Earth Etudes for Elul 5784 Begin!

NOTE: This is the last post on this blog. Future posts can be found on the Ma'yan Tikvah website.

 

by Rabbi Katy Z. Allen

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 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 written by 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.

This year’s Earth Etudes for Elul are a collaboration between Jewcology, Limitless Judaism, Ma’yan Tikvah, and Jewish Climate Action Network – MA, and will be posted every evening on Jewcology.org [All Etudes 5784] starting with Elul 1 on Tuesday evening, September 3. They will also be posted at www.mayantikvah.org (but are a bit late in getting started). Graphics and Links to the Etudes will be posted on [Facebook] the following morning. Selected etudes will also be posted at jewishclimate.org and limitlessjudaism.com, and in the newsletters of the BTS center.

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 Robin Damsky

Susan Levine

What Does it Take to Pause and Rest - Parashat Ki Tisa

by Rabbi Katy Allen

Do we have the courage to pause and rest?

G!d spoke to Moses on the mountaintop and commanded the Israelites to stop working for a day, to have a day of complete rest. And the next thing we read is that the israelites grew impatient because Moses was gone too long, so they built and started worshiping a golden calf.

What is it about the idea of resting that is so threatening that we must immediately abandon our faith and trust in all that is sacred and turn toward the material in life? 

Stopping, getting out of the rat race, out of the safety of our routine and our busyness is frightening. It opens doors to the unknown. If we stop, truly stop, we might discover within ourselves an untapped spiritual power, a new awareness that might challenge us and force us to change and grow. 

What might that mean for our lives? Where will we be then? 

Take a deep breath, pause, and find your power. You can handle it.

Shabbat shalom,

Rabbi Katy

Rabbi Katy Allen is the founder and rabbi of Ma'yan Tikvah - A Wellspring of Hope, which holds services outdoors all year long and has a growing children’s outdoor learning program, Y’ladim BaTeva. She is the co-founder of the Jewish Climate Action Network-MA, a board certified chaplain, and a former hospital and hospice chaplain. She received her ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion in  Yonkers, NY, in 2005. She is the author of A Tree of Life: A Story in Word, Image, and Text and lives in Wayland, MA, with her spouse, Gabi Mezger.