Patriots' Day Evening - Day 21 of the Omer

By Rabbi Katy Z. Allen

Patriots' Day in Boston is filled with symbolism: remembering and appreciating the amazing efforts of determined and seemingly fearless people who put their lives on the line that a new and different order might be created in this land; gathering by the thousands from across the country and the world to run a long and difficult race - a race against a time clock, a conversation with mortality, a simple statement of determination; and even on the chilliest of April days, springtime, a time of rebirth and new growth and hope. Patriots' Day is all of this and so much more.

But today, all of that was shattered, replaced by fear, anger, and grief. And yet, there was and is more. At the hospital where I work, everyone wanted to help. Help was sorely needed, but sometimes too many of us were ready to step up to the plate. It was easy to be in the way instead of being helpful. I have no doubt that this scene was repeated all across Boston and beyond. Our immediate response to the pain of this day is to want to help. And it can be difficult to figure out just what to do, where to go, whom to help.

Tonight at sunset began the 21st day of the Omer, the counting of the days from Passover to Shavuot, from redemption to revelation. The mystical symbolism of this day is Malchut she b'Tifereth, Leadership in Compassion. On this particular day, this 21st day of the Omer in the year 5773, of all days, we need to allow our sense of compassion to remain with us and not let it get transformed into fear or anger or guilt or despair. That is the leadership role that each and every one of us can take. If we hold onto our compassion through today and through tomorrow and the next day and the next and on into the future, then we are doing something truly useful in response to this tragedy, then we are helping, no matter how far or how close we are to the scene and the individuals directly involved.

  

It isn't easy to maintain such leadership in compassion, so we need to take care of ourselves, too. We need to know that our own loved ones are, please G!d, safe and healthy. We need to remained connected to the faith and strength and steadiness deep within ourselves. We need to hold ourselves tightly in an eternal embrace. When our hearts threaten to be overwhelmed, let us step out into the darkness of the night to see the Moon and the stars. They are still there. They have not gone away. Their lights still shine forth, from within themselves or reflected from the light of the Sun. 

Let us allow the sight of the Moon and the stars to remind us that there is steadiness in the Universe and that we are being held and loved and supported by something larger and greater than ourselves, by the Source of Strength and Courage and Comfort in the Universe

May the One who makes peace in the heavens, bring peace upon us and upon all the world. May those in need of comfort feel held and embraced, and may each and every one of us find the strength we need to continue to lead the world with compassion.

Days 18 and 19 of the Omer

Friday Night: Endurance in Harmony / Beauty. Day 18 of the Omer, 2 weeks and 4 days. The leaves of this sapling are still clinging tightly to its branches, staying put all through the long cold winter. They still haven't dropped to the ground, and soon the buds will burst open with tiny new green leaves. It is the way of this species. It is the pattern, the harmony, the beauty of it, and something that sets it apart. May we, too, have our own unique endurance, filled with beauty, a personal measure of harmony in our world.

Saturday Night: Hod she B'Tifereth, Humility / Awe / Splendor in Beauty / Compassion. Day 19 of the Omer, 2 weeks and 5 days. When the awesome, wondrous pileated woodpecker, a very large and splendid bird with a bright red cap, starts pounding in the tree, the beauty and wonder of the world are readily apparent. Yet the bird is just going about its business of living. As we go about our business of living, may we, too, inspire awe in the beauty and wonder of the universe, ans may our simple actions express more meaning than is readily apparent. [Note: You can follow every day of the Omer on Instagram at mayantikvah.]

Days 15 of the Omer

by Rabbi Katy Z. Allen

Loving Kindness in Compassion, Day 15 of Omer, 2 weeks and 1 day. The first of the peas have sprouted! With what loving kindness I planted them, working hard to express my compassion for the Earth in how I set up my garden. The loving kindness and compassion of the Holy One of Blessing is expressed with every seed that sprouts, every flower that blooms, every new creature that comes into being, from tiny bacteria to giant blue whales, loving kindness in compassion multiplied again and again and again in every corner and nook and cranny of the universe.

Day 4 of the Omer, Endurance in Lovingkindness. The spring flowers are just poking up, the first new green of the year. But this pine and other evergreens have never given up their green, and kept color in the winter landscape. Such endurance is in their genes, their needles protected from desiccation. The Holy One, too endures, never removing from us the gift of lovingkindness. May we feel it with us always. 

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Katy Z. Allen

Parshat Sh'mot - Heirloom Seeds, our Ancestors, and Friendship

by Rabbi Katy Z. Allen

My first seeds from the Seed Library arrived in the mail today, part of a gift membership that I had given to myself. Gift packets to my two sons arrived in their mail as well. The packet is artistic, aesthetic, and pleasing not only to the eye, but also to the heart and the soul. Every packet is designed by a different artist. Inside are heirloom seeds, in the one I received are Purple Podded Peas. These are peas that grow 5-6 feet high, have scarlet blossoms, and produce dried peas good for soups and other winter dishes. I am reminded of the scarlet runner beans my father always planted in his garden, also tall pole beans with bright flowers. They were, if my memory serves me correctly, a reminder to him of the garden of his childhood, which was critical to his family for their dinner table all year long.

This week's Torah portion, Sh'mot, begins, "These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each coming with his household," and then the text goes on to list them.

We are beginning a new book of the Torah this week, and a whole new story. Up until now, in the book of Genesis, we read of the creation of the world and the personal and family stories of our ancestors, from Adam and Eve, to Noah, to Abraham and Sarah, and eventually to Joseph. These were personal stories of struggle and death and survival and connection to the Creator. Now, in Exodus, the story changes. "A new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph." The Israelites become a people, they are enslaved by Pharaoh, driven hard by taskmasters, redeemed from bondage, experience revelation at Sinai, and wander in the desert. 

What did Abraham, Rebecca, Rachel, Joseph or any of our other Biblical ancestors know of this story of enslavement, redemption, and revelation? They knew nothing. They had no idea of what the future would bring. But when the story shifts, and a new story begins in this new book, the first thing the Torah reminds us of is all of those in the last generation of the previous story. We begin by naming those who came before us. We begin by remembering our ancestors. And then the story continues.

I shared a lovely pot-luck breakfast with three Transition Wayland friends last week, and we talked seeds. We shared knowledge, dreams, plans, and hopes. We agreed to share seeds. We deepened friendships.

My new garden bed asleep for the winter

And then, today, in my mail, arrived heirloom seeds. Seeds from generations past. These will go into my garden in spring, and along with them will go memories of my father's garden in my childhood, and the knowledge of memories of my grandfather's garden in my father's childhood, along with a memory of my uncle's garden. Planting my newly expanded vegetable garden is physical, but also spiritual. I work my body, I (hopefully!) will feed my body, but I also, with every shovelful of dirt and every seed that enters the ground, nourish my soul and connect myself to all those who have gone before me, whether related or not, who worked the soil, planted the same (or different) kinds of seeds I will plant, and nourished themselves and their families from the Earth they tilled.

As Thomas Berry tells us, we need a new story, the old stories don't work any more. And as  climate scientists around the world tell us, we are entering into a new story (for example), into a new era, an era of runaway climate change, of "peak everything" and beyond, and, like the characters that populate the Book of Genesis, we have no idea what the coming story will be. And so, let us name our ancestors, let us plant their seeds, let us grow friendships together with our gardens, and let us hold in our hearts the faith that if we experience again enslavement, that we will also experience again both redemption and revelation.

May the year 2013 of the Common Era bring you strength, healing, peace, and a story that nourishes your spirit and your soul.

Thinking about Shabbat

Thanks to my friend and colleague Rabbi Anne Heath, I have just been reading a blog by Rabbi Rami Shapiro to a new rabbi. I quote:

Resting on Shabbat matters because working 60-80 hours a week is killing us. Not shopping on Shabbat matters because consumerism is killing us. Pesach matters not because we were slaves to Egypt's Pharaoh, but because we are slaves to the Pharaohs of the military-industrial-financial-media complex.

Shabbat is beginning. What do you or will you do to observe and celebrate this day? Traditional Judiasm teaches us many things that we are traditionally commanded to do and not to do on Shabbat. But in today's world, we are free to find our own way. What makes Shabbat special for you? What could make it special if it is not already? What is it that don't you have time to do during the week? What would it take to set aside time between sundown on Friday and nightfall on Saturday to do / not do what matters most to you?

I invite you, I challenge you, I encourage you -- find a way to make Shabbat a special day for you and your family, a day when your blood pressure goes down notch, a day when you smile and laugh more, a day to help you refresh and renew your body and your soul. And I also invite you, challenge you, and encourage you to give this day a Jewish flavor. Lighting candles on Friday evening can touch your heart. Setting aside a few moments for prayer can touch your soul. Gathering with family and friends can touch your sense of community. There are a myriad of ways to bring a sense of Shabbat and Judaism into your day. May you find one or many, and may you feel strengthened and renewed in the process.

Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Katy Allen

Food Challenge Day 7

by Rabbi Katy Z. Allen

Today is the last day of my personal Food Challenge, focusing on and thinking about food and all the issues that came to my mind as a result.

Reflection - action - reflection. This is the process by which I learned the art of being a chaplain. And it is a process that is well suited to learning anything. And so I have been reflecting, and now it is time to turn my thoughts toward action. Yesterday, I spoke about personal actions, at the household level. Each of us can reflect and take action on our own personal food habits and try to make improvements that positively impact us, our community, and our planet. Today, I am thinking about action at the community level. 

Here is my thought. Recently, I learned about Growing Places Garden Project. This non-profit organization, based in Clinton, MA strives 

"to improve the food security and nutrition education of people with limited economic means. We do this by providing vegetable gardens and nutrition education so that people can grow food on their own and become more conscientious about their nutrition.

Our goal is to grow proficient gardeners who maintain their gardens on their own and, through our encouragement and support, continue to grow fresh, healthy food for themselves and their loved ones year after year."

Basically, they build gardens for those struggling with poverty and teach them how to garden. The pluses are many: more food for the hungry, healthy food for them, and gifts to the planet at the same time. It is about giving people a fishing pole and teaching them to fish instead of giving them a fish.

I am newly renewing my efforts and energy at gardening, and loving every minute of it (thanks to inspiration and support from Renee Bolivar of Gardens by Renee and my friends Kaat and Rebecca as well as the resiliency message of Transition). Growing Places Garden Project has a limited geographic area, and Wayland, as well as Framingham and Natick, are outside that area. I would love to find a core group of people who would like to work to get GPGP to extend their project into our area, so that we, too, can help build new gardens, create new gardeners, connect people to the Earth, and feed more people with more good food. 

The words of Rabbi Tarfon come to mind: "It is not upon you to complete the task, but neither are you free to absolve yourself from it." (Pirke Avot 2:21) We do not have to save the whole world, but we also cannot sit idly by, eating everything in sight, eating without realizing how connected we are to the world, throwing away food, and more. Instead, let us understand that eating has the capability of being a form of prayer and strive to make it so. Let us eat thoughtfully and in reasonable quantities. Let us strive to eat in ways that are kind to the planet. Let us engage in meaningful efforts to remove hunger from the world.

I invite you to share your thoughts and ideas about how to help with food issues at the community level, and if you are interested in Growing Places Garden Project or have another idea you'd like to help launch, please be in touch.

Shavua tov -- may your week be filled with many blessings.

P.S. If you want to read one woman's story of her family's summer-long engagement with the Food Stamp Challenge, check out this blog.