MAZEL TOV

To Cindy Taylor and Chris Stanley on the marriage of their incredible daughter Arianna to Adrian Sampson, who also grew up on Bainbridge and has just finished his graduate work at UW where Arianna is about to begin her graduate studies. We wish the newlyweds great joy and many blessings in the years to come.

LETTER FROM REV TIVONA REITH

Dear Shir Hayam members,

What a mechaya (Yiddish for life-affirming joy) to again be invited by Shir Hayam to co-create sacred kavvanah/intention for this year’s High Holy Day season! Conversation and collaboration with the Ruach Committee and the Kugelettes have already begun. You are invited to join in.

The Yamim Noraim/Days of Awe/High Holy Days are not just a set of prayer services. They comprise a journey into ourselves, a coming together of time and consciousness for the purpose of healing and transformation. They are a time to say Hineini—Here I Am.

The word Hineini (הנני ) occurs 14 times in Tanach (Hebrew scripture) as a stand-alone response unconnected to a specific action. Abraham, Isaac, Esau, Jacob, and Joseph all answer Hineini at pivotal points in their lives. Moses affirms Hineini when God speaks to him from the Burning Bush. And it occurs twice in the Book of Samuel and three times in the Book of Isaiah when God calls out to the people of Israel—Hineini.

In all of these instances, Hineini implies a deep-rooted willingness to be fully present, to offer the complete attention and essence of one’s self. Saying Hineini means: I have stopped and I am listening . . . truly deeply listening . . . truly, deeply being. Discerning how and when we say, or don’t say, Hineini is an important element of teshuvah/turning/repentance.

Rabbi Norman J. Cohen’s book Hineini in Our Lives examines these 14 texts as ways of learning how to respond to others, to ourselves, and to God. Other contributors also reflect on this theme, including our beloved Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (z”l), who died on July 3 (the 5th of Tammuz). Reb Zalman wrote:

The numerical equivalent of hineini in Hebrew is 115, which is also the value of the letters in the words anachnu—we, aliyah—ascent, and ha’am—the people. By being counted in hineini, we become part of the larger “we,” anachnu; we experience an ascent, an aliyah of awareness that frees us from the narrow I-ness; and thus we become part of ha’am, the people.

Over the course of the High Holy Day services, we will explore what “being counted in hineini” means as we strive to fulfill Reb Zalman’s vision of elevating our awareness together:

1. On Rosh Hashanah Day, we will explore the Akedah/Binding of Isaac story (traditionally read on Rosh Hashanah) in which Abraham three times says Hineini. Using Hineini as the focal point, Teller Brian Rohr will bring the story alive, based both on Biblical text and incorporating interpretations and midrashim/stories from a variety of other Jewish sources. Brian will bring upmost sensitivity to his telling of this difficult story; however, parents should be aware that it may not be suitable for young children.

2. During the afternoon study time following the Rosh Hashanah service, we will then have an opportunity (as last year) to engage in what Brian calls community midrashim—What does the story mean to each of us? What have been our Hineini moments? How do we understand our own life experiences in saying, or not saying, Hineini?

3. As is the Shir Hayam tradition, we also invite YOU to contribute YOUR own deepest thoughts on Hineini—Here I Am. These can be, for example, personal sharings of your own life experience, poetry or creative writing around the Hineini theme, teachings on Hineini drawn from Jewish tradition, or reflections on some of the Hineini texts referenced in Rabbi Cohen’s book.*

If you are drawn to sharing your thoughts during one of the High Holy Day Services, please send me your written offering or detailed notes no later than Sunday, August 31. Recommended length is 3-5 minutes, and I will let you know where in each service your offering best fits. My e-mail is sjreith@gmail.com. If you have questions, or want to talk privately about an idea, feel free to give me a call at 360-379-0386.

4. We also send out a general call for all musicians. If you play an instrument or drum, have some improvisational skills, and have the time to attend a handful of rehearsals over the next few weeks, please e-mail Cay Vandervelde or me as soon as possible.

5. As last year, Yom Kippur morning will not be a formal service. The focus will include contemplative chant and further exploration of Hineini, ideally through stories/skits appropriate for families and children. Creative ideas on how to engage children with this theme are invited—please contact me at 360-379-0386 if you are interested in co-creating this service.

It is an honor and privilege to be able to serve and journey with each of you over the next weeks.

For all of us, may this be a rich time of repair, renewal, and re-connection in all 4 worlds of body, heart, mind, and spirit. And may there be peace. Rav brachot (abundant blessings),

Reb Tivona (Stephanie) Reith
360-379-0386 sjreith@gmail.com

P.S. Please see companion piece about self-reflection practices during the 40-day period between Rosh Chodesh Elul and Yom Kippur!

*Here are the text citations from Hineini in Our Lives: Learning How to Respond to Others Using 14 Biblical Texts and Personal Stories, by Rabbi Norman J. Cohen:

Bereishit/Genesis 22:1-2 Shemot/Exodus 3:2-6
Bereishit/Genesis 22:6-8 Shmuel Aleph/1 Samuel 3:1-10
Bereishit/Genesis 22:9-12 Shmuel Bet/2 Samuel 1:1-16
Bereishit/Genesis 27:1-4 Yeshayahu/Isaiah 52:1-6
Bereishit /Genesis 27:15-19 Yeshayahu/Isaiah 58:1-9
Bereishit /Genesis 31:1-13 Yeshayahu/Isaiah 65:1-2
Bereishit /Genesis 37:11-14
Bereishit /Genesis 46:1-4

THE MONTH OF ELUL AS A TIME OF PREPARATION

Hineini—Here I Am
from Reb Tivona (Stephanie) Reith

Rosh Chodesh Elul (Tuesday evening, August 26) marks the start of a 40-day journey to Yom Kippur. From ancient days, this has been a time of intense self-reflection and examination, discerning what teshuvah—what turning—is needed in our lives.

This year’s theme is Hineini—Here I Am (see introductory letter), which invites us to reflect on how and when we are called to say Here I Am to our families, our community, our selves, and to HaShem. By engaging any or all of the following practices, you are declaring “Here I Am—ready to turn, ready to be present to my life, ready to begin again.”

There are several customs that Jewish tradition considers helpful in this process:

1) Blowing shofar at home every morning of Elul (except on Shabbat or the last day of Elul)—awakening the soul. (Listening to a recording on You Tube, while not quite the same, can still be a meaningful practice if done with commitment and intention.

2) Reading Psalm 27 every day during Elul—a “plea for help in dealing with the enemies within us,” as Rabbi Arthur Waskow puts it.

3) Giving tzedakah (charity) to those in need.

4)Visiting family graves, or if this is not possible, creatively remembering those from our past who have said Hineni to life in ways that inspire us to live more fully in the future.

5) Blessing others through greetings that are traditional during Elul until Rosh Hashanah. Here are a few: Shanah tovah—“a good year.” L’shanah tovah tikatevu—“May you be inscribed for a good year [in the Book of Life].” L’shanah tovah umetukah tikatevu—“May you be inscribed for a good and sweet year.” (The response is “the same to you”—[to men] Gam lecha; [to women] Gam lach.)

Rabbi Alan Lew z”l, in his book This is Real and You are Completely Unprepared, refers to the month of Elul as a time for beginning to “wake up,” as “a time to gaze upon the inner mountains, to devote serious attention to bringing our lives into focus.” He suggests several practices, all of which can also be seen as Hineini practices:

1) Prayer/tefilah: not as a way to ask for things, but as a way we come to know ourselves.

2) Meditation/mindfulness: seeing ourselves more clearly by bearing witness to our thoughts and what carries our awareness away.

3) Focus on one thing: choose one simple and fundamental aspect of your life and commit yourself to being totally conscious and honest about it for the 30 days of Elul.

4) Keep an Elul journal: note daily what arises for you out of your intentional practice.

Hineini. Whatever you choose to engage during the month of Elul, may you be able to say with commitment and purpose: Here I Am, and may this attention and intention bring insightful and healing discovery. Biv’racha (in blessing), Reb Tivona Reith

SHABBAT IN THE TIME OF FIRE

Rabbi Joshua Lesser, of Congregation Bet Haverim in Atlanta, GA, arrived in Israel late last week. He sends this reflection on his first 24 hours in Tel Aviv. This is the third of T’ruah’s weekly Letters from Jerusalem, rabbinic windows into Israel in crisis.

July 16, 2014/18 Tammuz, 5774

When I arrived at the apartment, my colleague and dear friend Jason Klein was waiting for me. Jason, having arrived 12 hours earlier, shopped, and I could smell something delicious coming from the small kitchen. A tasty leek and potato soup was simmering. We sat and caught up.

I am participating in the first Reconstructionist Rabbinic Study Mission to Israel. Then, in my last three days, I will be on an Encounter program that will take us to meet and stay with Palestinian residents of Bethlehem and Hebron as we listen to each other’s narratives. Unless it changes, because things can easily change.

It felt good that Shabbat was beginning. We lit candles, said kiddush and motzi, and began to eat a fine meal of soup, Mediterranean salads, and some kebab for me. I mentioned the nice connection that T’ruah made in their statement that connected the brit shalom, the covenant of peace from the parshah, to their call for peace. Read their Statement: Praying for a Covenant of Peace.

I went to the kitchen to refill the pitcher of water and returned, just about to sit when Jason calmly said, “That’s the siren, Josh. Let’s go.” And sure enough, it was. We quickly walked down the stairs and into the room, our shelter. It smelled like dank mildew and was thick with dust. With the siren still bleating, I breathed and uttered Shalom Aleichem under my breath. I finished and I looked down. There I was, standing in my socks.

I ache a bit. Not for me, I will return to Atlanta shortly. There is a cycle of violence that must be broken. Children grow up with these sirens and with the destruction in Israel, in the West Bank, and in Gaza. There are over 180 Palestinians dead. There are many Israelis injured. 4 murdered teens. There is as much fear as there is blame to go around.

We finished our interrupted meal (a privilege, I am aware), and I feel the need to at least see the sea before I go to bed.

Jason and I walked to the Mediterranean Sea. There were a few others out, which reassured us. Just to the south was the city of Jaffa, all lit up and gleaming as if it were reflecting the stars that twinkled above us. Ufros Aleinu Sukkat Shlomecha. Spread over us your canopy of peace.

Can one dream of peace here? How can one not? Who wants to live in a world where God calls to Abraham/Ibrahim to bring Isaac/Ishmael to be sacrificed every day? Especially when in this world there are no more rams left, just our children caught in the thickets of our cycles of violence and justifications. The sea laps at the shore as if a lullaby rocking us in comfort. The moon pulls the sea like a bed sheet to tuck us in under the stars. Sea. Stars. Earth. Dust. We return to dust soon enough, why must we hasten it? My silent prayers go out to the sea, witnessed by the stars.

It’s 5 am now. A new day begins in the time of fire. Shabbat shalom.

T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights 
http://www.truah.org

HAPPNING ON BAINBRIDGE

Saturday, August 16th, 7:00 p.m. at Bainbridge Performing Arts theater, Northwest Actors Lab and Fields End Writers Community will be presenting

An Evening of Raymond Carver performed by some of the best talent on Bainbridge and directed by Dinah Manoff.

Special guest Tess Gallagher, the celebrated poet and widow of Mr. Carver, will also be joining us to share some of her amazing work.

This is a one time performance so get your tickets early at the BPA box office and spread the word. Tickets are priced at only $25.00 and all funds will go to benefit Fields End.

For more information you can go to the Fields End Website
http://www.fieldsend.org/raymond-carver.aspx

THE KVETCH REVIEWS BOOKS….

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

This book interweaves life on a Pacific Northwest Island (in British Columbia) with a Zen Buddhist nun (104 years old), a Japanese teenager, the 2011 tsunami, World War II, and Schrodinger’s cat….and that’s not all! It is an inventive work featuring fact, fantasy and characters who live interesting and, sometimes, mysterious lives.

It was an intriguing book on many levels…..some published comments:

“An exquisite novel: funny, tragic, hard-edged, and ethereal at once….held together by the exuberance of Ozeki’s writing and the engaging nature of her characters” (Los Angeles Times)

“……Dualities, overlaps, time shifts, and coincidences are the currents that move A Tale for the Time Being along……..”(New York Times)

“A fascinating multigenerational tapestry of long ago, recent past, and present…The writing resonates with an immediacy and rawness that is believable and touching.” (Boston Globe)

I hope that you’re curious…it’s truly an entertaining read!

YIDDISH & LADINO TIDBITS

Let’s Get to Know and Keep Our Languages Alive

Schlimazl
What a capable fellow!
He falls on his back
and breaks his nose.

A Few Cs of Yiddish

chalisch: literally, fainting. “I was chalishing from hunger.”) Sometimes used as a term of desperate desire for something or someone. “After working for 11 hours, I was chalishing to go home already.”

Chazerei: (Yiddish, חזירײַ khazerai ) filth—more literally, piggery.

chesid: good deed or favor. “Do me a chesid and clean your room.”

chiddush: the point, upshot, or reason, of a discussion or
argument; the conclusion drawn from two or more premises; more generally, innovation. “I don’t get it; what’s the chiddush?”

Cholent (Yiddish: טשאָלנט, tsholnt or tshoolnt) A traditional Jewish stew. It is usually simmered overnight for 12 hours or more, and eaten for lunch on Shabbat. Cholent was developed over the centuries to conform to Jewish laws that prohibit cooking on the Sabbath. The pot is brought to boil on Friday before the Sabbath begins, and kept on a blech (metal sheet that covers stovetop burners, and sometimes, the stove’s knobs and dials as well) or a hotplate, or placed in a slow oven or electric slow cooker until the following day.
There are many variations of the dish, but the basic ingredients are meat, potatoes, beans and barley. Sephardi-style hamin uses rice instead of beans and barley, and chicken instead of beef. A traditional Sephardic addition is whole eggs in the shell (huevos haminados), which turn brown overnight. Ashkenazi cholent often contains kishke (sausage casing) or helzel (a chicken neck skin stuffed with a flour-based mixture). Slow overnight cooking allows the flavors of the various ingredients to blend and produce the wonderful taste of cholent. (Adapted from Wikipedia. The site must be Jewish; who knew!)

REB ZALMAN z”l

As many of you know, Reb Zalman was incredibly inspirational to our chavurah’s basic approach to Judaism and the values underlying our practices. We read about him in The Jew and the Lotus, and recognized a global thinker and compassionate soul who strove to restore ancient powerful Jewish customs as well as incorporate gender equality, a strong connection to the earth, and responsibility for Tikkun Olam, much as we were trying to do.
He helped teach and inspire Larry Gerstenhaber, Hanna Tiferet and Daniel Siegel, David Seidenberg, Stephanie Tivona Reith, and Arik Labowitz through Aleph and Jewish Renewal, and they have all brought their many gifts to us over the years.
His memory is surely a blessing which continues in our hearts and minds.

THE CLUBHOUSE

Terry Cowen is renting her 900 sq. ft. one bedroom apartment above her garage on Air B&B to short term guests. It’s a very cute space. To check it out go to www.airbnb.com/rooms/2011958. You can book directly with Air B&B or you can contact her and book with her directly (360-697-1581). That will save you some extra fees. If you have out-of-town guests and need a place to put them, this might be a great option! Call or check on line for current rates. tcee@comcast.netкредитная карта газпромбанка