Friday, March 4, 2022. The Shabbat before Purim is called “Shabbat Zachor”, the Shabbat of Remembrance, and we read verses in Deuteronomy where we are asked to remember Amalek and wipe his name out.[1] Amalek was the ruler of the Amalekites, who together perpetrated a vicious, unprovoked attack on the Israelites who were wandering in the desert.[2] They became synonymous with evil throughout our history. Our sages attributed many subsequent evil events to the descendants of Amalek, including evil Haman of the Purim story himself.  Thus, we are reminded every year to remember the evil that must ever be overcome, and we wipe out the name of evil Haman when we bang on groggers and walls, and shout over his name as it is read in the Megillah of the Purim celebration.

In the last two weeks, we have acquired a new understanding of an evil character in our midst, Mr. Putin of Russia.  His motives are opaque and nonsensical; and he is bent on vicious destruction. The events of the last few weeks have been a bit of a shock for our modern sensibilities:  surely, in post-World-War-II Europe, we have grown past the expansionist ideas of the last century, and have come to respect the right of each nation to become an independent, free entity in its own right? – No, is the answer.  We see in authoritarian regimes around the world, and the potential for one here at home in the last few years, that these folks can and will continue to arise.  They are bent on destruction for the sake of power, without any awareness or acknowledgement of the human cost, and the human desire for peace.

And so, we remember and acknowledge the Amalek in our midst.  In the modern era, there is much discussion of “the Amalek within us”, as we overcome our own fears, obstacles and evil inclinations.  Valid thoughts – and yet, we must also keep in mind the external, real, Amaleks of history and the present day, who must be vanquished if we are to live in peace.  May this come to pass, swiftly, in Europe of 2022. — Kirby

Our next walking meditation will honor Rosh Chodesh Nissan, on Saturday, April 2, 7:30 am. Contact us for location.

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[1] See Deuteronomy 25: 17-19

[2] See Exodus 17: 8-12

Wednesday, February 2.  We had a taste of warmer weather this morning – 40 degrees and raining a bit, making last week’s deep snow base soft and a challenge to walk.  Freezing temperatures and more snow are coming our way – it must be February!  A good thing we have two Adars this year, pushing holidays a little later.   We have some hope of hints of spring at Passover. 

In the Purim story of Esther, which we read and celebrate this month, the highest evil (the actions of Haman to obliterate the Jewish people) is transformed to become the highest joy – the release of our people from that evil decree, and the fall of Haman himself.  At Purim and for the whole month, joy and laughter are commanded to us, along with good food and drink, and the sharing of gifts with our neighbors, especially those less fortunate.  In this year of two Adars, we honor the Purim story in the second month, so the first month is one to prepare – make a better costume, learn some new jokes, plan a great Purim spiel, bake for all.  Preparing for joy, there’s a happy thought!

There is another theme to Adar that is also relevant to Adar Aleph – the hiddenness of G-d. G-d is not mentioned at all in the Purim story – and yet a miracle occurs.  From this we learn that even the most mundane aspects of our lives harbor divinity; and that even when G-d is hidden, we are partners in divinity — the agents in bringing forth miracles. In this extra month without a holiday, set in the midst of drab winter, it could be easy to fall into the ordinary.  Let us find the divine in the everyday for two months this year – a double dose of seeking out and transforming evil, bringing us to joy. —Kirby

Our next Rosh Chodesh walking meditation will honor the month of Adar Bet, Friday, March 4, 7:30 am.  Rain or snow or shine!  Contact us for location.

Monday, January 4.  We have made it past the solstice, and even in a dreary winter with just a touch of snow, the light is brighter, the lengthening of days small but perceptible.  We are entering a new season, trusting once again that the cycle of the life will carry us into the coming year.  The sap is rising in the trees, and the flowers of spring will come.

As we approach Tu B’Shvat, the holiday celebrating trees which comes on the 15^th of Shvat – this year, beginning the evening of Sunday, January 16 – we go into the woods and honor the beech, oak and maple communities which thrive there and provide a nurturing home for animals, mushrooms and other plants which sustain us. As the sap rises in apple, pear, peach, plum, and pawpaw, we are grateful for their bounty, soon to come as the seasons turn. If we are in Israel, we honor the oaks which anchor the hillside Batha (chaparral), or fruiting olives, pomegranates, walnuts and carobs.

Two themes come to mind:  Suzanne Simard[1] and David George Haskell[2] write of the complex and wholly interconnected networks of which trees are a part, mycorrhizae filaments intertwined with their roots, sharing nutrients and information needed for survival, and the host of insects, birds, microbes, mammals, and herbs supported by their living presence and their decay.  Robin Wall Kimmerer[3] writes of trees as gift-givers, of nuts and shelter, fruits and shade, which sustain us, and bind us up in webs of gratitude and obligation, as we nurture them in return. 

As we enter the third year of pandemic-induced inward-turning, may we make progress toward emerging transformed.  May we see even more clearly the web of interconnection that is our natural world, and the obligation we have to return the life-sustaining gifts we receive from it, most especially the trees. – Kirby

Our next walking meditation will be Rosh Chodesh Adar I, Wednesday, February 2.  Rain or snow or shine!  Contact us for location.

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[1] Simard, Suzanne, Finding the Mother Tree, Knopf, 2021

[2] Haskell, David George, The Songs of Trees, Penguin Books, 2017

[3] Kimmerer, Robin Wall, Braiding Sweetgrass, Milkweed Editions, 2013

Sunday morning, December 5, 2021. This morning was cold and dark, brown and gray – but blessed for a few minutes with a glowing red-lit sunrise. This could be a metaphor for Tevet – depressed by the cold, the gray-brown landscape, early winter life after the end of Hanukah, and the descent into the full darkness of the winter solstice, we are likely to experience flares of anger, our own or that of others. In Tevet, we also recall the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, observed with a fast on the 10th of Tevet; the month carries with it an aura of anger at powerlessness and waiting for the inevitable.

But notice the word “blessed”. Tevet’s area of healing is anger.  In Jewish tradition, anger is a useful emotion, when transformed to strengthen us and forge our commitment to change. Anger in Jewish tradition is seen in two ways:  it can be righteous anger, when we respond to an injustice or an infringement of boundaries.  Or it can be anger of the ego, based in our own arrogance or pride. In both cases, the key is to understand its source, see it objectively, take responsibility, and decide on action.  In Mussar, the Jewish discipline which helps us to develop our character in order to serve others better, the ideal response to anger is equanimity and humility.  Rise above the good and the bad; understand that you can learn from any other person or situation. We may not be able to predict or control a flareup of anger; but we can manage our response, and make it a blessing for good. May we all increase this month in our ability to manage our response to our anger and that of others, to protect and nurture our selves in order to strengthen and learn, to plan for change, and ultimately make it a blessing for good.  Chodesh tov! — Kirby

Our next Rosh Chodesh walking meditation will be Monday, January 3, 7:30 am, rain or snow or shine. Contact us for location.

Friday, November 5, 2021.  This morning was dark, but only for a moment as the first light appeared.  This year, the month of Kislev begins just before Daylight Savings Time ends – here in the Midwest, on Sunday we will be suddenly immersed in the darkness of early evenings, shortening the days an extra hour. For many of us, this time of the year brings greater struggles to keep our heads and hearts above water. Hope and positivity seem impossible as every day is darker than the one before, the cold settles in, and naked trees make the woods bleak and gray.

As Jews, into this spreading deep we bring the holiday of light, Chanukah, celebrating together a joyous victory, singing songs and kindling flames.  In the Middle East, Kislev is a time of sowing many crops – wheat, barley, oats, peas, and more are all settled into the earth, which has been dampened by the rains of Cheshvan.  And in the Torah, we read of our earliest ancestors’ travels and travails, overcoming drought, famine and ignorance to birth a peoplehood dedicated to caring for our neighbors.  Throughout their stories, they dream — visit or wrestle with angels — and imagine a bright future, in conversation with G-d.

These are the recommendations for this month given to us by our source Mindy Ribner:  Dream your dreams, and listen to them.  Embrace optimism.  Kindle lights and celebrate in joy.  And do so in faith, in conversation with the Divine, however you receive it – allow yourself to leave the objective, pessimistic, often dark world which surrounds us, and imagine – dream – of a bright future, when people sing and celebrate together.  May we all celebrate a Hanukah and Kislev of light and see our dreams realized, in faith and confidence. —Kirby

The next Rosh Chodesh walking meditation will be the first of Tevet, Sunday morning, December 5, 7:30 am.  Rain or snow or shine!  Contact us for location.

Thursday morning, October 7.  Beautiful morning, warm and balmy, and the colors of fall are spreading in the trees, sky, shrubs and grasses. In the Great Lakes, the Canada geese are gathering to head south, and travel in lines over us, honking. 

Cheshvan is a month of transformation, in the natural world, and in our inner lives.  In the Middle East, this time of year is when the rains begin, after dry summer. Stephen shared with us a memory of a time when he celebrated Simchat Torah in Israel under clear skies – and the rains began the following day, in torrents.

This is also the month when we read the story of Noah and the great flood.   When we read about the complete destruction of the world in this story, accomplished through torrents of water higher than the mountains — and G-d’s subsequent promise to humans never to do so again — we can’t help but think of the floods, fires, droughts and storms we are experiencing.   These are, however, not divine will, but the result of our own negligence.

While we work on our inner selves, strengthening our relationships with others, we are also called to work on our relationship with the natural world.  We are necessary partners with G-d in literally repairing the world – repairing the damage done, and preventing our own, and the natural world’s, destruction.  May we enter the month of Cheshvan with unwavering will to carry out all we’ve promised to do – Chodesh tov! — Kirby

Our next walking meditation will be Rosh Chodesh Kislev, Friday, November 5, 7:30 am. Rain or shine! Contact us for location. Social distancing will be observed; please bring a mask.

Tuesday, September 7, Rosh Hashanah.  A beautiful morning – although Rosh Hashanah is early this year, there are still signs of fall – last month’s marsh mallows are sporting brown seed heads, fruits are setting on trees and shrubs, and the path is strewn with occasional yellowed leaves.  In the middle east, summer’s heat is mediated some, and harvest season progresses, culminating in the Sukkot holiday, which happens at the full moon this month.

I struggled this month with what to say.  On Shabbat this past week, a friend and I recounted, a little despairingly, the burdens of our times: terror and ignorance in Afghanistan, ignorance and blind grasping for power in Texas, fires and floods claiming cherished lives and decimating beloved places with no end in sight — the renewal of pandemic anxiety, grief and isolation. And these only scratch the surface, with conflict just about everywhere. It feels like an apocalypse, like we are at the beginning of a new Dark Age; what will become of us?

During the month of Elul, the past month leading up to the High Holy Days, we recited every day Psalm 27, a cry of faith in good that endures.  Norman Fischer has penned a lovely Zen version:

You are my light and my help

Whom should I fear?

You are the fortress of my life

Whom should I dread?

—–

One thing I ask for, one thing I hope –

To live in your house

All the days of my life

To behold your loveliness

Every morning in the light of your temple dawn

—-

Hear my voice when I raise it up

Be gracious – answer me –

Speaking with your voice my heart sang,

Seek my presence

I will

—-

If I did not have faith in your rightness

That it would bloom in this living land –

It is unthinkable

I wait only for you

With strength and good courage –

I wait only for you[1]

During the High Holy Days, we look to renew the world and ourselves, in the face of whatever tragedy and conflict may be.  We know that we are helped by faith in a Presence greater than we are, and that we are helped by taking action, together.  While the balance of the two varies for each individual Self, may we all find ways to move the world toward good and rightness in this next challenging year.  L’Shana Tovah!  Wishing everyone a wonderful and meaningful holiday season of renewal of Self and community, and renewed commitment to good. – Kirby

Our next Rosh Chodesh walking meditation will be Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan, Thursday, October 7.  We will honor the full moon of Tishrei, and the beginning of Sukkot, on Monday September 20.  Both meetups are at 7:30 am, rain or shine.  Contact us for location. 

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[1] Excerpted from Norman Fischer, Opening to You: Zen-Inspired Translations of the Psalms.  Viking Compass, 2002.

Monday, August 9, 2021.  This morning the marsh was aflower, yellow and white and many shades of pink, a bounteous display.  In the middle east, now and in Biblical times, and elsewhere in our country and the world, the month of Elul comes as the summer’s heat wears on, parching cities, forests and grasslands.  However, here in the Great Lakes we’ve had an abundance of water, and benefit from cool evenings under the influence of Lake Erie.  It is not hard to feel blessed in the lush abundance of nature.

In this Jewish month, our hearts recover from the devastation of Av, and turn inward, making an “accounting of our souls” – considering our thoughts and actions over the past year. Who were we, and who do we want to become? Where did we fall short of our own aspirations for the care of others and our world – and where were we successful, and why?  Elul begins this  journey of examination, preparing us for the coming High Holy Days.

Linda led our dvar introduction for meditation this month, and brought for us a lovely summary of Rav Kook’s ideas about the Rosh Chodesh prayer.[1]  The Rosh Chodesh prayer, which we recite each month in the synagogue, and also after our meditation walk, contains a petition to G-d, asking for

“…a long life, a life of peace, a life of good, a life of blessing, a life of sustenance, a life of [physical vitality] (vigor of the bones), a life in which there is fear of sin, a life free from shame and embarrassment, a life of riches and honor, a life in which we may be filled with love of Torah and awe of Heaven, a life in which You will fulfill all of our hearts’ desires for good.” [2]

On the surface, these can seem to be very worldly requests, focused on our own physical, material and social well-being.  However, in Rav Kook’s interpretation, what we are really asking for is goodness in our Selves, peace and blessing in that goodness, the spiritual benefits that come to us from doing good, and the bodily health and strength to continue on in a life of doing for others.  What better way to start the month of Elul than to set such a high standard for ourselves – against which to measure our year, and make commitments for the year to come.  May we all have a meaningful Elul! — Kirby

We will honor the Full Moon of Elul on Sunday morning, August  22.  Our next Rosh Chodesh walking meditation will be Rosh Chodesh Tishrei, Rosh Hashanah, Tuesday morning, September 7. Both meetups are at 7:30 am.  Social distancing will be observed.  Contact us for location.

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[1] Rabbi Chanan Morrison, Shabbat Mevarchim, on the commentary of Rav Abraham Isaac Kook.  See http://ravkooktorah.org/ROSH-CHODESH-76.htm and

[2] See the Meditation Resources page for a copy of the prayer and blessings we recite at Rosh Chodesh.

Saturday, July 10, 2021.  Av comes early this year (it is usually in August) – and so we experience the lushness and greenness of summer in the Great Lakes. 

On Tisha B’Av, the 9^th day of Av, we fast, remember and lament this day of great tragedy in the history of the Jewish people.   We recite the book of Lamentations, a book of writings in the Tanakh (Bible) that gives voice to our overwhelming sadness at the loss of the first and second temples.  In his Evolve newsletter this month, Rabbi Jacob Staub notes the power of the lament to help us acknowledge and then heal from our sorrows, noting “we could be a lot better in the practice of lamenting”[1].   We shed tears and allow the fullness of our sorrow to engulf us – but allowing it, and showing it, are the keys to be heard in our sadness, to understand its source, and to be in a position to move beyond it and heal whatever needs healing, take whatever actions we might take.

What value is this day to us in our era?  This year, Rabbi Arthur Waskow and his group, The Shalom Center, a Jewish-influenced organization dedicated to healing the earth, note the parallels between the Temples of ancient Israel, and the Earth we call home[2].  Our source Mindy Ribner tells us of the place the Temples hold in our collective Jewish hearts and souls, forming a bridge between our earthly existence and the divine Shekhinah, or divine Presence.  This bridge was seen as having resonance beyond the Jews to the world at large, blessing the universe.  When the temple was destroyed, so was the bridge, resulting in the exile of the Divine Presence from our world.  Waskow and colleagues note that in our age, the earth itself is a bridge between our existence and the divine presence of the world. 

Our sages attribute the destruction of the temples to our hard heartedness and hatred toward each other.  Similarly, our hard-heartedness about the earth’s needs and health, as well as toward each other, can be seen to be leading toward earth’s destruction. If we succeed, the threat is indeed great, destroying our lives, our connections to each other, and the survival of future generations.  Perhaps this year, as we lament the destruction of the temples on the 9^th of Av, we can also have in our minds the destruction of this earthly temple we share.  Can we cry tears of sadness and lament, and then turn them into action for the better of all? — Kirby

We will honor the Full Moon of Av on Saturday, July 24.  And we will celebrate Rosh Chodesh Elul, the beginning of the month of Elul, on Monday, August 9.  Both walking meditations will be at 7:30 am, rain or shine.  Contact us for location.

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[1] https://evolve.reconstructingjudaism.org/

[2] https://theshalomcenter.org/2-eichahs-today-resource-3-tisha-bav-temple-earth

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Friday, June 11.  The cycle of the Jewish calendar is early this year, with the holidays and months almost at the earliest they can be.  Tammuz, the month of intense summer heat and light, falls in early June, not quite the fullness of summer ablaze.  But in the Middle East, relentless heat nonetheless surrounds us, pushing us to short tempers and judgment in its intensity.

After three months of spring, full of green shoots, emerging leaves, burgeoning flowers and fruits, the heat of Tammuz begins the summer cycle, leading up to the High Holy Days.  Our sages note that G-d goes into hiding, less accessible to us, and more limited in blessing. Our source Alan Lew talks a lot about this cycle, how the process of self-introspection and rededication at the High Holy Days has its root in the breach and fall of Jerusalem in Tammuz and Av. In his book Be Still and Get Going, he notes that “in the summer, in the fullness of the year, the sacred calendar concerns itself with emptiness and collapse”, nothing that “decline and destruction necessarily precede renewal; a tearing down is necessary before rebuilding is possible.” [1] We could also say that the emptiness is the perception of absence of G-d from the world.

In Tammuz, like the walls of Jerusalem, we tear down – our illusions and self-deceptions about the world, ourselves, our relationships with loved ones, and our relationship to G-d.  “The walls come down and suddenly we can see, suddenly we recognize the nature of our estrangement from G-d, and this recognition is the beginning of the reconciliation with G-d.”[2]  May we weather the intensity of this month with care, recognizing the power and weight of clearly seeing the truth, which tears everything down, and yet enables us to rebuild and renew.  — Kirby

We will honor the Full Moon of Tammuz (Keseh Tammuz) with a walking meditation on Friday, June 25.  We will observe Rosh Chodesh Av on Saturday, July 10.  Both meetups will be at 7:30 am; contact us for location. Social distancing will be observed; please bring a mask.

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[1] Alan Lew, Be Still and Get Going: A Jewish Meditation Practice for Real Life, p. 168.

[2] Ibid, p. 169. See “Sources” tab for full citation.