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Maybe I’ll try to find Flickr pics that relate to the weekly parshat! Oooohh….well, no promises, but I was inspired to search on “beresheit” this week. Enjoy! בראשית בארא אלהים את השמים ואת הארץ B’reisheet barah Elohim et hashamayim v’et ha aretz I love seeing earth-based Judaism in the first line of the Torah. If the Torah begins with the creation of the heavens and the earth, why shouldn’t my practice focus on the connection to these things? Read the whole thing in English and Hebrew (and you can listen to it too!) Good Shabbos! [tags]flickr friday, parshat, beresheit, torah, shabbat, judaism, earth-based...
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Seriously — I ask myself this question all the time. When people ask me what religion I am, I say I’m Jewish, because that’s what I am. It never occurs to me to say, “Pagan.” I’ve been a part of the Pagan community for about seven years now and always felt very welcome. Actually, the Pagan community has made me feel a whole lot more welcome than every Jewish congregation I’ve ever tried to become involved with. Pagans just seem to be more understanding about the rules of hospitality. At the Jewish congregations I could go month after month and no one would ever reach out to me and say, “oh — are you new?” As a matter-of-fact, no one ever spoke to me at all. Even if I tried to talk to people, I never felt like they wanted to talk to me. But lately, I don’t really feel like I belong in the Pagan community either. I’m Jewish by most definitions (Jewish mother, bat miztvah, choice, etc.) But, by almost every definition of Pagan , I’m not. I guess it depends on who’s doing the defining. If you simply define it as any of these people do, then I might be Pagan: “One who follows or practices an earth-based or nature religion,” “A generic term for a number of pre-Christian faiths – druids, witches. Pagan faith is linked to locality and to the Earth,” or “A practitioner of an Earth Religion; from the Latin paganus, a country dweller,” But those are only a few of the definitions. Most people link Paganism to polytheism, which doesn’t really apply to me. I realize to many “aspected monotheism ” might seem like polytheism, but I assure you to me the line is quite clear. Many people define Pagan as simply not being Jewish, Christian, or Muslim. Well, I’m certainly one of the three. So why does this even matter to me, since I’m Jewish? Well, I spend a lot of time supporting the Pagan community...
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May the rebirth of the Torah bring you wisdom and joy! בראשית בארא אלהים את השמים ואת הארץ B’reisheet barah Elohim et hashamayim v’et ha aretz. [tags]chag sameach, simchat torah, soferet, hebrew, calligraphy,...
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I was wandering around on the Daily Scribe and came across this blog, which is very interesting and I don’t usually find Christian blogs very interesting. Not Christian, that’s all. One thing I really liked is his Flickr Fridays posts. Mr. Bushor makes great use of Flickr in these and many other posts to illustrate his points. Flickr Fridays seem to be a way to share really great photographs he finds on Flickr. I’m a bit of a Flickr addict myself, so I think I’ll adopt the idea of Flickr Fridays. It seems like a nice way to begin Shabbat. So thank you Mr. Bushor! This first image is called Pomegranate in Winter. I can’t believe the colors and the lonelieness of the image. Oddly, it reminds me of that shot from Gone with the Wind when Scarlett is declaring she’ll never be hungry again. [tags]pomegranate, flickr fridays, flickr, scarlett...
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One of the lesser know rituals of Sukkot is the pouring of water libations to ensure good rains. Needless to say, I dig this concept. If you ever come to a Becoming ritual — you’ll notice that we libate. Most people think that’s all Angela’s doing, and it is, but it rubbed off on me. I love pouring out my thanks, prayers, and praise in a physical form! Then I learn that there’s actually a Jewish use of libations. Woot! Sadly, I don’t have a sukkah and Sukkot is one of those holidays that I have yet to really develop a way to celebrate. It’s a harvest holiday. I’m an earth-based Jew — WTF? How can I not have a celebration? I spent the first day of Sukkot at DC Pagan Pride Day. Not very Jewish, but it was a festival of booths — so it was oddly appropriate. Plus, I spent a good deal of the time talking with Baba from the RadFeys, and he told me about his trip to Israel. It was great, as always, to talk to him. The next day we had Circle, which fell on the second day of Sukkot this year I thought I would do something, but Angela told me she had a working ready. Drat. No Jewy goodness. Um…but my Pagan Pantheistic friend with a Celtic bent gave me a little surprise. While she had no particular awareness it was Sukkot. And she certainly had no idea that it was the second day and the traditional one for the pouring of the water libations. I actually only learned that the second day was the traditional day that morning as I read the daily page from the Jewish Book of Days. (shameless plug for R’ Jill’s book). But, I digress. Angela had a whole working for Circle around pouring water and breathing into it what we need to harvest. Hello? Anyone? Weirdness. It was freaking great! I got to do my water libation and imbue it...
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A little blog bling courtesy of the amazing Avielah Barclay and ChaiSpace. [tags]soferet, blogs, l’shanah tovah, bling,...
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I want to explain why I’ve chosen the Mezuzah as my primary canvas of choice for my embroidery artwork, of late. One of the first, is that it is just so recognizably Jewish. Any Jew seeing a mezuzah on a door knows what it is and knows that there is a Jew living in the house. I also love it because it is an amulet! It’s a piece of Jewish Magick that is not only approved, but has Halakic laws that make it kosher. Now, being a more untraditional girl, I don’t worry as much about whether or not you have a truly kosher mezuzah. I think for many people just having one is a huge thing, but I do think it’s important to know the difference. If you buy a scroll that claims to be kosher — it should be kosher. One of the things I love is the idea of keeping your spiritual life with you at all times. It’s not just something you do in synogogue. Mezuzahs are a literal way of binding the words of God to the doorposts of your house. It’s the line from the S’hma (or the V’Ahavta, if you prefer). I also love the idea of wearing a mezuzah. Just like we are told to bind them to the doorposts of our houses and gates, we’re also told to “And you shall bind them as a sign upon your arm and they shall be an ornament between your eyes.” This commandment is where tefilin comes from, but who (other than the rabbis) said this is how you have to interpret that. Why not where a pretty mezuzah on your coat or bag? Why not wear a lovely mezuzah pendant? How about a bindi in the shape of the letter shin — as the mark between your eyes? There is great spiritual resonance in following tradition, but it’s also found in creating your own interpretations of the traditions. I realize that Mezuzah literally means doorposts, but it...
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My year of manifesting spirit is over. Last year the nine of fire card (Waking The Wild Spirit Tarot, by Poppy Palin) jumped from deck and became the driving symbol of my year. On Yom Kippur last year, I painted over a life mask of my face and turned it into the nine of fire personified. This year has truly been one of finding my spiritual path and manifesting the tools to further it. From finding the path of the storyteller, to reclaiming my voice through embroidery, and of course — Kohenet. Today I learned in the Jewish Book of Days that the 25th of Elul, which is today, was the day the dove returned to Noah with the olive branch and the anniversary of the first day of Creation. Today was the anniversary of light being separated from darkness. The day of new beginnings. That was an amazing revelation and really opened something for me. Then — I pulled the 10 of fire this morning. The end of the fire cycle. I was pretty stunned. I know in my heart that this coming year is a year of manifesting earth. Now that my spiritual house is in order and moving forward, it’s time to bring the next pieces of the puzzle to the forefront. I’ll pull that card on Rosh Hashanah morning, and I’ve decided to repaint my beautiful mask on Yom Kippur again. “On Rosh Hashanah it is written, and on Yom Kippur it is sealed.” I think next year I’ll do a mask making ritual on Yom Kippur to share my new personal ritual tradition with others, and experience it in community. As for this year, I’m incredibly excited about Rosh Hashanah. Thanks to my amazing Kohenet teachers this summer at Elat Chayim, I’ve come home with a library of chants and songs. And especially thanks to Yofiyah, for her Kirtan style which I’ve begun using in ritual and it’s fantastic. I’ve adjusted it for the ritual use, but I’m forever...
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Eve was not made from Adam’s head to reign over him, nor from his feet, to be trampled by him, but from his side, to be his equal, under his arm, to be protected, and next to his heart, to be loved. Matthew Henry 18th century commentator on the bible Thanks to Daniel Cohen for sharing this. [tags]feminism, bible, eve, chava,...
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I just watched the incredible documentary on CBS. It was done by the two film makers who were there filming a documentary about a NYFD rookie and ended up smack in the middle of the tragedy in NYC. I watched it crying. Remembering the fear of the day. Remembering watching the plane hit the second tower and then the confusion when the plane hit the Pentagon. Remembering people saying the State Department had been bombed. Remembering people saying the Capitol had been bombed, and running to call my husband who was at home — 7 blocks from the Capitol. I remember walking home because we had been told Metro had shut down. I remember asking a police officer which way to go. He said to the nearest bar. I had to walk around the White House to get home, and the roads were closed for blocks. I remember watching a man in a truck block fire trucks trying to get through to the Pentagon. I was at the corner of 7th and Pennsylvania NW. I remember watching the firemen get off their truck and nearly lift the man and his vehicle out of the way. I remember making it to the Capitol and being overwhelmed with the joy of seeing that building still standing. I remember taking my shoes of and just walking barefoot, because I just couldn’t walk in my high-heeled shoes any more. I remember walking in the door and seeing my husband. I remember the fear going to work the next day, and the next, and the next — wondering when the hell it was going to happen again. I remember and I’m afraid to go to work tomorrow. [tags]911, remember, fear, life,...
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