Refuge from Numbness by Anonymous ~In Genesis, G-d calls out to the Human, Ayeka, Where are you? However, where do we find Earth’s call for Humanity? How do we reconnect with our first potential soulmate, ADAM to ADAMAH? Amidst the stress, heartbreak, and numbness of daily life, how do we connect
Jewish Foraging: What we give, what we take, praising our past, ensuring our future by Rabbi Michael Birnholz ~In the 1990s I was a counselor at URJ Camp Coleman. Now in a later part of my life, ordained as a Rabbi, with a family of my own, I have been
Onyinyechi (“Gift of God”) by Asher Hillel Burstein ~Blood-red light on a golden chainHangs low and onto me, overflowsLike a waterfall, I drown in its millionLambent drops formed at the other endOf the Earth, I am but a speckle butThe fiery stone holds the world entire inHer field where God,
You Shall Teach Them to Your Children by Rebecca Heisler ~ For many, Tisha b’Av is an arrow pointing towards the start of the cycle of teshuvah, that leads us through Elul and into Tishrei. The themes, questions, and prayers of this holiday can lead us to find meaning and
Rosh HaShanah in the Northern Latitudes by Louise Quigley (Written in a year when Rosh Hashanah, the Autumn equinox, and the first killing frost in the garden all came together)Now frost-blighted fuchsias start to rot,crumpled tomatoes sag against their poles,and sap’s ebb spreads across the leaves like gold;dark outlasts day
Turbulence Within and Without by Rabbi David Seidenberg Rabbi Nachman of Breslow taught: The divine name “YOU” (in Hebrew “Atah“) is propitious over the sea to calm the waves. This is the inner meaning of the verse “YOU (Atah) rule over the magnificence/swelling (gay-ut) of the sea; in lifting its
Based on increasingly dire warnings from climate experts and a significant increase in the frequency and severity of climate events, it is clear that the world faces great danger from climate change. As discussed below, averting a climate catastrophe depends very much on a major societal shift to plant-based diets.
Healing the Soil, Healing the Soul by Rabbi Robin Damsky ~ I live a life of privilege. From being a single mother, I have a student loan debt for myself and my daughter that would take 20 debt cancellations to settle. I am approaching Medicare age and my hair thins
A New Way to Do Teshuvah by Maxine Lyons ~Doing teshuvah means to me being responsible for turning toward my better or higher self to improve personal relationships and as well as performing my share for all beings in this coming year. I feel more responsible to contribute to and join others
Selichot [forgiveness] by De Fischler Herman ~What is the color of forgiveness? Is it pink, delicate as the bloom of a Peace rose? Is it green, refreshing like the mist from the sparkling sea? Is it red, warm as the rock in the desert sand? Is it yellow, bright as
On Green Burials by Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin ~For seventy years this earth has cared for me. It has sustained my body with gifts from its own; given me firm places to take a stand and soft places to lay my head; it has thrilled me and comforted me, delighted
Learning Turning from the World of Plants by Nina Judith Katz ~I like to spend time playing with plants, both in the woods and in the garden. There is something profoundly grounding about connecting deeply with the earth, whether through my feet feeling the tree roots as I walk a
Embracing Change or the Muck at the Bottom of the Pond by Rabbi Judy Kummer ~Change doesn’t come easy for most of us. Many know the joke about the Buddhist monk who says to a hot dog vendor: “Make me one with everything.” Chuckling, the vendor assembles the hot dog,
For Gentle Change by Rabbi Ora Nitkin-Kaner The term ‘climate change’ can feel overly vague in part because of the ambiguity of the word ‘change.’ Change can come quickly or slowly. Change can feel welcome or catastrophic. Change can be the result of concerted, value-based effort—teshuvah—or carry the blunt force
Skit: Can Humans Be a Blessing? by Bill Witherspoon Historical note: The Green Team at Congregation Bet Haverim, Atlanta created a lay-led service on July 15, 2022, called “Blessings on the Climate.” Our guest d’var presenter was meteorologist and JCAN-GA advisor Mark Papier. To balance Mark’s serious (also hopeful) message,
Growth and Re-Growth by Rabbi Shahar Colt ~I used to work in a building next to what appeared to be an abandoned parking lot. Mostly it was a sheet of broken up concrete. The lines separating parking spaces were barely visible, and a huge tree stood somewhere near the center.
50 Years Later, the Work Continues by Rabbi Susan Elkodsi ~When I was in junior high, I was in the Environment Club, and one of our activities was a monthly recycling drive for newspapers and magazines. People would save them, bring them to the school, and we’d load up the
Objects as Storytellers: CoEvolving with Thomas Berry by Cara Judea Alhadeff, Ph.D. This video excerpt made with Jay Canode and Shahab Zagari plays with the absurdity and complexity of our consumption-obsessed, waste-oblivious society–particularly in the midst of greenwashing, environmental racism / green colonialism, and the fallacious “renewable” energies movement. Dancing
Living in a Fragile World: A Torah Godly Play Story by Rabbi Michael Shire ~I wonder if you have ever looked up at the night sky and wondered how big it is…how far it stretches…..how immense the universe is……? Or how there are thousands upon thousands of suns, stars, planets
If you come across a bird’s nest on any tree or on the ground, and it contains baby birds or eggs, then, if the mother is sitting on the chicks or eggs, you must not take the mother along with her young. You must first chase away the mother,
