 | November brings a seasonal gear shift, and with it new opportunities to go deep into the love and spiritual tools of community. I'm tailoring most everything in November to deepening into this year's love theme in day-to-day life, knowing that the days ahead may well be quite full for our country and community. |
By Rabbi David Evan Markus
Happy November, Shir Ami! As I write these words, the smell of fallen leaves is still fresh after taking down my sukkah moments ago. This weekend, clocks fall back. Glorious October weather may well continue into the first days of November, but the seasons are changing.
I look at our red High Holy Day wristband still around my arm: "Love with all your heart... with all your soul... with all you are." Sometimes it's easier to remember in the throes of spiritual time and space, the intensity of the High Holy Days now fading from view.
Without the High Holy Days' ready-made intensity and opportunities, November's gear shift begins the months when it's more on each of us to make reminders that re-dedicate us to our love calling in our day-to-day Jewish and spiritual lives.
It won't always be easy. Anxiety about the 2024 elections and their aftermath, news reports that seem the antithesis of love, all the stuff we talked about during the holidays – they're still there. Yet Jewish life has a big, resilient and time-tested love toolkit: it's there for each of us.
Especially this month, I invite us all to lean into Shir Ami happenings that will have love at the center, come what may.
I'm sure there'll be more about pre-Thanksgiving opportunities in the coming days.
November also launches our Unlocking the Siddur / Prayerbook Hebrew series starting November 10 (5:00-6:00pm Sundays: register here). There's also our vibrant "come as you are" SoulSpa: Meet the Midrash series every Saturday 10:00am. (I'm deliberately offering a menu of choices so folks will have multiple opportunities to "plug in," learn and grow together in community. Some folks will do all three, some two, some one every week, some dip and out as they fell called.)
And whatever you do, please vote!
From my heart to yours, I send blessings for meaning, resilience and love in these pivotal days, and always.
Happy November, Shir Ami! As I write these words, the smell of fallen leaves is still fresh after taking down my sukkah moments ago. This weekend, clocks fall back. Glorious October weather may well continue into the first days of November, but the seasons are changing.
I look at our red High Holy Day wristband still around my arm: "Love with all your heart... with all your soul... with all you are." Sometimes it's easier to remember in the throes of spiritual time and space, the intensity of the High Holy Days now fading from view.
Without the High Holy Days' ready-made intensity and opportunities, November's gear shift begins the months when it's more on each of us to make reminders that re-dedicate us to our love calling in our day-to-day Jewish and spiritual lives.
It won't always be easy. Anxiety about the 2024 elections and their aftermath, news reports that seem the antithesis of love, all the stuff we talked about during the holidays – they're still there. Yet Jewish life has a big, resilient and time-tested love toolkit: it's there for each of us.
Especially this month, I invite us all to lean into Shir Ami happenings that will have love at the center, come what may.
- November 2 – There is no greater love than helping save a life. If you're able, please give blood as part of Shir Ami's multi-faith Red Cross blood drive with our partners at First Presbyterian (8:00am - 4:00pm at FPC)
- November 8 – Our "New Member" Shabbat will celebrate the love of community that brings us all together.
- November 12 – Our "Aging to Sage-ing" series will begin (7:00pm online), focusing on tools for more loving living that become more readily possible and usable precisely as we become older. (Register here. The book we'll use is this one.)
- November 22 – A contemplate Shabbat with gentle love at the center, to revel in our blessings before Thanksgiving.
I'm sure there'll be more about pre-Thanksgiving opportunities in the coming days.
November also launches our Unlocking the Siddur / Prayerbook Hebrew series starting November 10 (5:00-6:00pm Sundays: register here). There's also our vibrant "come as you are" SoulSpa: Meet the Midrash series every Saturday 10:00am. (I'm deliberately offering a menu of choices so folks will have multiple opportunities to "plug in," learn and grow together in community. Some folks will do all three, some two, some one every week, some dip and out as they fell called.)
And whatever you do, please vote!
From my heart to yours, I send blessings for meaning, resilience and love in these pivotal days, and always.
RSS Feed