Friday, May 14, 12-1

We began last week’s discussion of the remainder of Chapter 10 of Dancing in God’s Earthquake by considering Waskow’s call for ”civic competence” including training in the practice of non-violent resistance to illegitimate uses of power.   We discussed several of his suggestions that involved less rote recitation of ancient liturgy and more public acts that implemented religious values  (e.g., during the Passover festival of Jewish liberation, we could write letters on behalf of those who are inappropriately incarcerated; at Chanukkah’s Festival of Lights, we could examine ways of providing heat and light to families who cannot afford such utilities).

Moving on to Chapter 11, and Waskow’s exploration of Biblical genocides, we discussed some of the forms of passive resistance to Pharaoh’s efforts to exterminate the Israelites.  Noting how we are all affected by the sins of the powerful and we are responsible for preventing them, Waskow went on to note that the Torah responds differently to genocides perpetrated against the Jews as opposed to genocides carried out by Jews.  We discussed incidents in the Book of Numbers where God commanded Moses to essentially wipe out the Midianites because of the threats they posed to Jewish forms of worship and practice (presumably Midianite women were sexually and spiritually seducing Israelite men).  Moses carries out this request for what might now be called ”ethnic cleansing.”  We concluded our session at the point that Waskow asked his modern readers ”What are we to do with such a story that appears in our sacred text?” 

This week, we’ll conclude our discussion of Chapter 11 with a look at some of the lessons Waskow says he learned when he connected the passages about the Midianite genocide in light of the claims made by some African-American groups that the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinians amounted to a form of genocide. We will also consider Waskow’s Coda (pp. 182-192).  If time permits, we will begin a more general discussion of the Jewish Renewal Movement with which Arthur Waskow is associated.   Those discussions which will continue for the next few weeks will be based, in part, on information contained on the following links 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Renewal#:~:text=The%20term%20also%20refers%20to,as%20egalitarianism%2C%20environmentalism%20and%20pacifism.

https://www.aleph.org/what-is-jewish-renewal

 Our informal discussion group is held online every Friday from 12-1.  All are welcome to join us, regardless of their level of expertise or attendance at previous noon study group discussions.   If you have questions, or would like the Zoom link, please contact Jay Jacoby at  jbjacoby@uncc.edu.

Join us for Shabbat morning services via Zoom every other Saturday morning at 10:00am.

Join the service by going to Our Virtual Community here, then scroll down and click on the blue Saturday Morning Service button.

Just as healthy foods nourish us through the blood stream, so Jewish meditation nourishes our “soul stream.” Meditation can be transformative, taking us from the intellectual awareness of ourselves to a deeper spiritual practice that links us to Judaism in the most profound way. Each mitzvah, holy day and cycle of life has its own rhythm, nuance, taste and character. Jewish meditation is a practice of infusing their essence into our daily spiritual lives.

Ready to give it a try? Join us via Zoom (every Sunday from 2:30pm – 4pm. No previous meditation experience necessary.  This opportunity is free and open to all. Please contact Linda Wolf at linda@networktype.com for the online meeting information.

Friday, May 14, 12-1

We began last week’s discussion of the remainder of Chapter 10 of Dancing in God’s Earthquake by considering Waskow’s call for ”civic competence” including training in the practice of non-violent resistance to illegitimate uses of power.   We discussed several of his suggestions that involved less rote recitation of ancient liturgy and more public acts that implemented religious values  (e.g., during the Passover festival of Jewish liberation, we could write letters on behalf of those who are inappropriately incarcerated; at Chanukkah’s Festival of Lights, we could examine ways of providing heat and light to families who cannot afford such utilities).

Moving on to Chapter 11, and Waskow’s exploration of Biblical genocides, we discussed some of the forms of passive resistance to Pharaoh’s efforts to exterminate the Israelites.  Noting how we are all affected by the sins of the powerful and we are responsible for preventing them, Waskow went on to note that the Torah responds differently to genocides perpetrated against the Jews as opposed to genocides carried out by Jews.  We discussed incidents in the Book of Numbers where God commanded Moses to essentially wipe out the Midianites because of the threats they posed to Jewish forms of worship and practice (presumably Midianite women were sexually and spiritually seducing Israelite men).  Moses carries out this request for what might now be called ”ethnic cleansing.”  We concluded our session at the point that Waskow asked his modern readers ”What are we to do with such a story that appears in our sacred text?” 

This week, we’ll conclude our discussion of Chapter 11 with a look at some of the lessons Waskow says he learned when he connected the passages about the Midianite genocide in light of the claims made by some African-American groups that the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinians amounted to a form of genocide. We will also consider Waskow’s Coda (pp. 182-192).  If time permits, we will begin a more general discussion of the Jewish Renewal Movement with which Arthur Waskow is associated.   Those discussions which will continue for the next few weeks will be based, in part, on information contained on the following links 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Renewal#:~:text=The%20term%20also%20refers%20to,as%20egalitarianism%2C%20environmentalism%20and%20pacifism.

https://www.aleph.org/what-is-jewish-renewal

 Our informal discussion group is held online every Friday from 12-1.  All are welcome to join us, regardless of their level of expertise or attendance at previous noon study group discussions.   If you have questions, or would like the Zoom link, please contact Jay Jacoby at  jbjacoby@uncc.edu.

With services unavoidably cancelled, the Ritual Committee is working hard to find ways we can support each other as a community when we can’t be together in person. It’s very distressing to be unable to say Kaddish for a loved one, or to contemplate not sharing a Seder meal with friends and family. We’d like to share with you some plans we have for filling these gaps in our lives.

Please join us for Kabbalat Shabbat services via Zoom.  As long as at least 10 adults log in, we’ll be able to say Kaddish, so please consider attending, even if you’re not a Friday night regular.

You can join the service by going to Our Virtual Community here, then scroll down and click on the blue Kabbalat Shabbat Service button.

If you’d like to borrow a siddur for use at home while services are cancelled, we’ll be happy to lend you one!  Please contact the office for details.

Join Justin Goldstein for an hour of Torah study and discussion of the week’s Torah portion.

All are welcome, link to join the Zoom meeting here.

Friday, May 14, 12-1

We began last week’s discussion of the remainder of Chapter 10 of Dancing in God’s Earthquake by considering Waskow’s call for ”civic competence” including training in the practice of non-violent resistance to illegitimate uses of power.   We discussed several of his suggestions that involved less rote recitation of ancient liturgy and more public acts that implemented religious values  (e.g., during the Passover festival of Jewish liberation, we could write letters on behalf of those who are inappropriately incarcerated; at Chanukkah’s Festival of Lights, we could examine ways of providing heat and light to families who cannot afford such utilities).

Moving on to Chapter 11, and Waskow’s exploration of Biblical genocides, we discussed some of the forms of passive resistance to Pharaoh’s efforts to exterminate the Israelites.  Noting how we are all affected by the sins of the powerful and we are responsible for preventing them, Waskow went on to note that the Torah responds differently to genocides perpetrated against the Jews as opposed to genocides carried out by Jews.  We discussed incidents in the Book of Numbers where God commanded Moses to essentially wipe out the Midianites because of the threats they posed to Jewish forms of worship and practice (presumably Midianite women were sexually and spiritually seducing Israelite men).  Moses carries out this request for what might now be called ”ethnic cleansing.”  We concluded our session at the point that Waskow asked his modern readers ”What are we to do with such a story that appears in our sacred text?” 

This week, we’ll conclude our discussion of Chapter 11 with a look at some of the lessons Waskow says he learned when he connected the passages about the Midianite genocide in light of the claims made by some African-American groups that the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinians amounted to a form of genocide. We will also consider Waskow’s Coda (pp. 182-192).  If time permits, we will begin a more general discussion of the Jewish Renewal Movement with which Arthur Waskow is associated.   Those discussions which will continue for the next few weeks will be based, in part, on information contained on the following links 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Renewal#:~:text=The%20term%20also%20refers%20to,as%20egalitarianism%2C%20environmentalism%20and%20pacifism.

https://www.aleph.org/what-is-jewish-renewal

 Our informal discussion group is held online every Friday from 12-1.  All are welcome to join us, regardless of their level of expertise or attendance at previous noon study group discussions.   If you have questions, or would like the Zoom link, please contact Jay Jacoby at  jbjacoby@uncc.edu.