The views and opinions expressed in the d'vrei Earth represent those of the author.
by Rabbi Katy Allen
Do we have the courage to pause and rest?G!d spoke to Moses on the mountaintop and commanded the Israelites to stop working for a day, to have a day of complete rest. And the next thing we read is that the israelites grew impatient because Moses was gone too long, so they built and started worshiping a golden calf.
What is it about the idea of resting that is so threatening that we must immediately abandon our faith and trust in all that is sacred and turn toward the material in life?
Stopping, getting out of the rat race, out of the safety of our routine and our busyness is frightening. It opens doors to the unknown. If we stop, truly stop, we might discover within ourselves an untapped spiritual power, a new awareness that might challenge us and force us to change and grow.
What might that mean for our lives? Where will we be then?
Take a deep breath, pause, and find your power. You can handle it.
Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Katy
Rabbi Katy Allen is the founder and rabbi of Ma'yan Tikvah - A Wellspring of Hope, which holds services outdoors all year long and has a growing children’s outdoor learning program, Y’ladim BaTeva. She is the co-founder of the Jewish Climate Action Network-MA, a board certified chaplain, and a former hospital and hospice chaplain. She received her ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion in Yonkers, NY, in 2005. She is the author of A Tree of Life: A Story in Word, Image, and Text and lives in Wayland, MA, with her spouse, Gabi Mezger.
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by Rabbi Katy Z. Allen
We have, to date, failed to stop the runaway train of climate change. On this holiest day of the Jewish calendar, we must ask ourselves, How can we find and extract beauty from the pain of our failure? What does it take for us to put love, compassion, and hope at the center of our lives, and in the process transform both ourselves and the world around us into something far more beautiful than anything we have known before?
Part of what it takes is determination and an unwillingness to give up. We can learn something about determination from mushrooms, which push their way up through whatever is needed in order for their fruiting bodies to reach the air.
Katy Z. AllenWe can learn something of determination from seedlings and from trees.
Mary North AllenWe can learn something of determination from the history of the Jewish people. After the destruction of the ancient Temple in Jerusalem two millenia ago, the ancient rabbis refused to accept defeat, and transformed their religion into something that would work in the diaspora and without a central place of worship. It was out of the ashes of the destruction of the Temple that the Rabbinic Judaism we live today was born, a deep collective act of turning pain into beauty.We can learn something of determination from the rebirth of the Jewish people after the tragedy of the Holocaust. So many survivors refused to let their spirits die, but to go on living, and, each in his or her own way, to create.a small, perhaps imperfect, oasis of beauty, the essence of life.
On this holy day, and every day, what keeps you determined to live with love, compassion, and hope?
Rabbi Katy Allen is the founder and rabbi of Ma'yan Tikvah - A Wellspring of Hope, which holds services outdoors all year long and has a growing children’s outdoor learning program, Y’ladim BaTeva. She is the founder of the Jewish Climate Action Network-MA, a board certified chaplain, and a former hospital and hospice chaplain. She received her ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion in Yonkers, NY, in 2005. She is the author of A Tree of Life: A Story in Word, Image, and Text and lives in Wayland, MA, with her spouse, Gabi Mezger, who leads the.singing at Ma'yan Tikvah.by Rabbi Katy Z. Allen
Like heat and like hope, love and compassion are also invisible. And like them as well, we can also feel them. We know when they are in the room with us.
Alex Tait for Fine ActsLove and compassion are powerful tools in the journey from pain to beauty. They give us strength. They give us courage. They give us meaning. El Harachamim, G!d of Mercy, G!d of Compassion. HaRachaman, The Merciful One, The Compassionate One. These are names we give to That Which Is Beyond Our Comprehension, especially at this time of year when we are seeking forgiveness. It is a comforting vision of G!d that can help us forgive ourselves, which may often be the first step toward forgiving others, and toward turning pain into beauty.
Compassion and love go hand-in-hand. We are commanded each day, You shall love the Holy One, your G!d, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your might. Can we love because we are commanded to? Perhaps not. But reminding ourselves each day to love something we can't see or fully comprehend can also be a reminder to love ourselves, and each other.Love and compassion. Are you willing to risk them?Rabbi Katy Allen is the founder and rabbi of Ma'yan Tikvah - A Wellspring of Hope, which holds services outdoors all year long and has a growing children’s outdoor learning program, Y’ladim BaTeva. She is the founder of the Jewish Climate Action Network-MA, a board certified chaplain, and a former hospital and hospice chaplain. She received her ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion in Yonkers, NY, in 2005. She is the author of A Tree of Life: A Story in Word, Image, and Text and lives in Wayland, MA, with her spouse, Gabi Mezger, who leads the.singing at Ma'yan Tikvah.
The above are examples of Divrei Earth - spiritual wisdom from Earth and Torah, in the blog written by Rabbi Katy Allen and members and friends of Ma'yan Tikvah.
Divrei Earth - literally words of Earth, provide reflections on the weekly Torah portion, as well as Earth Etudes for Elul, reflections in preparation for the New Year during the month leading up to Rosh Hashanah, and Counting the Omer, reflections on Earth and Torah from Passover to Shavuot.
CLICK HERE to view the blog, where you can subscribe to receive the posts via email.
Thank you to Lisa Wangsness at The Boston Globe for the fantastic article about Ma'yan Tikvah! Check it out here.
CLICK HERE to find 13 environmental tips with accompanying texts and commentary by Rabbi Katy Allen.
Webinar : A Transformation from Environamental Grief to Environmental Action
Watch Eden Keeper Webinar, "A Transformation from Environmental Grief to Environmental Action." During this half-hour video, Director Robin Purchia hosts Rabbi Katy and the two discuss grief, the management of feelings of loss, and how to tranform our dark inner places into joy and a spiritual connection to the environment.
Are you feeling a bit blue? Wondering about meaning? Despairing about the state of the world? Here are a few suggestions to help yourself get re-grounded spiritually.