Shabbat Shalom from Rabbi Arnow 8/28/2020
Dear Kol Rinah Family,
Have you ever read something out loud to a group and had there just be stunned silence afterward?
That was what happened today in Torah Talk, where we've been studying the 13th century work, "Gates of Repentance" (Shaarei Teshuvah), by Rabbeinu Yona of Gerondi (soft "g" I understand).
In discussing regret, which Rabbeinu Yona identifies as the first step of repentance, he writes that a person should regret their evil deeds and say to themselves:
And worse than [being cruel to my body], I was cruel to the dear soul and I rendered it impure with the idols of my impulse. And what did it gain from all of its acquisitions, if they are bad in the eyes of its Master? And how did I trade a passing world for a world that exists for ever and ever? How have I become similar to animals? As I have gone after my impulse like a horse, like a mule that does not understand. And I have strayed from the way of the intellect. And behold the Creator blew a living soul into my nose - a wise heart and the benefit of intellect - in order to recognize God and fear God and to govern over the body and all of its actions, like it governs over the other animals that do not speak, because it is precious in God's eyes. And though I was created like this, it has become the opposite of this in me. Why am I alive?... Moreover I have not [even] fulfilled the precept of the animal. Rather I have been lower than that. For the ox knows its master and the donkey the trough of its owner; whereas I have not known and not reflected. And I have sent my soul to be free from its master. So I have tasted my nectar, but forgotten my end. And I have stolen and extorted and trampled upon the indigent. I have not remembered the day of death, upon which nothing will remain before my soul besides my corpse and my dirt. (1:10)
After the silence, someone said, "heavy." This is heavy. Because it causes us, or at least it causes me, to really think and wonder if I'm following my impulses and forgotten what truly matters, forgotten the holiness that resides within me and my responsibility to nurture both the vessel--my body, and the reason for its being there.
Now, we each have a different sense of our deepest purpose. The reality or metaphor of there being a soul in each of us may not speak to us all the same. But the deeper question can resonate for all of us: "Am I using the gifts I have, my body, my spirit, as I really should? What are the ways I'm either wasting them or using them in fact in negative ways?"
Shabbat is a time not for building in space and time, but for building in the heart and soul. This Shabbat, we can build better selves, as we pause our doing and refocus on our inner lives.
Kol Rinah Brotherhood will be hosting a pre-Kabbalat Shabbat L'Chaim at 5:30pm in the same Zoom room (same link) as mincha and Kabbalat Shabbat. Join us for conversation and connection. BYOB.
Tonight at 6pm we'll have Mincha and Kabbalat Shabbat with Karen Kern, Rabbi Shafrin and me. We've been using Zoom breakout rooms to have some brief (four minute!) small group conversation on a Torah/life-related question during services. Check it out if you haven't joined us recently on a Friday night.
Candle lighting is at 7:18pm.
Tomorrow morning, as we wrote yesterday, we're so excited to offer streaming services from our brand new sanctuary beginning at 9:30am. The link is below, along with instructions for setting up your computer to stay on throughout Shabbat. The service will be somewhat abbreviated.
We are having a very limited group of in person folks this week; for everyone's safety, please do not come to the building this Shabbat unless you are one of the ten people invited to do so.
Shabbat ends at 8:15pm. Sunday you can join Melissa Bellows for Havdalah at 10am, and learn with me at 11:30am on the Torah of Cancel Culture, where we'll be looking at some legal texts around excommunication/ostracism and repentance.
Monday afternoon at noon Karen Kern will be sharing 30 minutes of music for Elul--join her for a wonderful heart-opening time.
Wednesday evening, at 7pm, Rabbi Mark Fasman will be teaching on the Shofar, in the second of our series of former Kol Rinah clergy. A special thank you to Rabbi Mordecai Miller for teaching this past week.
Finally, mazal tov to Jacob Kalachek on becoming a bar mitzvah this past Thursday. Mazal tov as well to parents Josh and Cindy, sister Ella, and grandmother Sylvia Silver! It was so wonderful to celebrate with you all.
Shabbat shalom and see you on Zoom/Livestreaming,
Rabbi Noah Arnow
Have you ever read something out loud to a group and had there just be stunned silence afterward?
That was what happened today in Torah Talk, where we've been studying the 13th century work, "Gates of Repentance" (Shaarei Teshuvah), by Rabbeinu Yona of Gerondi (soft "g" I understand).
In discussing regret, which Rabbeinu Yona identifies as the first step of repentance, he writes that a person should regret their evil deeds and say to themselves:
And worse than [being cruel to my body], I was cruel to the dear soul and I rendered it impure with the idols of my impulse. And what did it gain from all of its acquisitions, if they are bad in the eyes of its Master? And how did I trade a passing world for a world that exists for ever and ever? How have I become similar to animals? As I have gone after my impulse like a horse, like a mule that does not understand. And I have strayed from the way of the intellect. And behold the Creator blew a living soul into my nose - a wise heart and the benefit of intellect - in order to recognize God and fear God and to govern over the body and all of its actions, like it governs over the other animals that do not speak, because it is precious in God's eyes. And though I was created like this, it has become the opposite of this in me. Why am I alive?... Moreover I have not [even] fulfilled the precept of the animal. Rather I have been lower than that. For the ox knows its master and the donkey the trough of its owner; whereas I have not known and not reflected. And I have sent my soul to be free from its master. So I have tasted my nectar, but forgotten my end. And I have stolen and extorted and trampled upon the indigent. I have not remembered the day of death, upon which nothing will remain before my soul besides my corpse and my dirt. (1:10)
After the silence, someone said, "heavy." This is heavy. Because it causes us, or at least it causes me, to really think and wonder if I'm following my impulses and forgotten what truly matters, forgotten the holiness that resides within me and my responsibility to nurture both the vessel--my body, and the reason for its being there.
Now, we each have a different sense of our deepest purpose. The reality or metaphor of there being a soul in each of us may not speak to us all the same. But the deeper question can resonate for all of us: "Am I using the gifts I have, my body, my spirit, as I really should? What are the ways I'm either wasting them or using them in fact in negative ways?"
Shabbat is a time not for building in space and time, but for building in the heart and soul. This Shabbat, we can build better selves, as we pause our doing and refocus on our inner lives.
Kol Rinah Brotherhood will be hosting a pre-Kabbalat Shabbat L'Chaim at 5:30pm in the same Zoom room (same link) as mincha and Kabbalat Shabbat. Join us for conversation and connection. BYOB.
Tonight at 6pm we'll have Mincha and Kabbalat Shabbat with Karen Kern, Rabbi Shafrin and me. We've been using Zoom breakout rooms to have some brief (four minute!) small group conversation on a Torah/life-related question during services. Check it out if you haven't joined us recently on a Friday night.
Candle lighting is at 7:18pm.
Tomorrow morning, as we wrote yesterday, we're so excited to offer streaming services from our brand new sanctuary beginning at 9:30am. The link is below, along with instructions for setting up your computer to stay on throughout Shabbat. The service will be somewhat abbreviated.
We are having a very limited group of in person folks this week; for everyone's safety, please do not come to the building this Shabbat unless you are one of the ten people invited to do so.
Shabbat ends at 8:15pm. Sunday you can join Melissa Bellows for Havdalah at 10am, and learn with me at 11:30am on the Torah of Cancel Culture, where we'll be looking at some legal texts around excommunication/ostracism and repentance.
Monday afternoon at noon Karen Kern will be sharing 30 minutes of music for Elul--join her for a wonderful heart-opening time.
Wednesday evening, at 7pm, Rabbi Mark Fasman will be teaching on the Shofar, in the second of our series of former Kol Rinah clergy. A special thank you to Rabbi Mordecai Miller for teaching this past week.
Finally, mazal tov to Jacob Kalachek on becoming a bar mitzvah this past Thursday. Mazal tov as well to parents Josh and Cindy, sister Ella, and grandmother Sylvia Silver! It was so wonderful to celebrate with you all.
Shabbat shalom and see you on Zoom/Livestreaming,
Rabbi Noah Arnow
Fri, April 19 2024
11 Nisan 5784
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Fri, April 19 2024 11 Nisan 5784