Rabbi Robin Damsky – Jewcology

Earth Etude for Elul 9: On the Mountain

September 4, 2022 No Comments

by Rabbi Robin Damsky Here I sit on top of the Mountain, watching the sunset. It is spectacular. Sunsets here always are. This one is that much more extraordinary as it tops off a powerful thunderstorm, a storm in which a vague sun was visible throughout, just trying to set and get ready for tomorrow. My partner and I moved to the Mountain in December. It’s a bit off the beaten path, but we wanted enough land to start a food forest, raise hens and design a meditation labyrinth of natives and pollinators, so we can teach Body-Spirit-Gaia: mindfulness, physical well being, regenerative agriculture, composting, permaculture… the work of Limitless Judaism. Being a Shmitah year , and simultaneously following a tenet of permaculture to watch the land for a year before you plant, we have been doing just that: watching. Shema teaches us to hear; there is also listening in our observance. We’re on a couple of acres. Blessed with no landscaping we have a blank canvas. In our watching we’ve decided to put in two cisterns since the well here doesn’t have heavy output. We’re considering a pond. And thinking where to put a high tunnel for the winter garden. All this beauty and possibility rests on the anxiety we’ve been living in these last few years: Covid, politics, the ever-shrinking sense of our democracy – which now includes less power in the EPA to regulate pollution – shootings, shootings, shootings with more and more loss of precious lives, racial issues, religious hatred… was it always like this? I don’t think so. Yet we have a sense of community here on the Mountain, a constant reminder of what is good and right, and the commitment to treat our earth with kindness and respect: feeding her, learning from her and with her, and bringing that discovery and wisdom to those we touch. The generosity of the earth is a model for our relationships with ourselves and one another. I suppose this year has been a kind of teshuvah. It has been a return to the land, watching her and letting her soak up her rest, and through her, learning more about resting ourselves. Certainly this is part of what the Shmitah year is all about, and now that she comes to a close, we ask: what lessons have we learned? What gifts can we take forward? What work is still in front of us to heal us within, in our bodies, souls and psyches? Our inner work fuels our connection with Havayah – the Divine Presence of All, and therefore extends our healing and growth to the beautiful Creation that is our very lifebreath. This is the work and the play of Elul. May we engage our process with compassion and diligence, and may we see our work of heshbon hanefesh – taking account – grow vital shoots from us that connect with the shoots of others, weaving a planet of goodness, kindness, well being and caring for all of Creation. Shanah Tovah. Identified by Kenissa https://kenissa.org an innovator redefining Jewish life, Rabbi Robin Damsky recently launched Limitless Judaism™ – a project of learning, movement, meditation, melody, art, tilling and tending that draws the lines of connection between our physical bodies, our spiritual expression and Gaia, our earth cosmos. She is also the Rabbi-In-Residence at Judea Reform Congregation in Durham. She lives in on Thunder Mountain in Efland, NC.

Earth Etude for Elul 19: It’s All About the Soil

August 26, 2021 No Comments

by Rabbi Robin Damsky “It’s All About the Soil.” So reads the headline for a website discussing regenerative agriculture. I’m torn between fear and possibility. Evidence of climate change worsens every place we breathe. I read several summaries of the most recent UN report on the climate crisis in which Antonio Guterres declares a “code red for humanity.” Yikes. I’ve always believed we have the power to heal our planet. I still do. But the window of opportunity is getting smaller and the actions we must take are more substantive. There are a bunch of terrifying data in the news. Most of what we need to heal seems out of my/our reach unless governments take a radical look forward and make change accordingly. And then I read about methane gas. We’ve known about carbon neutrality, and it is critical. Yet emissions of methane gas are skyrocketing as well. With large-scale plant [read: traditional one crop farming using pesticides and herbicides] and animal production, methane gas is released into the atmosphere at a far higher rate than it can be captured. Methane creates more than 80 times the planet-warming power of carbon dioxide in the short term. Operative words here: short term. Why? Because addressing methane release feels more immediately within my – and our – reach. It’s all about the soil. Regenerating the soil reduces both carbon and methane emissions. And let’s us breathe. I’ve been growing food for years, and I invest in teaching others to do the same. In May I saw Kiss the Ground, a remarkable movie about regenerative agriculture. While it has far-reaching effects for farming around the globe, not all of us have animal farms. But most of us can have a garden. In their short video, Ron Finley and Rosario Dawson teach us about food gardens, known during WWII as Victory Gardens. Today these home gardens have a place in helping us achieve victory over the warming of our planet. They share these five simple steps to heal the soil and thus, slow – and on a large enough scale, even cease – global warming: Ditch the chemicals Keep the soil covered – with plants! Encourage biodiversity Grow food Compost What if each of us took a small space in our yard – or if we’re in the city – on our terrace or rooftop, and grew vegetables, fruits, herbs? A small bed produces lots of food. And potted plants produce well, too. I’ve been growing food in containers the last few years and the results are awesome. We can start small and still bring powerful results. We are earth beings. Genesis teaches us that “Adam” is the human being that Havayah – the Divine – brought forth from the “adamah” – the earth; the soil. We are literally earth beings. We are the soil. Let’s make the commitment to engage in regenerating our soil, ourselves and our future. Rabbi Robin Damsky has recently launched Limitless Judaism, a project of learning, movement, meditation, melody and practice that draws the lines of connection between our physical bodies, our spiritual expression and Gaia, our earth-cosmos. Embracing this connection, we heal and grow ourselves as we heal and grow our planet. She is also the founder of In the Gardens, a nonprofit that works to enhance health and well-being through organic edible garden design and mindfulness practice. Reach her at: .

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Author: Rabbi Robin Damsky

Earth Etude for Elul 9: On the Mountain

Earth Etude for Elul 19: It’s All About the Soil

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