Pirqei Avot 2:5
על תפרוש מן הציבור
Al tifrosh min hatzibbur
Do not separate yourself from the community.
I’m flying to Israel today, so I won’t be part of this tzibbur, this community for two weeks.
Nonetheless, we belong together. We need each other.
This is also a humbling idea - nobody should think that s/he is so perfect or wonderful that s/he does not need community. That is what a synagogue is all about. And here's a wee bit of etymology:
"synagogue" = place of assembly (Greek)
בית כנסת ("beit keneset") = house of gathering (Hebrew)
The English word, borrowed from the Greek via Latin, is merely a translation of the Hebrew.
Showing posts with label daily thought. Show all posts
Showing posts with label daily thought. Show all posts
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Wednesday Morning Kavvanah, 11/24/2010
From the first berakhah of birkat hamazon:
הזן את הכל
Hazan et hakol
God is the one who nourishes all of us.
This of course refers to food, but maybe something else as well. We all need a little spiritual sustenance. Have a bagel, but have a piece of history, philosophy or theology on the side. God is the source of food, but also gives us the wisdom to understand. Make sure to feed all of your needs!
הזן את הכל
Hazan et hakol
God is the one who nourishes all of us.
This of course refers to food, but maybe something else as well. We all need a little spiritual sustenance. Have a bagel, but have a piece of history, philosophy or theology on the side. God is the source of food, but also gives us the wisdom to understand. Make sure to feed all of your needs!
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Tuesday Morning Kavvanah, 11/23/2010
Pirqei Avot 2:18
על תעש תפילתך קבע
Al ta’as tefillatkha keva’
Do not make your prayer a fixed recitation.
Don’t be stuck in the words! Let your mind and heart wander. Tefillah should be reflection, not just mindless recitation.
And, it can happen all day. Take your tefillah with you when you leave.
על תעש תפילתך קבע
Al ta’as tefillatkha keva’
Do not make your prayer a fixed recitation.
Don’t be stuck in the words! Let your mind and heart wander. Tefillah should be reflection, not just mindless recitation.
And, it can happen all day. Take your tefillah with you when you leave.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Thursday Morning Kavvanah, 11/18/2010
From the poet Rahel, who lived in Mandate Palestine:
וְאוּלַי לֹא הָיוּ הַדְּבָרִים מֵעוֹלָם
Ve-ulay lo hayu hadevarim me-olam
And perhaps these things never happened...
It is one of her better-known poems, and all the more so because the words were set to music by Yehuda Sharett and sung by the famous Israeli rock 'n' roller Arik Einstein, among others. She wrote it while surveying her years of hard labor taming the agricultural fields around the Kinneret, making the hills of the Galil green.
Sometimes, when we come very far in a task or project or process, the beginning seems so far away that we wonder whether or not it actually happened. But that is the nature of commitment and growth - every task is a learning process through which we are fundamentally changed. If it's a very long task, it makes the beginning seem so far away, like another lifetime.
וְאוּלַי לֹא הָיוּ הַדְּבָרִים מֵעוֹלָם
Ve-ulay lo hayu hadevarim me-olam
And perhaps these things never happened...
It is one of her better-known poems, and all the more so because the words were set to music by Yehuda Sharett and sung by the famous Israeli rock 'n' roller Arik Einstein, among others. She wrote it while surveying her years of hard labor taming the agricultural fields around the Kinneret, making the hills of the Galil green.
Sometimes, when we come very far in a task or project or process, the beginning seems so far away that we wonder whether or not it actually happened. But that is the nature of commitment and growth - every task is a learning process through which we are fundamentally changed. If it's a very long task, it makes the beginning seem so far away, like another lifetime.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Wednesday Morning Kavvanah, 11/17/2010
Pirqei Avot 2:21
לא עליך המלאכה לגמור, ולא אתה בן חורין להבטל ממנה.
Lo alekha ha-melakhah ligmor, velo atah ben horin lehibbatel mimenah.
You are not obliged to finish the task, neither are you free to neglect it.
We all face so many tasks each day, and there is never enough time to finish them all. Don’t panic! Keep going, keep trying to do what needs to be done, even though you know you'll never reach the bottom of your list. That is the only way to go about life.
לא עליך המלאכה לגמור, ולא אתה בן חורין להבטל ממנה.
Lo alekha ha-melakhah ligmor, velo atah ben horin lehibbatel mimenah.
You are not obliged to finish the task, neither are you free to neglect it.
We all face so many tasks each day, and there is never enough time to finish them all. Don’t panic! Keep going, keep trying to do what needs to be done, even though you know you'll never reach the bottom of your list. That is the only way to go about life.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Tuesday Morning Kavvanah, 11/16/2010
In an effort to generate more interest in the daily minyan at Temple Israel, we are now serving a breakfast buffet afterwards.
Pirqei Avot 3:21:
אם אין קמח, אין תורה. אם אין תורה, אין קמח.
Im ein qemah, ein Torah. Im ein Torah, ein qemah.
No sustenance, no Torah. No Torah, no sustenance.
The rabbis understood that we need a balance of spiritual and physical nourishment to survive. We cannot learn the Torah without sustenance, and without the words of the Torah there will be no sustenance to be had.
Tefillah (prayer) is Torah study; I am grateful that we have something to eat after!
Pirqei Avot 3:21:
אם אין קמח, אין תורה. אם אין תורה, אין קמח.
Im ein qemah, ein Torah. Im ein Torah, ein qemah.
No sustenance, no Torah. No Torah, no sustenance.
The rabbis understood that we need a balance of spiritual and physical nourishment to survive. We cannot learn the Torah without sustenance, and without the words of the Torah there will be no sustenance to be had.
Tefillah (prayer) is Torah study; I am grateful that we have something to eat after!
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