousness (Deut 16:18), and may we all merit to be counted among those who work faithfully for the public good. Open our eyes to see the image of God in all candidates and elected officials, and may they see the image of God in all citizens of the earth. Grant us the courage to fulfill the mitzvah of loving our neighbors as ourselves, and place in our hearts the wisdom to understand those who do not share our views. As we pray on the High Holidays, “May we become a united society, fulfilling the divine purpose with a whole heart.” And as the Psalmist sang, “May there be shalom within your walls, peace in your strongholds. For the sake of my brothers and sisters and friends, I will speak peace to you.” (Ps. 122:7-8)

יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ, בָּעֵת הַזֹּאת זְמַן בְּחִירוֹתֵינוּ, שֶׁתָּדְרִיכֵנוּ לְשָׁלוֹם. בְּהַצְבָּעָתֵנוּ, אָנוּ מִתְחַיְּבִים לֶהֱיוֹתֵנוּ בְּנֵי הָאֲגוּדָּה, לְקַבָּלַת עוֹל אַחֲרָיוּתֵנוּ לְטוֹבַת הַצִּיבּוּר. שׁוֹפְטִים וְשׁוֹטְרִים נִתֵן לָנוּ בְּכָל שְׁעָרֵינוּ... וְשָׁפְטוּ אֶת הָעָם מִשְׁפָּט צֵדֶק, וְנִזְכֶּה לְהִמָּנוֹת בְּתוֹךְ "כָּל מֵי שֶׁעוֹסְקִים בְּצָרְכֵי צִיבּוּר בֶּאֱמוּנָה." פְּקַח עֵינֵינוּ לִרְאוֹת כָּל מָעֳמָד וְמָעֳמָד וְכָל שַׂר וְיוֹעֶצֶת כִּי הֵם נִבְרְאוּ בְּצֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים, וּפְקַח עֵינֵיהֶם שֶׁיַּרְאוּ שֶׁכָּל יוֹשְׁבַי תֵּבֵל נִבְרְאוּ גַּם הֵם בַּצֶּלֶם. אָמֵץ אֶת לְבָבֵינוּ לִשְׁמוֹר מִצְוַת "וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמוֹךָ", וְתֵן בּלִבֵּינוּ לְהָבִין אֶת אֵלּוּ הַחוֹלְקִים עָלִינוּ. כַּכָּתוּב בִּתְפִילַּת יוֹם הַזִּכָּרוֹן, "וְיַעֲשׂוּ כּוּלָּם אֲגוּדָּה אַחַת לַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹנְךָ בְּלֵבָב שָׁלֵם," וְכָּכָּתוב עַל יְדֵי דָּוִד עַבְדְּךָ, "יְהִי שָׁלוֹם בְּחֵילֵךְ, שַׁלְוָה בְּאַרְמְנוֹתָיִךְ. לְמַעַן אַחַי וְרֵעָי אֲדַבְּרָה נָּא שָׁלוֹם בָּךְ."

10.28.16 Bring It On

This Shabbat we start reading the Torah from the beginning - again.  Every year we read the entire Torah.  The words are exactly the same.  The stories, the characters and even the outcomes are exactly the same.  However, we are not the same.  We come to the new reading having accumulated a whole new set of experiences and memories.  The joy and the pain from the previous year become the lens of our new reading, our new understanding.  

BRING IT ON!

How will we "get busy with the words of Torah"? Which of the characters will we identify with most?  Which aspects of the stories will bother us the most?  What will our reactions to God's actions be this time?  What will we accept and what will we reject?  What will we do to bring the teachings to life?  

BRING IT ON!

This Shabbat we read B'reishit/Genesis, "In the beginning of..." It is a fantastic creation story. Every culture has one.  Ours happens to be through spoken word.  "God said; 'Let ther be light.'  And there was light"  Day 1.  This is what happens with water, starts, sun, animals, trees and everyting else that God created.  God said it.  It was thus.  That is, until human beings are created.  This creation is given life through the breath of God.  God breaths into human beings nostrils and life is activated.  Every inhale is God's breath.  Every exhale is potential.  

What will we do with all of our ability?  How will we use our capacity for broader good and not just personal gain?

After everything is created we are given the ultimate gift - Shabbat.  God gives us a full day of rest. We are not supposed to contribute or gain during this 25 hour stretch.  What if we actually took God up on the offer to fully rest on Shabbat?  Can we give ourselves permission to fully rest for even an hour?

I invite, encourage and challenge each of us to Shabbat, to really and truly rest for at least one hour between sundown Friday and sundown Saturday.  Sleeping doesn't count.  Playing Candy Crush on our phone doesn't count and neither does binge watching NetFlix.  Let's refrain from contributing or gaining.  Let's just be still.  

How might "Shabbating" (really and truly resting) impact the actions we take and the decisions we make post Shabbat?

BRING IT ON!

Shabbat shalom u'mevorach,

Laurie

10.21.26 READ THIS

Join us tonight for our first Shabbat Beineinu is 5777.  

Happy Sukkot!

If you weren't able to make the Sukkot gathering last Sunday, you missed out!  But, don't fret (do people say that anymore?).  You have another opportunity this coming Sunday.  Drop by between 11:00am and 1:00pm.  Shake the Lulav.  Smell the Etrog.  Eat some treats.  Details are listed in the Beineinu Happenings.

This week's Little Torah is actually BIG TORAH and was sent by my dear friend and colleague, Rabbi John Linder.  This is a fantastic and inspiring example of moving back to "We" because we have tapped into the best "Me".  The youtube videos are worth watching (even if you don't understand Hebrew).  Leonard Cohen's "Halleluyah" is featured in English, Hebrew and Arabic.  

Shabbat shalom u'mevorach,
Laurie 

A letter from Rachel Tzvia Back who is involved with an extraordinary movement of Israeli and Palestinian women, Women Wage Peace. 

Dear Family & Friends,

I wanted to share with you this link - from a Women Wage Peace
presentation/event  in Acco that Talya & I had the privilege of being part
of two evenings ago. 20 Arab women and 20 Jewish women sitting on chairs
across from each other - on the main street of Acco (during the Acco theatre
festival), looking in each other's eyes in silence (a 2-hour presentation).
It was for us a powerful experience, inexplicably moving. It was for
passers-by intriguing and provocative, in all the right ways.

You'll see Talya at once (and throughout) sitting beside her red-headed
friend Naama. And that's my green-t-shirt back at the end, hugging Abir -
whose name I did not know but with whom I had shared something very
intimate, so much so that we both cried for most of the time we sat in
silence looking into each other's eyes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBQmgI03AcM

The next morning Talya travelled down to the Dead Sea for the early March -
where 1000 Palestinian women joined the 4,000 Israeli women. Talya said it
was extraordinarily powerful.
You can see an image of that part of the march at 1:20 in this link (which
is almost the entire demonstration).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UABbpnXiHGo

The Dead Sea participants then travelled up to Jerusalem, and met up with an
additional 100 bus-loads from around the country. (Yoni and I were on one of
the two buses from the Misgav region. There were buses from Sachnin,  Iblin,
Dalyat el-Carmel, and other Arab villages- which was very moving). We
marched from the entrance of the city by the Knesset, past the President's
house and then to Netanyahu's residence. It felt like we were many
(reporting of numbers ranged from 10,000-20,000). The speakers were
exquisite.

Those of you who can understand the Hebrew, listen to Michal Fruman (13:30
in the video). She was exceptional, inspiring - her words so exact and wise,
filled with compassion and, of course, that she spoke them made them even
more impactful. For the non-Hebrew speakers - one of her closest friends was
killed at the doorway of her house a year ago and Michal was stabbed - five
months pregnant with the baby she is holding. She says: "We must stop
blaming each other; we must, each one of us, start taking responsibility. I
choose life, and to choose life is to choose to see the complexity of the
reality here and start working hard for peace."

Another very powerful speaker was  Hoda abu Arkov from Hebron (53:50) - her
words so very strong and thrilled the gathered crowd. (When she says "This
morning you saw [you have a partner]," she's referring to the Palestinians
that came to the Dead Sea meeting point).

Lema Gbowee - guest of honor, Liberian activist, Nobel Peace Prize winner -
starts her speech at the one hour mark.
The song that was written for the March of Hope, "Prayer of the Mothers,"
and which we have all learned by heart (Hebrew, Arabic & English), comes on
right at the end, 1:18. We love it.
(If anyone is interested in the words, let me know - we have them - and
Talya has translated the Arabic for us).

There was much hope in the day. And a feeling that ending the violence and
bloodshed and occupation is not impossible...
Hoping the images fill you with hope too, hope for this region and for
repairing the brokenness of our world.

Please send these links around to people in your communities who might be
interested and might support the group, in any and every way.
Please consider joining the group - easily done at the link here
http://womenwagepeace.org.il/en/join-us-2/ - if you haven't already.
Support from around the world is needed, as the work ahead is great.

Right after sukkot ends, the next activism is seven days of shifts of women
- 2 at a time - standing in white and barefoot outside the PM's house -
until the Knesset reconvenes on the 31st (when there will be another
demonstration of women outside the Knesset).  I'll go up to Jerusalem to
take two shifts of this on the 27th.

The women leading this movement are modern-day heroes - inspiring and
seemingly of endless energies. Another reason for hope - their presence in
the world.

Chag sameach & love -
Rachel

10.14.16 THANK YOU

We want to say "THANK YOU"!  

Thank YOU for choosing Beineinu.
Thank YOU for be willing to be a part of the journey with us.
Thank YOU for creating holy space.

YOU energize and inspire.

We are feeling blessed and grateful.

The season is communal but the work, it's personal.  Ask yourself;

Were the high holy days holy?

Were they filled with some joy and some meaning?

Was the journey worthwhile?

If the answer is "yes", then keep doing what you are doing and add to it.  If the answer is "no" or "not so much", redirect, change course and lean into another area.

Some reminders from our time together:
Let's get back to (the good) ME so we can return to a culture of WE.
Let's not achieve the Seamless goal of "zero human contact".
Let's refuse to accept "I can't.",  "I don't want to." and "I won't."
Let's approach everyone as if they have the potential to be our friend.
Let's love our friends AND ourselves.
Let's have courage to be vulnerable and embrace the process as a pathway to joy.
Let's care for each other the way we do whenever there is a crisis (only without the crisis).
Let's walk around with the faith that every inhale is the presence of God and every exhale is the result of what we choose to do.
Let's be willing to say "Hineini." "Here I am ready to accept whatever is asked of me."
Let's celebrate the memory of those who helped nurture and sustain us.
Let's always have shakers in our hands and be willing to dance.

We can't wait to be together again.
Join us for Sukkot and our next Shabbat Beineinu (details below).

Shabbat shalom u'mevorach,
Laurie and Daphna

10.7.16 The time is NOW!

It's here.  It's happening.  The time is now.  We are being asked to break our own hearts and look inside in order to see our truest self.  We have the privilege and opportunity to renew our commitment to be our best self our "higher self".  We are actually commanded to forgive the other.  First, we must forgive ourselves.  All of this self reflection, soul searching, truth reaching will lead us to our sacred self, and a deeper connection to others, and ultimately to The Other - that Divine presence in the world.  Don't waste one second! 

A poem and teaching to move us along:

The world was created,
and before me there was love,

and after me there will be love

so what will I do in between,

with this single life I have been given?

Will I be ferociously courageous?
Will I make waves and make amends?
Will I stand on the edge of the unknown and feel frightened down to my toes
but do it anyway?

And again,
I pray so, I pray so,
even when weary and worn,
with light carrying me on the gravel road

from here to somewhere I can't see.

Be my eyes and my hands
so I can lead with my spirit,

so I can follow where the fresh air goes.

Because before me there was love,
and after me there will be love,
and my goodness, with all the might I know,
I will hold that birthright close to my chest,
forgive the (un)expected insanity of this beautiful mess of humanity,

and be the love I was blessed to inherit,

Your Higher Self

Written by Meredith Levick, writer of a weekly e-letter called Morning Love Letter

Looking forward to being together for Yom Kippur. 

Shabbat shalom u'mevorach,

Laurie

9.30.16 A Present For the World

On Rosh Hashanah we celebrate the creation of the world.  It is majestic and awe inspiring.  It is our gift.  How have we nurtured this gift?  How will we preserve this gift? What do we gain and what do we contribute?  What will we do differently this year in order to truly make peace a reality?  Let this be our gift to the world.

Looking forward to celebrating together.

Shabbat shalom u'mevorach,
Laurie


"The Birthday of the World"

On the birthday of the world
I begin to contemplate
what I have done and left
undone, but this year
not so much rebuilding
of my perennially damaged
psyche, shoring up eroding
friendships, digging out
stumps of old resentments
that refuse to rot on their own.
No, this year I want to call
myself to task for what
I have done and not done
for peace. How much have
I dared in opposition?
How much have I put
on the line for freedom?
For mine and others?
As these freedoms are pared,
sliced and diced, where
have I spoken out? Who
have I tried to move? In
this holy season, I stand
self-convicted of sloth
in a time when lies choke
the mind and rhetoric
bends reason to slithering
choking pythons. Here
I stand before the gates
opening, the fire dazzling
my eyes, and as I approach
what judges me, I judge
myself. Give me weapons
of minute destruction. Let
my words turn into sparks. 

Marge Piercy

Shabbat shalom u'mevorach,

9.23.16 "Put in Our Hearts"

Have you registered for High Holy Days?  
How will we take them Higher if you aren't with us?

In 2015 the first Jewish, Christian, Muslim prayer book, "אדון השלום(Adon Hashalom), Lord of Peace, رب السلام" was published in Israel, by Idra Press.  It's a collection of poems and prayers for peace from all three traditions. The entire collection is written in all three languages - Hebrew, English and Arabic. Our three faiths have so much in common and yet from the media it seems like we have nothing connecting us to one another.  It's a shame.  This prayer book stands a tangible reminder that religion is based on a foundation of love, peace and kindness for all.  

In a time when it seems like the world is moving farther and farther away from the "Golden Rule" of treating others the way we hope to be treated, we need more of these tangible reminders.  

As we draw closer to Rosh Hashanah, the start of another New Year, five thousand, seven hundred and seventy seven, we have another opportunity to bring love, peace and kindness back to the foreground.  We have another opportunity to demand that we will not stand for a world where these love, peace and kindness are not the priority.

Here's a poem from the prayer book to help us get in the mood.

"Put it in Our Hearts to See the Virtue of Our Friends"  by: Rabbi Elimelech of Lezajsk.
Note:  He understand "friend" to mean anyone who is "other".

Put it in our hearts
For each of us to see the virtue of our friends and not their flaw
And for each of su to address his friend in a way that is right and desirable to Thee
And may no one harbor hate to his friend in his heart
And may our bond to Thee grow every stronger in 
Thy love
As all is known and clear to Thee
so that all shall be pleasing to Thee
Amen, may it come to pass.

As we move into Shabbat let us make the choice to see the other as our friend.  Let us choose love, peace and kindness over all else.

Shabbat shalom,
Laurie

9.16.16 JUDY - "It's Not Mother's Day" Tribute

Join us for our end of season "Under the Bridge" - Shabbat celebration in Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pier 1.  6:30pm BYOPicnic.  

Today would have been my Imma's birthday.  "Imma" means "mom" in Hebrew and what she loved to be called.  I loved calling her "Mamma".  Judith Ann Phillips would have turned 78.  "Happy Birthday Imma/Mamma!"

Today's Torah is a tribute to her.  In this season of preparing for the High HOLY Days, I am confronted with my own personal reflection around the past year, who I am and who I want to be in this coming year.  This is a powerful time to get back in touch with my true self.  It takes effort and honesty.  I am able to do this (some years better than others) because of my mom.

I am grateful beyond measure for having been her daughter and extremely blessed to have known her.  She was always honest, always present and always supportive (even when she didn't agree with my decision).  She was also always late and always searching for the "thing" she was looking for.  She didn't bake cookies.  In fact she told me when I was very young that at school when the class starts planning a party I could only volunteer to bring napkins (sometimes plates but only if necessary).  My mom was the smartest person I have ever known and she always lived in accordance with her values, no matter what.  She had this incredibly ability to not care if speaking the truth would make others uncomfortable or make her unpopular.  This made me very uncomfortable when I was younger.  As an adult, I try hard to emulate this quality.  My mom always helped the "other" and most of the time she didn't say anything. She was incredibly competitive.  When we played Monopoly, she used to tell my younger brother that Baltic (dark purple) was better than Park Place (dark blue).  He believed her for a while.  She was ruthless at Scrabble and crossword puzzles.  My mom didn't have to be right, but she pretty much always was.  She loved her family, antiquing and flea markets, travel, puzzles and dogs. 

She continues to be present and inspires me to be my best.  I love you Imma/Mamma.

Who inspires you to be your best?  Who enables you to be present in this season of reflection?  If they are alive, tell them.  If they aren't, tell someone about them.

We are a People of people.  Our connections to the other enable tremendous capacity for growth and accomplishment.  

What will we do together in the coming year?  How will use this time and the changes we make as tools for bringing us closer to one another and closer to achieving our goals?

Shabbat shalom u'mevorach - 
May Shabbat be filled with rest and blessing.
Laurie

9.9.16 Are you ready?

Are you coming to dinner?  Let's celebrate Shabbat together with great people, rich melody and delicious food! Details below.

How is your ELUL check-in going?  Are you taking time to reflect?  Are you breathing into the narrow places?  Are you getting ready for the Holy Days?

Love is powerful.  It can elevate us to great heights.  It can provide meaning and depth.  In order to fully love, we must first love ourselves.  The month of ELUL gives us four weeks to engage in the intentional practice loving ourselves.  This can bring us closer to being able to fully love the other.

A poem by Leonard Nimoy.  This poem is part of a longer work that was published in 1973 that included a blend of poetry and black and white photography.

I am not immortal.
Whatever I put off for later
May never be.
Whoever doesn't know now
That I love them
May never know.
I have killed time.
    I have squandered it.
            I have lost days...weeks...
As a man of unlimited wealth
Might drop coins on the street
And never look back.
I know now, that there will be an end,
A limit.
But there is time
Valuable and precious time
To walk,
        talk,
            breathe.
Time to touch,
        taste,
            care.
To warm the child
Who is cold and lonely.
There is time to love
I promise myself...
            I will.
I am
I am ready
I am ready to give
I am ready to give and to receive
I am ready to give and to receive love

Shabbat shalom u'mevorach.  Wishing you and yours a Shabbat filled with rest and blessing.

Laurie

9.1.16 Welcome Back and Welcome To...

Welcome Back SHABBAT BEINEINU!  Remember?  Fantastic musical, everybody welcome, everybody friendly services followed by a fantastically yummy dinner?  It's back!  Friday, September 9th. All Angels' Church - details below.  Register now.  Yes!  Right now! 

Welcome back "a little Torah".  It's been some time since we last engaged.  I hope your summer has been filled with relaxation, refreshment and joy.  For those of you who are making a face because your summer was filled with everything but R&R, you are in luck!

Welcome to ELUL.  In the Torah it is simply referenced as the sixth month in the calendar. It is the last month in the Jewish calendar and is thought to originally come from the Akadian word "harvest".  Some commentators say it comes from the Akadian root which means "search".  "Thank You!"  Wikipedia. This will make sense in a moment.  This is a very special month in the Jewish calendar (Shhh!  Don't tell the other months.) Elul is our kick off into the season of our High and Holy Days.  This evening, marks the start of our formal countdown, actually more like a "countUP".  We have 29 days to get ourselves ready for the start of 5777.  We have 29 days to reflect and refresh.
ELUL is also an acronym.  In Hebrew it is spelled aleph - lamed - vav - lamed; אֱלוּל.
Aleph = ani = I am 
Lamed = l'dodi = to my beloved
Vav = v'dodi = and my beloved [is]
Lamed = li = to me

Perhaps the "countUP" is a path to our beloved and will then lead our beloved to us.   If we engage in a process of reflection and refreshment we will come that much closer to encountering our beloved.  But how?  It's easy to say "reflect"!  "Refresh!"  But how do we go through a meaningful process?  According to tradition there are a few ways; we are supposed to listen to the shofar blasts every morning, recite Psalm 27, give tzedakah and engage the process of repentance.  Too much to do to wait until Yom Kippur to start.  This last one is truly transformative.  If you haven't ever formally repented, I highly recommend trying it out.  The first step is the hardest; identifying the "sin".  That's a pretty harsh word because this is about pretty harsh actions.  We aren't talking about that one time when we might have judged someone's outfit harshly or arrived 20 minutes late for lunch with a friend.  We are talking about heavy duty sinning.  We all have 'em.  And now it's time to come clean, first with ourself and then with the one we harmed.  We need to name, regret, acknowledge the damage and resolve never to repeat the sin in the future.  This takes guts and this takes time.  I believe that seeing ourselves as beloved (to ourselves and to others) enables us to take on this challenge.  

Rosh Hashanah will come whether we choose to move through the month of Elul with intentionality or not.  The High Holy Days are coming regardless of our practice of reflection and refreshment.  But, imagine how much more meaningful and how much richer our journey will be if it begins now.

Mekor Ha'Chayiim, Source of Strength, as we enter the month of Elul and move through Shabbat, may we see ourselves as beloved.  May we have the courage we need to begin our process of repentance with intentionality.  

Shabbat shalom u'mevorach.  Wishing everyone a peaceful and blessed Shabbat,
Laurie

7.28.16 A little break

A little Torah will return in September.

In the meantime, be kind, be patient and be present.

In blessing and friendship.  Shabbat shalom,
Laurie

7.22.16 A little Poetry

Written by my friend Jen Fecu on July 4, 2016.
Jen is a mom of two adult daughters, studying towards her Bachelor's degree.  She is smart, beautiful, warm, thoughtful and curious.  Jen is currently an inmate at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility serving "25 to Life".

"Positive"
How can I counter
the maladaptive culture
I am Immersed in
The very nature of the beast
That incarcerated me
Is to divide and conquer.
---------
Education
and sharing
and understanding
and using it wisely
to up-lift self and others is
the only weapon
we have to use 
against the oppression.
----------
Education OPENS my eyes
to what is and why.
I can CREATE real growth.
Cultivated, it is developed from
within me.  Immersed 
IN a culture that IS violent,
HOW CAN IT NOT BE
Internalized.
----------
I brace myself
with Honesty and Integrity
to build myself up and
to lead by example, My Daughters.
---------
Can there be a greater
Purpose in this life than
to become a conscious
driving Force in the Fight
for equality amongst this human race.