 Dear Chevre, One of the things I love about congregations in general and
about Leyv Ha-Ir~Heart of the City in particular is how we hold the past,
present and future all at once. I love having known people in their prime who
are now at later stages of the life journey; their history is wrapped into
the community's living story and their contributions live on in the continuity
of the congregation. I love that we mentor young music directors and often give
opportunities to rabbinical students. We invest in the future of Judaism. Today in my chevruta (learning dyad -- I've had the same partner
for twenty years!) we were looking at a Hasidic teaching about the quote
"There is nothing new under the sun." I'm sure you've heard that
saying from Ecclesiastes. The teaching was that there is nothing new
under the sun, i.e., renewal is not in the realm of material
things. Rather, renewal comes from spiritual practices. Therefore, the
invitation is to root yourself in the Source. Rooted in the Source, both memory and imagination become
spiritual practices that connect us to our past and help us live into the
future. Do you make space in your life for remembering and for imagining? Do
you take time to re-read your diary, or write a memoir, or look at old photos
or to have a "conversation" with your ancestors? And do you get a
chance sometimes to do things imaginative like doodling or singing, water color,
fabric art or poetry, or have a "conversation" in which you are the
ancestor? Let's hear it for finding what is new that is not under the sun! With love, Rabbi Julie |
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