By Rabbi Gabrielle Pescador
In times of crisis, it is very important to find connections and sources for support. Reach out to loved ones, attend to self-care, and be patient with yourselves. It’s okay to not know what to say and to have mixed feelings. It’s okay to be silent from the shock of it all. And it’s okay to pray, not for answers, but to hear your own voice. In the words of CS Lewis, “I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God. It changes me.”
We have 2 opportunities to pray together in community this weekend, on Shabbat and on Sunday morning for our first Rosh Chodesh minyan. And if praying alone is better for you right now, then do that. Hitbodedut (self-isolation) is a style of prayer popularized by Rabbi Nachman of Breslov. It is a way to be in open, spontaneous, and direct communication with God that is accessible using our own words, not the words of the siddur in rabbinic Hebrew or Aramaic. Hitbodedut can be done anywhere, but Nachman recommended that it is best done in nature, as “each and every grass blade has a song which it sings, and from the grass’s song, the shepherd’s melody is created” ((Likutei Moharan 63:1:2). The hope is that being in nature allows the nervous system to settle down so that we are better able to hear those songs and be nurtured by them.
There will be a time to be critical, to analyze and make assessments. Some of us are ready and for others it is way too soon. Wherever you find yourself, be gentle and be kind, and remember to care of yourself as well as the ones you hold dear.
Service Details:
Saturday Morning Shabbat Service: Saturday October 14th, 10:30am-noon. Meditation, prayer, discussion, community. Everyone is welcome! Hybrid services will be in person at the JCC of Ann Arbor and online via zoom. Email aarcgillian@gmail.com or see your weekly mailers for the zoom link if you would like to attend online.
Rosh Chodesh Online Minyan: Please join Rav Gavrielle on Sunday, October 15 at 9 am for a morning service on zoom to celebrate Rosh Chodesh. She will be weaving prayer, nigunim and teachings on Rosh Chodesh practice and the special qualities of the upcoming Hebrew month of Cheshvan. Email aarcgillian@gmail.com or see your weekly mailers for the zoom link if you would like to attend.
