Wednesday, May 12, 2021.  The first really green meetup of the year – and the marsh is transformed.  We can barely see through the foliage to the boardwalk, and the birdsong is raucous.  As the Covid situation lightens a little, we agreed we can go without masks since we are vaccinated and outdoors. And so we could finally hear each other, and see each others’ faces. Worth a shehecheyanu prayer on both counts.

Sivan is in full swing, and we are full of receiving, the theme for the month.  In the cycle of the Jewish year, we are walking toward Shavuot, the commemoration of the Jewish people’s receiving of the Torah in the revelation at Mt. Sinai.  (Shavuot happens this year on the eve of May 16, just this Sunday.). We are well aware of the other ways we receive this month – in ancient Israel, Sivan and Shavuot mark the wheat harvest, when we receive the bounty of the earth, which will sustain us for the coming season.  We receive the bounty of nature as well, with her flowers and fruits and baby animals born in spring. Our sages take this receiving a step further, noting that all of creation, including our own creative spirit, is a great receiving – of the bounty and inspiration of the universe.  We receive, and bring forth what is deep inside – guidance and direction, clarity of vision, connections to each other, images and music, and efforts to grow, heal and transform.  May we all find inspiration deep within this month, and enter into summer ready to receive it! — Kirby

Our next gathering at the Full Moon (Keseh Sivan) will be Wednesday morning, May 26.  Our next New Moon gathering (Rosh Chodesh Tammuz) will be Friday morning, June 11. Both meetups will be at 7:30 am.  Please contact us for location.

Tuesday, April 13.  The month of Iyyar marks the middle of spring in the Jewish calendar.  In the Great Lakes, we have moved from Nisan’s barely showing buds to the daffodils and cherry blossoms of true spring.  In the Biblical middle east, early harvests of barley and lentils were beginning. 

The 49 days between Passover (14 Nisan) and Shavuot (6 Sivan) commemorate both historical and natural journeys.  In nature, this “Omer” period, counted day by day, spans the days between the barley harvest and the wheat harvest.  In history, we count the days from crossing the Red Sea in the Exodus, to arriving at Sinai and the receiving of the Torah.  The month of Nissan falls in the third through sixth week of that seven-week period – truly the slogging stage of any journey, after the excitement of the beginning is past, and before the thrill of arrival. We put one foot in front of the other and persevere.  We could draw parallels to this stage of our pandemic journey.

And yet:  Iyyar is also a month of spiritual fire.  The Omer was claimed for its spiritual significance by the kabbalists, who assigned the seven virtues of the Sefirot in combination to each of the 49 days. At the 33^rd day, they honored the yahrzeit of the sage and mystic Shimon Bar Yochai.  Known as the “Holy Candle” for his spiritual radiance, his passing is celebrated with bonfires and music.  This theme of spiritual fire is reminiscent of our weekly celebration of Havdallah, with its flaring candle and invigorating spices, music and fellowship.  We call our spiritual guides, the prophets Elijah and Miriam, and hope to carry the fire of Shabbat with us through the week.

May the fires of Iyyar and Shabbat, and the spiritual presence of our guides, remind us of the holy candle that burns in each one of us – even as we walk step by step through the challenges we face. – Kirby

We will honor the Full Moon of Iyyar with a walking meditation on Tuesday, April 27.  The walking meditation for Rosh Chodesh Sivan will be Wednesday, May 12.  Both meetups will be at 7:30 am; contact us for location.  Rain or shine!  Social distancing will be observed; please wear a mask.

Sunday, March 14.  Spring is emerging, the barest tips of shoots spiking just above the soil.  This month of Nisan, the month of Passover, is heavy with story and tradition.  And yet, after this terrible, long year when winter seemed endless, it is the bright light of spring and the bursting forth of buds that charges our thoughts.  Our source Jill Hammer writes a wonderful piece in her book, The Jewish Book of Days:

The fifth motion of the year is emerging.  In some regions of the world, leaves lean out of branches, buds unfurl from their casings, and red seeps into the landscape.  The word “Nisan” itself means “bud”.  In the Middle East and similar climates, spring is already in full bloom, and the first harvest is about to come in.  Spring is the moment when the hard-earned strength of the winter pours itself into foliage and flower.  The Shekhinah has opened a door and flung it open.

The fifth motion of the year is emerging.  In some regions of the world, leaves lean out of branches, buds unfurl from their casings, and red seeps into the landscape.  The word “Nisan” itself means “bud”.  In the Middle East and similar climates, spring is already in full bloom, and the first harvest is about to come in.  Spring is the moment when the hard-earned strength of the winter pours itself into foliage and flower.  The Shekhinah has opened a door and flung it open.

It is at this light-filled time of year that Jews celebrate the festival of Passover and relive the going out from Egypt.  From the bitter taste of slavery to the wonder of the parting sea, we enter the experience of sudden freedom.  Houses undergo a thorough cleaning, and for a week we change our diet as if to remind us that liberty requires the willingness to change. It is we ourselves who must rush out of Egypt on the full moon of the month of Nisan, we who must pass the story to our children. Liberation happens to us not once, but each year at this season.[1]

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We think of course of the world pandemic, which combined with bitter weather, has kept many of us literally locked in for months.  May this opening of the world – through vaccinations and the promise of outdoors returning – bring us new lives of love, spirit, and health. May those of us who suffered greatly during this year, whether for loss of loved ones, health or self, be comforted with the return of the light to the year, and may we all grow into this freedom. — Kirby

We will honor the Full Moon of Nisan, the start of Passover, on Sunday morning, March 28.  The next Rosh Chodesh walking meditation will be for the month of Iyyar, Tuesday morning, April 13.  Both will be at 7:30 am. Rain or snow or shine! – contact us for location. Social distancing will be observed; please wear a mask.

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[1] Jill Hammer, The Jewish Book of Days, p. 223.  See “Resources” tab for full citation.

Saturday, February 13, 2021.  Another cold day, but the snow is dry and fresh, patterned with animal tracks, and the creeks are gurgling under the ice.  In the Great Lakes, although we are in the depth of winter, the days are lengthening, and in another month we’ll see early signs of spring.  In the ancient middle east, spring was ripening.  It was a time to plant chickpeas and vegetables, while the grains planted the previous month were in full growth, soaking up winter rains.

This is of course the month of Adar – the month of laughter and jokes, absurd switching of roles, the ironic and comic combined in skits and tales.  The most famous of these tales is the story of Purim – the story of Esther, Queen of Shushan, who saved her fellow Jews from a murderous end, with the encouragement of her cousin Mordechai.  How does Esther’s story of heroism and bravery become one of the jokester and trickster, costumes and pranks, drinking and revelry?

Maybe because the unexpected happened:  the tables were turned on evil, which has not often happened in such a complete way in Jewish history, averting all disaster and allowing the Jews to see justice.  Maybe because laughter is the best area of healing in the face of the absurd and contradictory.  Maybe because this reversal of fortune woke up a generation to the possibility of peace and unity.

Our source Jill Hammer favors the latter – asserting that it is the “reversal of the expected” nature of Purim that makes it a necessary, universal holiday that will endure.  “…Purim will never leave us.  All other holidays will lose their meaning in the far-off messianic world of unity and peace, yet we will still need Purim for its silliness, its irreverence, its ability to unmask secrets and unseat self-righteous powers.  Purim, like the April fool or like a jester in the divine court, awakens us through laughter and teaches us to know ourselves.”[1]

We are reminded of recent years of absurdity and phoniness, public bigotry and irrational explanations.  May our ability to laugh, tell crazy stories, drink and sing endure and carry us into a year of reckoning and healing.  – Kirby

The next Rosh Chodesh walking meditation, for the month of Nisan, will be Sunday morning, March 14, 7:30 am, rain or snow or shine.  Contact us for location. Social distancing will be observed; please wear a mask.

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[1] Jill Hammer, The Jewish Book of Days, p. 206.  See “Resources” tab for more information.

Hello friends, I’ve just realized the date originally posted for the next Rosh Chodesh Adar walking m meditation was incorrect. We will meet on the first day of Adar, Saturday, February 13, 7:30 am. Rain or snow or shine! Contact us for location. –– Kirby

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Thursday, January 14.  In Biblical Israel, by this time, most of the rain had fallen, sowing was done, plants were germinating, and the sap was rising in trees, their fruits setting for the season.  Here in the Great Lakes, of course, we are at the height of winter, weathering snow and ice, and hoping it won’t be too long before spring.  This year we wonder how long it will be until life returns to “normal” – and yet we celebrate new beginnings, with the rollout of vaccines, and with a change in the government of our country.

The month Shevat is indeed a time for renewed life and vigor: its energy, inner renewal.  According to our source Mindy Ribner, Shevat is a “hidden and mystical time of new beginnings and rebirth” – a time for “new inspiration and creativity” – an auspicious time to begin new projects. It is of course the month of Tu B’Shvat, this year on January 28th, the holiday celebrating the birthday of the trees.  According to our source Jill Hammer, our sage Rabbi Nachman of Braslav told us that every seed has an angel whispering to it:  “Grow, grow!”  May the newness of opportunity grow into real change in this new season of the trees.  —- Kirby (with apologies for the late post)

The next Rosh Chodesh walking meditation will be Rosh Chodesh Adar, NOTE CORRECTED DATE Saturday, February 13, at 7:30 am.  (We are taking a hiatus from full moon meditation for the winter).  Social distancing will be observed; please wear a mask.  Contact us for location.

Wednesday, December 16. This morning we met in the cold, and were reminded once again of the “disconnect” between seasons of the year in the Great Lakes and the Middle East.  In Israel, this month is a time of sowing – and in Biblical times, wheat, barley, oats, lentils, peas, vetch and flax were planted. Here in the Great Lakes region, we are of course headed into five or six months of winter.

Today, the 1^st of Tevet, is also the seventh day of Chanukah.  Every year we light seven candles as we usher in the new month of Tevet.  I came across an interesting reference last week, on our source Ritualwell, noting that in the Sephardic community, this day was a special one for honoring women and girls, known as Chag HaB’not (Festival of the Daughters). Special foods were eaten, served by the men. Ritualwell includes a beautiful Ladino rendition of Hallel, Bendigamos Al Altissimo, traditionally sung on this holiday. 

Bendigamos al Altísimo,

Al Señor que nos crió,

Démosle (a)gradecimiento,

Por los bienes que nos dió.

Alabado sea Su Santo Nombre,

Porque siempre nos apiadó,

Odu Ladonai ki tov,

Ki leolam jasdo.

Blessed is the One most high,

The One who created us,

Let us give thanks

For all of the good things given us.

Praised is the Holy Name

For always having mercy for us.

Blessed is Adonai who is good,

Whose mercy endures forever.[1]

While our group is not specifically focused on being a women’s circle, Rosh Chodesh is traditionally a holiday for women, so it is fitting that this day of Chanukah be a special celebration honoring women. Tevet is a dark, winter month, but it contains the winter solstice, the turning of the days toward ever-growing light.  May we all be immersed in light, through the end of the holiday, and through the month of Tevet, and look forward to the coming seasons in joy and celebration of G-d’s and the Universe’s mercy for us.  — Kirby

(Apologies for the late post)

We will honor the full moon of Tevet on Wednesday, December 30.  Our next Rosh Chodesh walking meditation will be Thursday, January 14.  Both meetups will be at 7:30 am.  Social distancing will be observed; please wear a mask.  Contact us for location.

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[1] Translation adapted by K. Date. Ladino is a Jewish language for Sephardic Jews, a hybrid of Spanish and Hebrew, as Yiddish is the language for Ashkenazic Jews.  See https://www.ritualwell.org/ritual/bendigamos-al-altisimo; see also https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-F4o7gfoyA for a beautiful rendition by Sephardic music artist Judy Frankel. The Sephardic tradition is rich with songs sung by women in multi-part harmony. See other repertoire of Frankel and the Brazilian singer Fortuna.

Tuesday, November 17.  Winter arrived suddenly this morning.  We stood in the cold sleet, in the dimness, talking of darkness and light, as snow settled on the marsh.  The darkness descends on us as we approach the winter solstice, and we could sink into sadness and anxiety.  But with hope, we light the candles of Hanukah, ever brighter as the week goes on, in faith that the light will return.

Kislev is the “month of dreams and stars”, a month of optimism actually, of expansiveness, confidence, faith in miracles, and hope for redemption.  The origins of this optimism are the miracle of Hanukah, where a faithful band of Jews defeated Greek oppression, and re-sanctified and rekindled the Temple lights with the tiniest amount of oil, which lasted for eight full days.  It is also found in the stories we read in the Torah this month, of our ancestors’ dreams and hopes.  Jacob saw angels climbing up and down the ladder to the stars, and wrestled with an angel under the stars.  Joseph dreamed of stars and sheaves of wheat, and interpreted Egyptians’ dreams while in Pharaoh’s court.  In both narratives, we learn of the optimism of the dreamers, and also the complexity of their dreams, and the families and society relationships of which they were a part.  Similarly, in our own time, this Kislev, we have reason for optimism, yet are also aware of the complexity and difficulty of going forward in a nation so divided.

In reflection, we talked of darkness and light.  The return of the days of darkness and light as the seasons move around the year; the arrival of dark November with its rain and bare branches; the inevitable light that will come with winter’s snow.  Our source Mindy Ribner advises us to kindle our faith and trust in the G-d this month, to give ourselves time to sleep and dream, and to celebrate our victories.  May we all settle into our homes, and kindle our fires and the Hanukah lights with joy, and optimism for the seasons to come. —Kirby

We will honor the Full Moon of Kislev on Monday, November 30. Please check e-mails, or be in touch with us, as inclement weather may cancel our meetup.   The next Rosh Chodesh will be Wednesday, December 16, rain or snow or shine.  Both walking meditations will be at 7:30 am.  Contact us for location. Social distancing will be observed; please wear a mask.

Monday, October 19, 2020.  Today was dark and rainy at the marsh. As the weather gets colder, we head into Cheshvan, or Mar-Cheshvan as it was known, “Bitter Cheshvan”, due to its lack of holidays or special events.  Here in the Great Lakes, we also experience the month as bitter, because it is the month when the light visibly diminishes, and the depression of winter begins to set in. 

However:  in the Middle East, Cheshvan is planting time.  Nearer to the equator, the days are still long, and farmers spend the hours sowing seeds, wheat, barley and oats.  The rainy season comes, and nourishes the seeds, bringing us hope for a good harvest in the coming months.  How similar this is to our hope for the coming year – that our long trial of anxious waiting at home, and public work to effect change, will pay off in a more positive future, for our health and our country. We could use a little optimism.

Last week in the Shemini Atzeret liturgy, as Sukkot was ending, we recited a prayer for rain, following the tradition of our ancestors.  David Teutsch, in the Reconstructionist prayerbook Kol HaNeshamah, notes that rain is “a salvation symbol in our tradition”.  We prayed for rain to nourish the earth, for joy, blessing and wisdom from the Divine, and for a bounteous year:

With raindrops of Ancient light, illuminate the earth.

With raindrops of Blessing divine, please bless the earth.

With raindrops of Gleeful rejoicing, give joy to the earth.

With raindrops of Divine exultation, enrich the earth.

With raindrops of Heavenly splendor, give glory to the earth.

With raindrops of Wise assembly, let the earth be gathered.

With raindrops of Song and melody, make music through the earth.

With raindrops of Healing life, enable earth to live.

With raindrops of Timeless good, give goodness to the earth.

With raindrops of Your saving help, redeem the earth.

With raindrops of Caring nurturance, nourish the earth.

For You are the Fount of Life, our G-d, abundant in your saving acts, who makes the wind to blow and rain to fall.

For blessing, not for curse.

For living, not for death.

For plenty, not for dearth.[1]

As we hope for rain and abundance and goodness in the coming year, may our prayers be answered.  — Kirby

We will honor the Full Moon of Cheshvan on Sunday, November 1; and Rosh Chodesh Kislev on Tuesday, November 17.  Both walking meditations will begin at 7:30 am.  Contact us for location.  Social distancing will be observed; please wear a mask.

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[1] David Teutsch et al, ed. Kol HaNeshamah, Shabbat Vehagim (Sabbath and Festival Prayerbook).  Reconstructionist Press:  Elkins Park, PA 2002, p. 233-234.

Saturday, September 19.  Cool and clear morning, deer and mallows in the marsh.  Not a lot of words this morning; we are all headed into the strangest Rosh Hashanah we’ve known, distant and without friends and relations, except on Zoom; and we lost a much-revered and beloved champion last night.  We are aware of the presence of evil, learning how it works, what it sounds like, smells like.  When it seems like everything is as bad as it can be, it gets worse.  How can we go forward into this New Year with anything like the usual joy of holiday and tradition? The Fountainheads’ joyful celebration seems too much to bear.[1]

Our source Jill Hammer has a glimmer of hope for us, in her drash on the first day of the first month of the year, Tishrei:

In autumn, as leaves are withering, it is hard to believe life will ever grow again.  Yet beneath the earth, the cycle of life is beginning.  The wrinkled seed, buried after harvest, waits to sprout.  On Rosh Hashanah we discover that we too can blossom even after we have withered.

A legend tells that on Rosh Hashanah the Divine made the barren matriarch Sarah fertile, and she conceived from her husband Abraham.  We read the story of Isaac’s birth on the new year to celebrate this seeding of life.  Sarah, 90 years old, is like the soil of autumn:  outwardly dry and barren yet inwardly fecund.[2]

We talked later of the battle between good and evil, the seeds of the New Year, the ever-going resilience of nature, and our hope for the changes to come.  May we all find hope in the seeds we are planting, lying dormant while we work to prepare the soil for the year to come. —Kirby

We will honor the Full Moon of Tishrei on Friday, October 2, 2020, Erev Sukkot.  The next Rosh Chodesh walking meditation will be Monday, October 19, for Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan.  Both meetups will be at 7:30 am; contact us for location. Social distancing will be observed. Please wear a mask.

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[1] See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlcxEDy-lr0&list=RD_OULnzcWaJQ&index=20

[2] Rabbi Jill Hammer, The Jewish Book of Days, p.29.  See “Sources” tab for full citation.