Sheket Shabbat

Sheket Shabbat - A Silent Winter Retreat

Join us for Sheket Shabbat at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, January 25. This day will be a time to slow down, unplug, and make room for silence. In our crazy world of constant communication, it is good for the soul to have time for peace and it is good for the mind to focus inward and relax.

10:30 a.m. Shabbat Service in the Sanctuary

11:30 a.m. Centering in Silence - circle gathering/opening meditation in the Chapel

12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. 

Silent Reflection throughout the campus with individual choice of activities: yoga, art, selected readings, memorial garden

While we encourage maintaining silence for as long as possible, participants are welcome to leave early if need be.

Registration cost is $18 and includes a healthy, catered lunch and snack -- vegetarian in honor of Tu B'Shevat.



For information on our sessions throughout the day, contact Julie Greenberg. To RSVP, send a check to Congregation Micah (2001 Old Hickory Blvd, Brentwood, TN 37027) or call us at 615-377-9799.

Chanukah Background & Blessings

Elul: Preparing For 5774

1 Elul 5773 - August 7, 20 13
Today marks the first day of Elul and the last month in the Hebrew year of 5773. To count down the days until Rosh Hashanah and the new year, we will be sharing a daily thoughts/inspiration with you.
Let us prepare for the coming High Holy Days together!

“The soul should always stand ajar, ready to welcome the ecstatic experience.”
~ Emily Dickinson

Souls Ajar by Raychel Kubby Adler
http://www.letmypeoplesing.com/jewels/?p=1191

2 Elul 5773
Walk on Through by Quincy Jones
"...when we don’t get the welcome we feel we deserve, it’s important to not sit back and wait for it. It likely will never come..."
http://www.letmypeoplesing.com/jewels/?p=1201

3 Elul 5773
Gently Unplug: A case for undertaking a weekly digital detox

http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/140869/prepent-5774-day-3-gently-unplug

4 Elul 5773
Accept -- the good and the bad.
http://velveteenrabbi.blogs.com/blog/2013/08/blogelul-4-accept.html

5 Elul 5773
Come In by Angela Buchdahl
Are we truly welcoming, to everyone, Jew and non-Jew?
http://www.letmypeoplesing.com/jewels/?p=1229

6 Elul 5773
A Generational Plan for Prosperity by Eric Garcetti
"...I think of the challenges my grandparents faced: coming to a land they didn’t know with a language they didn’t speak. But, along with their grit and determination to do better than their parents had done, they had the strength to look at themselves with introspection, see their flaws and make a plan for improvement...."
http://www.letmypeoplesing.com/jewels/?p=1232

7 Elul 5773
“Kiss me from the kisses of your mouth,” she declares in the Song of Songs.
http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/141075/prepent-5774-day-6-communicating-with-intention

8 Elul 5773
"It is Elul; time to put out the welcome mat for the improved self by opening wide the doors of demonstrative and spoken affection to the dear ones we encounter every day"
Welcoming Actually by Elka Abrahamson
http://www.letmypeoplesing.com/jewels/?p=1270

9 Elul 5773
"I always aspire to listen wholly... All I can do is notice when I'm not wholly listening, and take a deep breath, and strive to do better. I want to really listen when the world speaks."
http://velveteenrabbi.blogs.com/blog/2013/08/blogelul-9-hear.html 

10 Elul 5773
Poems about innocence, family, happiness, joy....
http://velveteenrabbi.blogs.com/blog/2013/08/blogelul-10-see.html
and
http://www.letmypeoplesing.com/jewels/?p=1301 

11 Elul 5773
Treat The Stranger That There Be No Stranger by David Saperstein
" In 1978, Rabbi Alexander Schindler vigorously called on us to reach out to “all who enter,” to open our congregations...." How can we continue to be open and welcoming? Who is being left out?
http://www.letmypeoplesing.com/jewels/?p=1307

12 Elul 5773
Anger Management -Examining why we get angry, and how to deal with it effectively
"A quiet moment and the soul speaks up. ...it was just important to recognize the depth of my feelings, sit with it and breathe."
http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/141604/prepent-5774-day-12-anger-management

13 Elul 5773
Preparing our hearts to forgive and be forgiven
"... In Talmud there is a teaching that one should make teshuvah (repent/return) the night before one's death -- and, of course, since one never knows when one's death may be, one should make teshuvah always....When we come before the One with open hearts, with a genuine yearning for forgiveness, I believe that that God always forgives....."
http://velveteenrabbi.blogs.com/blog/2013/08/blogelul-13-forgive.html

"Asking forgiveness from God is an important part of the prayer, but it cannot be completed earnestly if one has not asked for forgiveness from the people in one’s life."
http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/142090/prepent-5774-day-15-asking-for-forgiveness

14 Elul 5773

Store-Bought Happiness

Trying to find lasting happiness—and not just at the check-out counter
http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/141769/prepent-5774-day-13-store-bought-happiness

15 Elul 5773
Taking a Break -As the High Holidays approach, finding ways to relax and de-stress
"How do you de-stress?"

 http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/141895/prepent-5774-day-14-taking-a-break

16 Elul 5773

" 'To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven...'
Change is inevitable, change is always unfolding -- but our ability to love one another remains.... This is the month when God walks in the fields with us, yearning to connect with us Friend-to-friend, Beloved-to-beloved."
http://velveteenrabbi.blogs.com/blog/2013/08/blogelul-16-change.html

17 Elul 5773
Grief
"We often choose to let grief knock on our door and only then deal with its tidings, but I invite you to join me today in taking a few minutes to confront sadness and the feeling of farewell, full of gratitude for every gift, no matter how hard the loss."
http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/142219/prepent-5774-day-16-confronting-grief

18 Elul 5773
Pray
"My teacher Reb Zalman (Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi) likes to say that our written liturgy is like a cookbook; it's a collection of recipes for spiritual experience. But in order to make the recipes, you have to add ingredients; in order to make the prayers real, you have to add your own heart and soul and being."
http://velveteenrabbi.blogs.com/blog/2013/08/blogelul-18-pray.html

19 Elul 5773
A Home-Made Welcome by Donald Davis
"...we decided that truly welcoming them was not about what we could buy for them, but about what we could do for them."
http://letmypeoplesing.com/jewels/?p=1365

20 Elul 5773
Shame and Repentance
Facing our shame is difficult but vital in preparation for the Day of Atonement
http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/142401/prepent-5774-day-19-shame-and-repentance

21 Elul 5773
"1. Extend a warm welcome.
2. Anticipate and fulfill stated and unstated needs.
3. Provide a fond farewell.
As you can see from number one, welcoming is our top priority. But, in fact, all three steps are about welcoming. Only if the totality of an experience is authentically meaningful can a person truly feel welcome"

The Business of Welcoming by Herve Humler
http://letmypeoplesing.com/jewels/?p=1389

22 Elul 5773
Courage to Dare -
"There is something daring about entering into prayer. About standing before God and offering our praises and our supplications as though we actually believed that the Creator of Heaven and Earth, the Source of All Being, were listening to us. More: as though the Source of All Being actually cared what we had to say. That's the audacious claim made by Jewish prayer practice every day: that we can dare to stand before God, expecting God to listen."
http://velveteenrabbi.blogs.com/blog/2013/08/blogelul-20-dare.html

23 Elul
Love --
"God's love for us is unending and infinite... God so overflows with divine love that God brings creation into being in order to have somewhere to direct that love, in order to have conscious beings with whom God can be in loving relationship."
http://velveteenrabbi.blogs.com/blog/2013/08/blogelul-22-love.html

24 Elul
Extending a Hand by Nathanial Helfgot
"Elul, the tradition teaches, is a time when God is more present, ready to listen and care for the human being. The Hebrew letters of the month, we are told, are an acronym for the phrase, “Ani ledodi vedodi li.” I am (devoted) to my beloved (God) and my beloved (God) is (devoted) to me."
http://letmypeoplesing.com/jewels/?p=1409

25 Elul
Inside Out by Hayim Herring
"Here is the magic that happens when we embrace our full selves: by working on and with all aspects that comprise who we are, we can more readily embrace the stranger in our community."
http://letmypeoplesing.com/jewels/?p=1415 

26 Elul
Hope
http://velveteenrabbi.blogs.com/blog/2013/09/-blogelul-26-hope-.html

27 Elul
Transcending Your Comfort Zone by Simon Jacobson
“Welcoming guests is more powerful than welcoming G-d.”
http://letmypeoplesing.com/jewels/?p=1420 

28 Elul
Making a wish!
Shana tova! A verbal wish or handmade card - which do you prefer?
http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/143466/prepent-5774-day-27-making-a-wish

29 Elul: Forgive
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T35_RgPvONI

Shana Tova!!

Yom Hashoah Commemoration: April 7

Join us for the community-wide Yom Hashoah Commemoration from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 7 at Micah.

Local rabbinic and cantorial leaders will join together for the day, accompanied by pianist Russell Davis. Cellist Michael Samis will be a featured performer.

The Jewish Federation and Jewish Foundation of Middle Tennessee are co-sponsoring the event. Contact our office for more information!

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