Rabbis Rice: A Message from Student Rabbi Michael Cohen

      Over 1,200 congregations around the world – both large and small - currently affiliate with Reform Judaism. From the former Soviet Union, Germany and Israel to Australia, Latin America and beyond, Jews are experiencing an awakening or a rebirth of congregational activity on new and unparalleled levels. With an estimated 1.8 million members in 45 countries, the liberal streams of Judaism now represent a global community with diverse practices and yet similar goals: to build a contemporary, creative expression of Jewish spiritual and cultural identity around the world that is rooted in our rich Jewish traditions.

       Like Congregation Micah, Progressive Judaism is rooted in the Torah, especially the teachings of the Hebrew Prophets. It is founded on authentic manifestations of Jewish creativity, ancient and modern, which stress inwardness and desire to learn what God expects from us:  justice and equality, democracy and peace, personal fulfillment and collective obligations. The practices of Progressive Judaism are anchored in Jewish thought and tradition. They seek to extend the range of observance by granting full equality to all Jews, irrespective of gender and sexual orientation, while challenging laws that are contrary to Judaism's fundamental principles.

       Of the 12 million Jews in the world today, nearly one-third still live in countries where Jewish life is weak and where there are few opportunities for meaningful Jewish practice. It is the goal of the World Union for Progressive Judaism to ensure that all Jews have access to the vibrant Jewish life that can best inspire them spiritually and bring their communities together practically. We at Micah are also committed to this sacred task. Under the tutelage of Rabbi Ken Kanter several members of Congregation Micah have gone on to become rabbis. This list includes Rabbi Nicole Roberts, who will be installed as rabbi of North Shore Temple Emanuel in Australia next month and Student Rabbi Noah Scacciaferro who is studying in Cincinnati.  Student Rabbi Michael Cohen, who began his studies in Jerusalem this past year, was there at Micah’s founding in 1992.  He is a former Confirmand whose father rests peacefully in our cemetery, and he writes to you from Israel (below) on behalf of the Jews of the Former Soviet Union.

       Shalom from Jerusalem!  I am halfway into my first year of rabbinical school at Hebrew Union College. From witnessing the conflict between Hamas and Israel to the recent elections, this has been a truly eventful and experiential year. I eagerly look forward to sharing my stories with you all when I spend some time at Micah this summer shadowing the Rabbis Rice. It’s been a very long time since I was home in Nashville for an entire summer.  After graduating from Brentwood High School in 2003, I went on to study at Brandeis University. Then I joined the United States Army where I served for the last five years.  In that time, I deployed to Haiti, Kuwait, Qatar, and Afghanistan.  As of May 2012, I switched into the US Army Chaplain Corps and moved to Jerusalem for my first year of rabbinical school.  Following in the footsteps of several Micah members who came before me, I would not be on this path without the support and Jewish education that I received growing up at Micah and the guidance of all of my teachers including Rabbis Ken Kanter, Philip and Laurie Rice. I am forever grateful.

       This Passover I will be traveling to the Former Soviet Union (FSU) to lead a Seder as well as teach Jewish education classes. The FSU Pesach Project brings students from Hebrew Union College together with Jewish communities of the Former Soviet Union (FSU) to celebrate Passover. This project was created in response to a call from FSU Jewish communities with insufficient access to progressive Jewish experiences. In close partnership with the World Union of Progressive Judaism (WUPJ), the FSU Pesach Project has seen 10 years of success. Last year's project enabled nearly 5500 people in Russia, Belarus, and the Ukraine to come around Seder tables together in celebration. Every Jew, regardless of where they grew up, deserves a Jewish experience that resonates with their values.

       In order to achieve this goal, each student needs to personally raise $2500 through tax deductible contributions.  As such, I am asking the Micah community for assistance in this effort.  For many of the people I will have the privilege of teaching and learning from, this will be their first formal Jewish experience. So I/we need your help.  Please visit the following website to help bring Passover to those who have never experienced it.  http://fsupesachproject2013.wordpress.com Thank you, and I look forward to seeing all of you this summer!    - Michael G Cohen

Let Silence Speak

“All of my life I was privileged to be in the company of the wise people of Torah and I learned from them that nothing is more valuable to productive living than silence.”

                                                                                                                                                                                                                Rabban Gamliel

                One of the hallmarks of modern life is constant noise: the construction across the street, the never-ending roar of traffic, the incessant ringing of the telephone, the radio and its constant programming - they all make for a great deal of a relentless racket that surrounds us.  And then there is the problem of never-ending conversation, the need for others (our children, friends, co-workers, parents, etc.) to express themselves to you constantly.  Quiet and silence have almost become extinct.  The rabbis and sages of the Talmud valued silence as a vital factor in life. The Talmud stated that a good word is worth one shekel but that silence itself is worth two. The holy men of Israel advanced the idea that penance for sin can be achieved not only by fasting from eating food but more beneficially by fasting from speaking – by silence and its mood inducing power of self-analysis and introspection.

                So while speech in Judaism is the ultimate gift from God and what separates us from other forms of life on this planet, it was given to us to be used sparingly and purposefully.  Among the many great and satisfying aspects of Shabbat is its silence.  Especially in our world of constant noise, the silence of Shabbat is refreshing and invigorating.  Freedom from the noises of telephones, radios, television sets, construction and traffic as well is a blessing to a noise-laden weary soul.  And it is in the silence of Shabbat that we can gain new insights into the words of the Torah that God, “so to speak” is found not in the noise generated by the wind or the sound of the mighty earthquake but rather “in a still, small, silent voice.”  Consider how difficult it is to make peace with adversaries.  How much harder then, if one cannot make peace with one’s self.  As long as there is an absence of an atmosphere of silence and quiet, making peace with one’s self is impossible.  Enter Sheket Shabbat, the Silent Sabbath.  This Saturday morning Congregation Micah will welcome in the quiet of the Shabbat by creating an atmosphere of serenity. Join us at 10:30 for a service followed by a day of quiet.  There will be opportunities to read, practice yoga, or engage in a variety of inaudible activities. 

Sheket Shabbat: A Time for Restorative Rest

We all need rest. Shabbat is a time in which we have the opportunity to experience a kind of rest that can renew and inspire. Shabbat menuchah or rest is not only a stopping, but it is an active spiritual practice in which we reconnect with our highest vision for who we are.

Give yourself the gift of a truly restorative Shabbat as we gather in shared silence and in celebration of Tu B'Shevat on our first annual Sheket Shabbat. We will spend the day in prayer and meditation, enjoying the expansive beauty of our entire campus.

Instruction will be given for those who are new to this practice, and those with an established practice will find the spaciousness and support invaluable for deepening their experience of silence.

A healthy lunch will be provided as part of the $18 registration fee, and I am happy to answer any questions you may have beforehand.

     

Please plan to come and enjoy . . .

...a [Shabbat] rest of love and generosity, a rest of truth and faith, a rest of peace and tranquility, calm and trust; a complete rest...        -Shabbat afternoon prayers