The moon is waning once again, this time telling us that we
are approaching the Jewish month of Elul, and this year, the American holiday
of Labor Day. Here in Massachusetts ,
the heat and drought continue, making it hard to believe that summer will soon
be over. But sunset arrives earlier, Shabbat evenings are longer and Shabbat
days are shorter, the nights are sometimes cool, and we know in our minds, even
if not our hearts, that summer cannot go on forever.
We may wonder - or not - about the drought. Someone told me
today that it is putting her on edge. What does it mean for us? What kind of
message is it to us about our global future?
Elul is a time for reflection, a time for teshuvah, return
to G!d and to our best selves, in preparation for the Days of Awe, the holiest
time in our calendar. What does teshuvah mean for us in this new era of climate
disruption? How do we become the best we need to be for humanity and our planet,
within the confines of our physical being and the social structures of our
modern world?
There are no easy answers to these questions, but the Earth
Etudes for Elul, reflections on teshuvah and Earth by members and friends of Ma'yan
Tikvah - rabbis, environmentalists, regular people, gardeners, poets - can
provide food for thought during this sacred time of year, this time of the
turning of the seasons and the turning of our calendars. The Earth Etudes for
Elul will be posted here each evening starting with Elul 1 this Saturday night,
and you can use the form on the right to sign up to get them in your mailbox
daily.
May your journey through this season be rich, meaningful, and
deep, and may you discover within yourself new and powerful resources for
confronting the challenges of life.
Chodesh tov - may you have a good month,
Rabbi Katy Z. Allen
Rabbi Katy Z. is
a board certified chaplain and serves as an Eco-Chaplain and the Facilitator of One Earth Collaborative, a
program of Open Spirit.
She is the founder and rabbi of Ma'yan
Tikvah - A Wellspring of Hope, which holds services outdoors all
year long, the co-founder and President pro-tem of the
Boston-based Jewish Climate Action
Network, and a hospice chaplain at CareGroup Parmenter Hospice. She
received her ordination from the Academy
for Jewish Religion in 2005.
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