Virtual Shabbat Box Archives: May 2024
May 3-4
Rabbi Phillip Lazowski, who survived the Holocaust as a child, shares about the experiences that have shaped his vision and sense of purpose.
In this powerful poem, Anne R.Z. Schulman, a member of Ritualwell’s ADVOT community of writers, paints a picture of her experiences as a child of survivors.
Ariel Neshama Lee offers a guided meditation that can be used to reflect on the resiliency of our people through difficult times.
Rabbi David Katz shares a prayer to help us remember and to be gentle with our souls.
May 10-11
Created primarily for educators, these program ideas and reading lists offer myriad ways to explore many perspectives on Israeli Memorial Day and Independence Day in the shadow of war.
Geared At a time when social media is essentially another front in the Israel-Hamas War, Naomi Barnesky’s prayer calls for compassion for self and others in the face of “destruction and closed-mindedness.”
Rabbi Yael Levy’s guide through the Omer will take you on a healing journey.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. This video highlights SAJ’s Mental Health and Resiliency Task Force and how it demonstrates a Reconstructionist approach to Judaism.
May 17-18
Wrapping up nearly a decade as CEO of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association, Rabbi Elyse Wechterman chats with Rabbi Deborah Waxman, president & CEO of Reconstructing Judaism, about leadership, managing one’s inbox, the pace of change in Jewish life and the evolving role of rabbi.
LilyFish Gomberg’s guide to counting the Omer focuses on personal growth, reflection and a deeper connection with the world, augmented with selected lyrics by the one and only Taylor Swift.
Interested in stepping away from your screen? Want to gather in person to learn, connect, create new rituals and works of writing or art? Learn about this exciting opportunity in advance of Shavu’ot.
Confused? Looking to untangle where antisemitism and anti-Zionism diverge and overlap? Dive into this thoughtful, engaging and sometimes proactive discussion with Rabbi Tova Spitzer and Rabbi David Teutsch, Ph.D.
May 24-25
When was the last time you stopped to slowly take in a poem, in all its sounds, metaphors and meanings? Trisha Arlin’s poem describes how the act of counting can help us make sense of the mysteries of life and help each of us cross our personal Sea of Reeds.
By listening closely to the similarities between human music and the voices of birds, Rabbi Bob Gluck says we’ll see the world in a new way and move beyond speciesism and the traditional Jewish concept of chosenness.
Where do you turn when you lose faith in what you held firmly? Ethicist Louis E. Newman, Ph.D., argues that, after October 7, Jewish-American civic religion, and its relationship to Israel, will never be the same and that we are in a time of “unsettling transition.”
In this meditation and teaching, Rabbi Daniel Raphael Silverstein helps us imagine the divine mystery as a loving parent and, through that, the embrace of something profound, powerful and outside of ourselves.
May 31-June 1
This stunning poem by Rabbi Daniel Raphael Silverstein captures so much in so few words, reminding the reader that “it is very, very easy to destroy, but infinitely harder to build. May we remember that there is no future for any of us without all of us.”
Rabbi Katie Mizrahi, a Zionist who reaffirms Israel’s right to defend itself, explains why she has joined calls to end the war in Gaza. She also shares some of her formative Israel experiences.
With Shavu’ot approaching, Rabbi Ruhi Sophia Motzkin Rubenstein reminds us that we can gain wisdom, and even joy, in studying the parts of the Torah that we’d prefer to avoid or ignore.
Who knew that both Taylor Swift’s music and the counting of the Omer offer pathways to personal growth and reflection? Future rabbi LilyFish Gomberg offers a Swift song for each day of the Omer (we’re a little more than halfway through.)
