In her book The Path of Blessing*, Rabbi Marcia Prager describes the practice of blessing – things, people, moments – as work of the soul. “As we grow in the path of blessing, we open to a more expansive way of being.” I love the sound of that. To me it means being open and Read More
Category: Reconstructing Judaism
Omer Offerings 5786 – Week 7: Malchut
Image credit: Minnesota Indivisible Alliance Holy wow. The past six weeks have flown by. It’s been an honor to curate this series of Omer offerings. If you missed any I hope you’ll go back and read them all. I feel blessed to be in community with those who shared their reflections with us and for Read More
Celebrating Our First Adult B’nei Mitzvah
To quote Rabbi Jessica, “HOLY WOW!” The first adult b’nei mitzvah in the 20 year history of our community was truly awesome. Traditionally Jewish children become bar or bat mitzvah at the age of 12 or 13, marking their recognition in the community as adults, ready to perform the mitzvot (often translated in our wisdom Read More
Charting Our Path Through the Wilderness
NOTE: The following is an edited version of notes shared during the Kehilat Sukkat Shalom fall community meeting in November. KSS members gathering twice a year, fall and spring, to connect on organizational business. These notes set the stage for our 20th anniversary and plans for a thriving future. 20 years ago, the founders of Read More
Consoling Ourselves with Jewish Art & Culture
Sharonah Laemmle, The 10 Days (2012) Many of us who live in places where the weather and landscape change with the seasons enjoy not only the physical variations we observe, but the metaphysical ones as well. As the days get shorter and darker in central Ohio, we naturally turn our attention from tending our gardens Read More
Shabbaton with Judaism Unbound’s Lex Rofeberg
Judaism Unbound released its first podcast in February 2016. Since then, Dan Libenson, Lex Rofeberg, and their team have released over 500 episodes featuring Jewish innovators including rabbis, scholars, educators, musicians, artists, farmers, healers, community builders. In hosting conversations with people unapologetically reconstructing Judaism they have not only given voice to those doing that work, Read More
Opening Up Through Elul
The Spiral by Dori Midnight Join us throughout the month of Elul for conversations and activities designed to help you prepare for the Days of Awe. Draw inspiration from Joanna Macy’s (z”l) Work That Reconnects together with the study of sephirot from mystical Jewish tradition to reflect on the year gone by and gear up for Read More
Meet Léah Miller: Our 5786 High Holiday Spiritual Leader
This fall, Kehilat Sukkat Shalom will proudly welcome another student of Jewish spiritual leadership to guide us through the High Holy Days. Over the past five years, our Rosh haShanah and Yom Kippur prayer services and social gatherings have been enhanced by the presence of these guests who bring new ideas and unique perspectives on Read More
Preparing for the 5784 High Holy Days of Awe: Week 7
Chesed: Channeling Love for Ourselves, Each Other, and the Worldby Debra Seltzer NOTE: This is the 7th and final post in a series written by KSS members linking social and environmental justice issues to the 7 sephirot of the Omer cycle. To read the past six posts, please check our blog archive. We have come to the last week of Read More
Preparing for the 5784 High Holy Days of Awe: Week 2
WEEK TWO: Yesod (Foundation) and the Environment by Doug Calem For humans, the earth is the yesod — the foundation — that supports life. One might say that recorded history is also a record of our relationship with and attitude towards the earth. Most of the historical record reveals a belief that we are separate Read More