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Building a Fence Around the Sacred

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An early blog post from Rav Gav regarding the 3rd day of the Omer – Tiferet Sheb’chesed, “beauty/harmony within loving kindness” – which starts this evening.

The Counting of the Omer is more than a calendar exercise—it is a forty-nine-day journey of inner refinement. Each day aligns with one of the seven sefirot (divine attributes), cycling through Chesed (lovingkindness), Gevurah (strength), Tiferet (harmony), Netzach (endurance), Hod (humility), Yesod (connection), and Malchut (receptivity). As we count, we engage body, heart, and mind, using the rhythm of that daily ritual to transform impulse into intention and reaction into reflection.


To deepen this psycho-spiritual practice, many communities add the study of Pirkei Avot—Ethics of the Fathers—during the Omer. Beginning on the Shabbat after Pesach, the custom is to read one chapter each week, aligning timeless ethical teachings with our evolving inner work.  

In the first chapter of Pirkei Avot we are instructed to emulate the wisdom of Moses and his disciples, to be deliberate and measured in our pursuit of justice, to be lovers of peace, to share and teach Jewish wisdom generously, and to make a fence around the Torah.   

This evening, as we focus on Tiferet sheb’Chesed, harmony within loving kindness, we are called to balance our generosity with discernment, to be open-hearted yet rooted in truth.  In Lurianic Kabbalah that state of balance is conceived as an expression of beauty. On the 3rd day of counting the Omer, the instruction to establish boundaries and create a fence around what we hold sacred is particularly potent as we aim to approach love, peace-making and the pursuit of justice in a balanced way.  

Unbalanced Chesed can become enabling. Over-giving without boundaries can drain us or disempower those we’re trying to help. But when love is paired with Tiferet—with truth, clarity, and inner alignment—it becomes transformative and healing.

In Jewish tradition, a fence is not a burden but an act of Hiddur Mitzvah, beautifying the mitzvah by surrounding it with care.   During this week of Chesed:

  • May we all work to establish sacred fences that protect our own hearts and the hearts of others.  
  • May we learn to saying “no” when we are feeling overwhelmed, may we pause to breathe before reacting, and may we reflect on what we want to say yes to and what we want to let go of.
  • May we ensure our generosity is sustainable and transformative, not enabling, and not draining of our energy.
  • May we establish relationships that are grounded in emotional safety and respectful honesty.
  • May we know when to step in with support and when to step back to foster growth.
  • May the richness of Jewish Calendar cycle nurture us with its times for prayer, ritual activity and celebration within community.
  • May we be guided by the wisdom of Leviticus 19:18, where we are instructed to love our neighbors as ourselves, as we face the truth of the work that needs to be done to repair the world and do tikkun olam. 

It’s about the people, the place & the experience

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Join for the AARC Retreat, May 9-11, 2025

When
Friday evening, May 9, 2025
through
Sunday afternoon, May 11, 2025
(this is Mother’s Day Weekend)

Where
 The Butzel Retreat Center at Camp Tamarack (about a one hour drive Northeast of Ann Arbor in Ortonville, Michigan)

Registration

Registration must be completed by midnight, Friday, May 2, 2025.  Pricing is flexible to make sure everyone can attend regardless of financial situation.

To register click on the button below:   

Register Here

More information about the Butzel Retreat Center can be found HERE
Great photos from last year’s retreat are HERE

WHAT TO EXPECT THIS YEAR
Like last year, the retreat will offer an opportunity to reconnect with our community, the Earth and yourself in beautiful, natural surroundings. It’s about the people, the place, and the experience. We hope you will join!

The retreat will also offer

  • A chance to celebrate Shabbat as a community
  • Meaningful, musical services
  • Various workshops, discussion groups and other activities led by our talented community members
  • Fun activities offered by Tamarack Adventure Center, including swimming, kayaking and canoeing
  • Hikes exploring around the beautiful lakes on the 1,100 wooded acres of Tamarack/Camp Maas
  • A Saturday night party with music and dancing
  • Campfires with S’mores and singing* Childcare and Children’s Programming
  • …and other surprises as well!

A motel-like room at the Butzel Retreat Center (instead of shared cabins with bunks at the Specialty Camper Village like last year).
This means we will have…

  • Private rooms with their own bathrooms, instead of cabins (Rooms at Butzel can sleep up to four people with one queen size bed, one twin size bed and upon request, two fold out cots. )
  • Convenient parking next to our accommodations, instead of a parking lot that is a long walk away
  • ADA conforming facilities, instead of potentially difficult to traverse stairs and grounds
  • Meals cooked by Butzel staff and served in our own dining room, instead of eating children’s camp food at the main dining hall

We look forward to seeing you at the retreat!



Calling All AARC Artists and Creatives!

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Join us as we launch an Artist Collective within our spiritual community—a space to share our creative work, explore what moves and inspires us, and connect with like-minded people. Whether you paint, write poetry, sculpt, play music, or engage in any form of artistic expression, this is an opportunity to build community through art.

We’ll begin with a teaching on Jewish amulets, exploring their history and spiritual significance. From there, we’ll embrace the creative process—perhaps making art together, sharing our artistic interests, cheering each other on, and finding joy in the holiness and healing potential of creative expression during this tumultuous time.

This is about connection, inspiration, and the joy of creating together—a playful space to uplift and encourage each other through art.

Come join the fun, spark ideas, and search for meaning through artmaking!

Date:  Monday April 28, 2025 

Time:   7 pm

Place:  Idelle Hammond-Sass’ art studio

RSVP:  Email Idelle at hammond_sass@msn.com and she will send you her address.

Erica Ackerman, Climate Activist

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This Q&A with Erica Ackerman was written for the April 2025 Washtenaw Jewish News, as part of climate outreach coordinated by A2J Climate Circle initiative.

A member of the Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Congregation, Erica is a climate activist who serves on the Executive Committee of the Sierra Club Huron Valley Group.

Erica, tell us about the origins of your climate activism

I became a climate activist leading up to the 2008 election. Working with the groups “Obama for America” and then “Organizing for Action,” I developed presentations to raise climate change awareness. We coordinated climate change symposiums in Dexter, Jackson, Canton, and Ypsilanti. 

How did you become a leader with the Sierra Club?

In 2018, longtime Washtenaw County activist Dan Ezekiel asked me to run for the Sierra Club of Huron Valley executive committee, and I was honored to step up.  At the time, funding for climate initiatives in the city of Ann Arbor was in doubt. The Sierra Club mobilized our community to attend city council meetings and to make their voices heard.  These efforts were impactful, and in 2019 the Ann Arbor city council passed the A2ZERO plan.  A key goal of A2ZERO is to realize community-wide carbon neutrality by 2030.

Have Jewish values played a part in your climate activism work?

Yes, for me it all seems integral; Jewish values lead to wanting to protect our environment, and advocating for the earth leads to appreciation of Jewish values, especially around Tikkun Olam (repairing the world).

Regarding activism in the Jewish community, prompted by our rabbi, I recently participated in lobbying through Jewish Earth Alliance, where we pushed our US Senators to defend our progress on climate action. 

Advice for others who want to get involved?

The Sierra Club could definitely use more people who are active and interested in taking action.  Start by attending the monthly Sierra Club program meetings, held on the third Tuesday of the month, 6pm to 7:30pm, in-person at the downtown branch of the Ann Arbor District Library. The programs offer a mix of nature talks and environmental activism.

In addition, Sierra Club Executive Committee meetings are open to the public.  They are held on Zoom, the first Thursday of every month at 7pm. If you are interested in the Sierra Club Executive Committee Zoom link, text me (Erica) at 734-330-0163.

Exciting Times at Beit Sefer!

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Since returning from Winter Break at the end of January, the Beit Sefer has jumped back into action for the second semester of the school year.

Highlights have included a Tu B’Shvat seder led by Rav Gavrielle, where students and parent guests tried a wide array of fruit and sipped on their four glasses of grape juice.

Tu B’Shvat material continued the following week as students had the opportunity to plant and take home cuttings, allowing them to connect with earth and the cycle of nature.

Currently, the Beit Sefer is preparing this year’s Purim spiel, written by Josephine Speyer and Mollie Meadow. Students will be acting out the story of Esther with a creative twist, and will have costumes and props to match. The performance will be staged on the morning of Sunday, March 16th, during Beit Sefer’s normal class time.

Hamantaschen baking in 2024


Finally, there will be a very exciting Hamantaschen baking party for Beit Sefer students and families at the home of Carol Lessure and Jon Englebert. Email Carol at clessure@gmail.com for more information.