Friday, August 19, 2011
Why even ‘social justice’ workers need to rest
A Conversation on Religion and Politics by Sally Quinn
"Many of us in the world of public service and social justice feel this same sense of urgency. Even though we know that we have more than a week to do our work, we still worry that if we put down our blackberries for twenty-five hours (the length of the Jewish Sabbath), or even one hour, we’ll miss an emergency. We believe that if we could somehow work twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, we would be far more productive.
"But the very point of the Sabbath is to teach us that this all-encompassing approach to work helps neither us nor the world."
Sunday, August 14, 2011
A Woman's Spiritual Edge
Posted 8/13/2011 by David Suissa
"I got a taste of that edge last Friday night at Temple Beth Am, where a packed house welcomed their new cantor, Magda Fishman, a soulful trumpet player who sings Shlomo Carlebach melodies like Billie Holliday sings the blues."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-suissa/judaism-womans-edge_b_923776.html
At Camp Be’chol Lashon, It’s Bug Juice and More for Jews of Color - NYTimes.com
“If there’s Christians of all colors and all kinds, and Muslims of all colors and all kinds,” Amalia, 11, said over Shabbat lunch, “then why would Jewishness be any different?”
Leaders of Jewish movements agree to promote Shabbat joys
This was originally posted Friday, March 28, 1997 by DEBRA NUSSBAUM COHEN, Jewish Telegraphic Agency
NEW YORK -- Some spend the day praying in synagogue, sharing a meal with family and friends, resting and then praying some more. For others, Shabbat is a time for a family outing or a walk in the woods.
Jews from all denominations separate the day of rest from the work week, cherishing the gift of time set aside for spiritual and physical restoration. And though the leaders of the Orthodox, Conservative and Reform movements are warring, they all agree on the need to promote Shabbat.
Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald wants to bring the gift of Shabbat to all Jews. And according to surveys, it's a gift most American Jews have never gotten. Buchwald is the founder and director of the National Jewish Outreach Program, which tries to bring basic Jewish literacy to everyone by sponsoring short courses at synagogues.
So he designated Friday, April 4 as "Shabbat Across America." He hopes that at this time, some 40,000 Jews of every religious stripe will welcome Shabbat with worship and dinner at their local synagogues.
http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/5397/leaders-of-jewish-movements-agree-to-promote-shabbat-joys/
NEW YORK -- Some spend the day praying in synagogue, sharing a meal with family and friends, resting and then praying some more. For others, Shabbat is a time for a family outing or a walk in the woods.
Jews from all denominations separate the day of rest from the work week, cherishing the gift of time set aside for spiritual and physical restoration. And though the leaders of the Orthodox, Conservative and Reform movements are warring, they all agree on the need to promote Shabbat.
Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald wants to bring the gift of Shabbat to all Jews. And according to surveys, it's a gift most American Jews have never gotten. Buchwald is the founder and director of the National Jewish Outreach Program, which tries to bring basic Jewish literacy to everyone by sponsoring short courses at synagogues.
So he designated Friday, April 4 as "Shabbat Across America." He hopes that at this time, some 40,000 Jews of every religious stripe will welcome Shabbat with worship and dinner at their local synagogues.
http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/5397/leaders-of-jewish-movements-agree-to-promote-shabbat-joys/
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Lieberman Wants His Legacy to Be About Beauty of Shabbat
The book also provides a glimpse into how religion shaped this most adamant of congressional centrists, whose stubborn hewing to his beliefs brought him within shouting distance of the vice presidency before propelling him toward the end of his political career (Lieberman announced in January that he will not seek re-election in 2012).
One potent example of Lieberman's championing of freedom through restrictions is how the dictates of the holy day liberate him from his BlackBerry.
"Six days a week, I'm never without this little piece of plastic, chips and wires that miraculously connect me to the rest of the world and that I hope makes me more efficient, but clearly consumes a lot of my time and attention," he writes. "If there were no Sabbath law to keep me from sending and receiving email all day as I normally do, do you think I would be able to resist the temptation on the Sabbath? Not a chance. Laws have this way of setting us free."
http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/24159/Lieberman_Wants_His_Legacy_to_Be/
Impressive background takes back seat to Shabbat for this author
| Written by Brigit Katz | |
| Wednesday, 10 August 2011 | |
| TORONTO – Dr. Yvette Alt Miller boasts an impressive academic and professional background. She earned graduate and post-graduate degrees from Harvard, Oxford and the London School of Economics. She then went on to teach as an adjunct professor at several universities and work as an international Trade Analyst with the US International Trade Commission. It may come as a surprise, then, that Alt Miller’s first book is far removed from the worlds of academia and politics. Instead, Angels at the Table: A Practical Guide to Celebrating Shabbat is a comprehensive introduction to the practices involved with observing the Sabbath, and the book is deeply rooted in Jewish religious tradition. |
“I think everyone craves real experiences, especially these days, when everyone is twittering and IM-ing,” she said. “[Shabbat] is a day to connect with other people…. Any exposure to a traditional Shabbos is nothing but positive."
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Joe Lieberman releases book about beauty of Shabbat
http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=233112
Upon meeting with Lieberman in his Senate offices last week, before the Aug. 16 release date of his new book, “The Gift of Rest: Rediscovering the Beauty of the Sabbath,” he laughed at the term evangelical. But he also embraced it.
“In a way it is” evangelical, he said. Not that he wanted to convert anyone, Lieberman emphasized. “This gift, I wanted not only to share with Jews who are not experiencing it, who haven't accepted it, but also in some measure to appeal to Christians to come back to their observance of their Sabbath on Sundays,” he said.
Upon meeting with Lieberman in his Senate offices last week, before the Aug. 16 release date of his new book, “The Gift of Rest: Rediscovering the Beauty of the Sabbath,” he laughed at the term evangelical. But he also embraced it.
“In a way it is” evangelical, he said. Not that he wanted to convert anyone, Lieberman emphasized. “This gift, I wanted not only to share with Jews who are not experiencing it, who haven't accepted it, but also in some measure to appeal to Christians to come back to their observance of their Sabbath on Sundays,” he said.
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