This is not a sermon telling you to have a third child. This is also not a sermon telling you to not have children. This is a sermon telling you that if you were looking for the engraved invitation to leap into this work, or to find comrades to do it with, we must do it with each other.
Read MoreEach year in this season we are called to see ourselves as both in the depths and soaring above.
As someone who has experienced harm, and someone who has caused harm.
As someone in need of forgiveness, and someone in need of an apology.
Both in the dump, and watching the earth re-wild.
This document is intended to outline general norms and best practices for Hinenu community members during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our community’s norms will evolve in response to public health officials’ evolving understanding of the virus and resulting recommendations.
People should continue to follow official guidance; use their best judgment; be respectful, mindful, and communicative about their own and others’ risk tolerances; and prioritize the safety of themselves and other community members. We understand that people are experiencing this public health emergency in different ways, and have different levels of risk, and different levels of ability to meet all recommended guidelines.
It is a high priority that as we have opportunities to gather in person as a community that our programs and services continue to be accessible online. We know that because of distance and ability, not everyone wants or is able to gather in person, and it is fundamental that we continue to offer ways to connect virtually. Some of our members are vaccinated but we can not assume that all members are; we encourage everyone to consider their own status as well as the safety of those in their household or with whom they are in regular contact (including children, immunocompromised folks), and our responsibility to the community at large.
Venues must be able to accomodate distancing requirements and adhere to CDC ventilation guidelines.
Please ensure that you keep 6’ of distance between pods, and wear masks correctly (over the mouth and nose.) If you feel flu-like symptoms, please stay home (and let the Chesed team know if you need anything!) If you are unvaccinated and have been exposed to someone who is sick with COVID-19 or has flu-like symptoms, please stay home. Lastly, please remember that even if you don't feel at risk, the community includes people of varying levels of risk and health concern.
Lifecycle events for members may happen in person as well with decisions made on a case by case basis provided distancing is observed. In-person pastoral visits outdoors are permitted with the Rabbi. We are developing a plan for the High Holy Days that can be responsive to the needs of our members, and the up to date information on community spread at the time.
When providing Chesed, all typical precautions should be in place, and where feasible, delivery of food or other interactions should be done by a vaccinated household member. For norms around providing chesed, please click here.
Sharing here our congregation's updated COVID-19 safety policy. We are deeply grateful for the team of members who have shared their time and expertise on an ongoing basis since the frenetic scramble to Purim 2020: Liore Klein, Mattan Schuchman, Sara Eisenberg, Kenne Dibner, Liz Gordon, Sholem Berger, Natalie Spicyn, Michele Levy, and Rabbi Ariana Katz. This team has given considerable thought to the needs of our community and considered the best practices outlined by the CDC, other organizations, and their professional and communal experience.
We know that this season of transition brings with it a range of emotions: desire to see community and loved ones, shock of returning together, fear of being left out if we're not ready or able to be in person, desire for our physical health and safety, and much more. Hinenu is committed to ensuring that our offerings continue to be virtual as well as in person, and that the community that has grown because of virtual access continues into the years ahead. While masking is not required for outdoor gatherings, you are encouraged to wear a mask if you are unvaccinated or feel safer with one on. And of course, you are welcome to tune in online!
We warmly invite you to begin visiting with community in person as you are able and wish, with adherence to the guidelines outlined in the document. In July, we will begin offering in-person service and gathering opportunities. Stay tuned for a questionnaire regarding the High Holy Days!
Questions or comments can be shared with Sholem at zackarysholemberger@gmail.com.
Parshat Yitro is here to talk to us about boundaries. Whether they’re limits, guidelines, walls, or lifelines, Torah tells us that enforcing and respecting them can be as beautiful and as challenging as singing while crossing the sea.
Read More“We acknowledge humbly that the United States has not yet achieved a democratic society that unites people in this land and around the world in peace, but we pledge to work toward the vision of our prophets: “Justice, justice shall you pursue." And let us say: Amen.”
Read MoreThe idea of altruism as treatment for trauma has always fascinated me - as a Jewish person and as a therapist. I fully believe that fighting against oppression (e.g., racism, sexism, economic inequality) is integral to healing the wounds inflicted by these systems. When we right a social wrong that harmed us, we prevent that trauma from happening to another in the community. Alternatively, altruism can take place on the interpersonal level, through acts of service, kindness and care.
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***Please see the bottom for footnotes.
If you thought those rules were plenty,
Brace yourself for 2020! (or 5781)
While COVID-19 still rules the land,
Holiday adjustments must be planned
We know these rhymes are pretty basic
But here are Sukkot suggestions so B”H (1) you wont get sick
With caution and love in full abundance (2)
We’ll celebrate together, through any distance (3)
A Chag (4) that examines complexities of existence
With teshuva, tefillah and tzedakah we moved through RH and Ykipper
Now it’s time for a spiritual and physical harvest, on Sukkot let’s be chipper! (5)
Eat in the Sukkah, perhaps a caprese or Reese’s pieces? (6)
Feel the sun through your schach (7) as you wave the four species (8)
Above all is Pikuach Nefesh (9)
That’s the preservation of life, our organs and flesh
If you're at high risk, or feel symptoms of sick
Don’t dwell with others, we pray you get well quick
The Mishna says you’re exempt from the sukkah if you feel ill,
along with your caretakers who know your whole deal. (10)
If you ever feel discomfort, and in the sukkah that’s increased
You alone are exempt, a Sukkah is not a place to feel distressed or displeased (11)
While the Talmud explains what makes a sukkah kosher (12)
Creative license is yours, for that there’s no brochure!
Let your Sukkah beam like a jewel in the dark of night
A shelter of peace in a world that profits off of fright
Since Baltimore recycling is at a freeze (13)
We’ve got more tools for decorations, watch them sway in the breeze!
If you can’t access outdoor space,
There are many ways to sanctify your own place
We’ll hold sacred space on Hinenu zoom (14)
As we spread song (15) and learning (16) from room to room
We discussed these changes in our Sukkot town hall (17)
So we can roll with the punches like Lucille Ball
You can buy a lulav and Etrog or assemble one through forage (18)
It’s a harvest holiday of joy, take those sweaters and smiles out of storage! (19)
You can honor beloved dead at our Yizkor installation (20)
Learn about what’s on your ballot, and the state of voting in our nation (21)
Join our workshop imagining public safety beyond prisons and police (22)
As we pray for HaShem to shelter us in a Sukkah of Peace (23)
Performing jail support, (24) taschlisch (25), a High Holidays guided tour (26) and advocating on behalf of those who rent (27)
All of these are holy ways for a Sukkot well spent
Ushpizata arrive each Sukkot night (28)
Holy heroic ancestors we invite
Bio or chosen, biblical, modern, straight and queer
We learn lessons from their lives as their spirits draw near (29)
On Shemini Atzeret we will sing and pray for rain (30)
Then dance on Simchat Torah to celebrate the heritage we have retained (31)
This pandemic’s not over, so we humbly made some new plans
Please commit to staying distanced, keep washing your hands!
With our Sukkot guides (32) and links on Makom Iti (33)
You can make Sukkot work for you and I’ll make it work for me (34,35,36)
Let the blessings of Sukkot nourish you like water to a tree
Let it sustain your dreaming and work, together we are unstoppable
What they say is still true, another world is possible!
* Chag Sameach, have a joyous, healthy and enriching Sukkot holiday! *
בּ״ה. B”H Stands for: B’ezrat hashem (בּעזרת השׁם) Pronounced: b’ez-RAHT hah-SHEM. What it means: Hebrew for “with God’s help.” Note: This acronym also stands for Baruch HaShem (בּרוך השׁם) or Blessed is God.
Chag = Jewish Holiday
“The first of Tishrei is Rosh Hashanah, which opens the "Days of Awe" that characterize the first part of the month, culminating in Yom Kippur on Tishrei 10th. Then the mood and texture of Tishrei shifts dramatically to the "Season of Our Rejoicing" that begins with the festival of Sukkot on the 15th and continues through Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah. The first half of Tishrei is marked by solemnity, the second by elation; but the Chassidic masters explain that these are simply the "hidden" and "revealed" dimensions of the same elements.”
Hilchot Sukkah Chapter 6, Section 6 explains that you should eat, drink and live in the Sukkah for the 7 days as you live in your own home. “One should not even take a nap outside of the Sukkah”
Skhakh — Literally “covering,” the roofing of the sukkah , which is made from natural materials such as bamboo or palm branches.
It is a mitzvah to wave the lulav on each of the first seven days of Sukkot. The proper time is in the morning -- either before the Morning service or during the service immediately before the Hallel. A meditation (found in the Siddur) is recited prior to the blessing (this has many kabbalistic secrets concealed within it).
Pikuach Nefesh Pikuach nefesh (Hebrew: פיקוח נפש, IPA: [piˈkuaχ ˈnefeʃ], "saving a life") is the principle in Jewish law that the preservation of human life overrides virtually any other religious rule. When the life of a specific person is in danger, almost any mitzvah lo ta'aseh (command to not do an action) of the Torah becomes inapplicable
Daf Shavui to Sukkah daf 26a The Mishnah exempted those who are sick, not anyone with any discomfort.The resolution is that there is a difference between the sick and those merely in discomfort. If someone is truly sick, then he might need attendants with him. In such a case the attendants are also exempt from being in the sukkah
If someone merely feels discomfort, they are exempt if the sukkah increases their discomfort. But even if they have attendants, they are not exempt. As long as they do not feel discomfort in the sukkah, they are obligated to dwell there.Daf Shavui to Sukkah daf 26a
Talmud : Sukkah (Hebrew: סוכה, hut) is a book of the Mishnah and Talmud. It is the sixth volume in the Order (Mishnaic section) of Moed. Sukkah deals primarily with laws relating to the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. It has five chapters.
Baltimore Council President Scott Mobilizes Volunteers for Recycling Pickup Efforts
Open Mic “Welcome to my Sukkah” edition Tuesday Oct 6 at 8pm
Sukkot Text Study: Megillat Kohelet - Sat. Oct 3rd 10:30am - 12:00pm About: Join us this Sukkot, Shabbat morning, to engage with the scroll of Kohelet/Ecclesiastes. We will read much (maybe all) of it, and engage with the themes of Sukkot through this text. All are welcome, especially if you have hardly engaged with this book and are curious.Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86438355963
Hinenu held “Sukkot Town Halls” on Sep 8th and Sep 30th
A Guide to Respectfully Foraging a Place-Based Lulav for Sukkot
“More than any other Jewish holiday or ritual, I love the audacity of Sukkot. After the many profound words and seemingly endless prayers of the High Holidays, Sukkot offers a very different holiday mode. The main theme and ultimate goal of the holiday is to achieve climactic joy. While there are a myriad of customs and rituals associated with the building of the sukkah, and we celebrate the fall harvest, there main mitzvah is to be exceedingly joyful: First the Deuteronomist declares a few times “you shall rejoice” (Deut. 16:14) and then: “you shall have nothing but joy” or said another way, “you shall be exceedingly joyous“ (Deut. 16:15).” - Rabbi Rachel Sabath Beit-Halachmi, PH.D
M&J Mobilization and Justice Committee Presents - Beyond Police And Prisons: An Abolitionist Workshop Series. Sunday, October 3rd 3pm-5pm. See Hinenu Calendar for more.
Jail Support 101 and Orientation: Mon, October 5, 7pm – 8pm Join Hinenu Mobilization and Justice members and Baltimore Jail Support members in an orientation event explaining the how, when, and why of jail support efforts locally. Learn more at the Hinenu Calendar.
Many traditions rule that you can do the Taschlich ritual from the period between Rosh Hashana and Hoshana Rabba
Sukkot 5781 Rituals & Prayers (scroll to the ushpizin/ushpizot/ushpizata part!)
(Not a Hinenu thing but very cool!) “This free week long Jewish Ancestral Healing summit is a Sukkot offering in the tradition of welcoming and honoring our loving ancestors. Receive daily audio interviews with spiritual leaders, artists, activists & visionaries on their journeys of ancestral healing, transforming Jewish intergenerational trauma, and ancestor reverence practice rooted in Jewish traditions. May this be a portal of connection, rooting in positive resource, remembering ancient ways, reclaiming and innovating new possibilities and being nourished by the well of our ancestors.”
Shabbat//Shmini Atzeret//Yizkor Service with East Bank Havurah -Sat, October 10, 10:00am – 12:30pm To receive the ZOOM link, RSVP to sjsiegel613@gmail.com by Oct 9th before Shabbat.
Erev Simchat Torah/Havdallah -Sat, October 10, 7:30pm – 9:00pm (check out Hinenu calendar for more!)
Once more: our Calendar
The number 36 is twice 18. In gematria (a form of Jewish numerology), the number 18 stands for "life", because the Hebrew letters that spell chai, meaning "living", add up to 18. Because 36 = 2×18, it represents "two lives".
So that's why we decided to add three more footnotes….
...To get to 36! Happy Sukkot!
Consider harvesting through the environments around you this season. What are the plants of Baltimore, our home? Which will you borrow and why? When harvesting, do so with gentleness and care. Make clean cuts to not invite infection into the plant. Only take as much as you need. With a lulav of local plants, we honor the Piscataway, the Susquehannock, the spirits of other indigenous peoples and enslaved peoples of this land. We honor the people and architecture of Baltimore City.
Read MoreWhat you work to repair reveals what you cared about in the first place.
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