Yom Kippur 2015
When I was young I distinctly remember what my New Jersey raised father would say when he thought I needed some “gentle guidance:”
Straighten up and Fly Right, would ya?
I think it is safe to say that most of us have come here because we have heard a call that resembles my father’s words (hopefully in gentler tones). We want to live a life of morality, honesty, courage and joy, to fly right in a world where it is easy to get blown off course. So here is Yom Kippur to help us “fly right” but then there is the question: why did we land here at Chadeish Yameinu in particular?
For some of us, it is just easier to hear air traffic control here, whether it’s the spaciousness in the services that are more contemplative, whether it’s Reb Zalman’s legacy of universalist Torah based teachings, or Reb Eli’s humor, kindness and discernment that weave these teachings into our lives in such a gentle and joyous way—we come here.
For some we come here because we need to re-fuel. Our soul-tank is on empty and we fill up here with the lively singing, dancing and welcoming community. We are then back on the tarmac, ready for take-off.
And where do we go? Some of us come here because after re-fueling we like the travel to new and exciting places in our Jewish Journey whether it’s Sufi inspired dancing, Rumi Teachings, singing the morning blessings to a Bruce Cochburn tune, having a truly unique and heart-opening Bar/Bat Mitzvah experience, or being encouraged to lead a service or read from the Torah for our very first time.
Some know it’s safe to land here because of the supportive community, in times of turbulence; our wings got icy and we can thaw out here; we need a hospital visit or even sometimes, a place to grieve.
For some of us, for many of us, it’s because we need a place to land and call home, some place we can always come back to no matter how beautiful or strenuous the journey. These are the people who understand, who’ve been through some of the same ups and downs, whom we’ve formed relationships with that are unbreakable. So we land here.
We may all have different reasons for coming here, in particular, but here we are and we want this place to land when we need it for ourselves and our family. And Yes, the only way to make sure CY continues, bluntly speaking, is to financially contribute. We must pay for our Rabbi, pay for the use of this space, pay our teachers, keep our website up, you get the idea. We actually and absolutely rely on your generous contribution at this time of the year from members and non-members alike so that we can have a place to receive guidance, to refuel, to reach new heights. A place to call home. It is absolutely up to each of us so please put something worthy of your journey in these envelopes.
If you would like to host a Shabbat dinner on a Friday night that CY is not offering a Shabbat Service please contact Leah Kushner, Membership Chair, at heartweave.leah@gmail.com
If you are interested in attending one of the following Shabbat Dinners please let me know by email.
Space is filling up fast for the following Shabbats. if you are interested please contact me.
Friday September 25th
Rose Ashford will host Shabbat in her home in South Aptos. Rose has 2 cats. This is a vegan/vegetarian meal for 6-8. Wine or a dish is welcome but not required. Please RSVP.
Friday December 18th
Ivan Rosenblum and Mary Fran will host a Shabbat in their Santa Cruz home. They would like to host a soup(s), salad, Challah and dessert meal. They will provide 3 kinds of soup, Challah and drinks. They would like guests to bring salad and dessert. They are inviting 3 couples (preferably without children). Please RSVP.
We are looking for people who would like to host the following dates:
October 23, 2015
October 30, 2015
November 20, 2015
January 22, 2016
January 29, 2016
Please let me know:
a) the date, time, and number of people you would like to host;
b) will you be providing the food/drink or is this a potluck and how would you like to organize it, food and menu restrictions. Please note: this is up to the host.
c) any other helpful information (for example, other families with children, people with certain similar interests, accessibility such as pets, stairs, etc.)
d) would like some help and support (such as learning the blessing over candles, where you can find challah, etc.).
e) directions and details needed to your home.
Blessings,
Leah Kushner
JEWISH RENEWAL
Rabbi Marcia Prager, Dean, ALEPH Rabbinic Program
Jewish Renewal is a phenomenon, not a denomination . It resembles Reform Judaism in some ways, Reconstructionism in other ways, and even Orthodoxy - especially Hassidism - in some important ways. But it is not a formal denomination with a formal hierarchy or structure. It is the ongoing creative project of a generation of Jews who are seeking to renew Judaism and bring its spiritual and ethical vitality into our lives and communities, and at the same time embrace a global vision of the role of all human beings and spiritual paths in the transformation of life on this precious planet.
Jewish Renewal is dedicated to revealing Judaism's inner spirit and nurturing the spiritual life of Jews. Jewish Renewal draws significant spiritual inspiration from the legacy of Jewish mystical and Hassidic traditions, which is expressed in the cultivation of traditional practices such as meditation, chanting, and davening and the study of traditional Kabbalistic and Hassidic sources to enhance both individual and communal practice.
Jewish Renewal seeks to transform and renew the kavanah (spiritual intention) with which Jews of all kinds practice Judaism.
Jewish Renewal is a "movement" in the sense of a wave in motion, a grassroots effort to discover the modern meaning of Judaism as a spiritual practice. Jewish Renewalists see "renewal" as a process reaching beyond denominational boundaries and institutional structures, more similar to the multi-centered civil- rights or women's movements than to contemporary denominations. This renewal process is happening in Jewish music, liturgy, midrash, education, politics, etc., in synagogues as well as havurot, and even in "secular" settings.
Jewish Renewal sees itself as trans-denominational, a movement that transcends the boundaries of the various denominations. Its membership includes people who are active in the Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist , and Orthodox worlds as well as many others whose only religious/spiritual affiliation is Renewal.
In a deep way, Jewish Renewal is built on the idea that we live in a transformative moment in time, in which a new paradigm for spiritual life is being developed. Jewish Renewal draws heavily on the thought of Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, which is a loving critique of the limitations of traditional Rabbinic Judaism and a call to continue the ongoing renewal of Jewish life in our time, as the Talmudic rabbis did in theirs.
Jewish Renewal actively seeks a relationship with God as the immanent reality that suffuses all creation and from time to time calls to us from beyond creation as well. This changes how we view the earth, the human race, the Jewish people, the relationship of human beings to the rest of creation -everything. Jewish Renewal is neither "halakhic" nor "anti-halakhic" but "neo-halakhic." Just as Rabbinic Judaism involved transcending the halakhah of Temple sacrifice, so Jewish Renewal seeks to go beyond the limitations of traditional Rabbinic Judaism to forge a new halakhah in which Judaism is conscious of its place in an interconnected world. This new halakhah, for instance, includes expansion of the practice of kashrut to include ecological and ethical criteria, a new exploration of the concept of work as it applies to both the personal and societal Shabbat, and re-examination of intimacy and intimate relationships. Jewish Renewal has long been committed to a fully egalitarian approach to Jewish life and welcomes the public and creative input of those who were traditionally excluded from the process of forming the Jewish tradition.
In Jewish Renewal: o women and men are fully equal & participatory in shaping the future of Judaism; o those who have often been marginalized in Jewish life are welcomed and honored; o there is respect for and often learning from other spiritual paths (e.g., Buddhism, Sufi, etc.), o people seek to heal the earth and society through seeking peace, justice, and ecologicalwholeness; o chant, meditation, dance, and drama are encouraged as ways of connecting with God & Torah; o people desire to **embody** wisdom rather than etherealize or intellectualize it; o people strive to personally sense God as suffusing the world with Divinity.
Jewish Renewal is "maximalist" about Judaism - that is, Jewish spiritual practice is undertaken joyously and Jewish values are applied in many down-to-earth life dimensions (food, money, sex, health, politics, etc.) rather than restricted to prayer, holidays, or Torah study.