I have taken on the role of leading (with another fellow) the “Adult Learning Committee” as it is named.

One of the questions that has been asked is “why is it when the temple puts on all these cool educational opportunities does the same 30 people always show up? Why is it that no one else comes?”

This is an interesting question about community. When you have a large group of people that affiliate with a synagogue or other organization, how do get people to come? There are plenty of reasons and excuses of why people do not take on these educational opportunities. However, this little committee really cannot answer the question of what it is that the community is looking for?

What if they stopped providing these educational programs would people notice? We do not know.

So what I have asked the people on the committee to do is go out and talk to five people. I want them to start with finding out what the persons relationship to Judaism is. I want to where are people coming from? What is the context of their lives?

From here we will start mapping out what people are interested in. What I am positing is that this process of listening will help define what kind of things we should be offering to bring more people in? How? I think the future will emerge from these conversations and we can look backwards at today and say “what do we need to do to move us toward where people want us to be?”

I think we should be able to get every adult involved in a learning opportunity over the year. My guess is that is around 1000 people.

Jew Wishes send me a challenge to pick the 4th folder and 4th picture and post it.

This is a photo of my son on his 3rd birthday. You can see some of the art work on the walls and his new books on Shabbat. I think he wanted more cake when everyone left and that is why the room is empty.

Anyway – isn’t that boy just squeezeable?

My God,

the soul with which You endowed me is pure.

You created it, You formed it, You breathed it into me,and you protect it within me.

So long as this soul is within me, I will thank You, Adonai my God,

God of my ancestors, Source of all creation, Master of all souls.

We bless You, Adonai, in whose hands are the souls of all the living,and the spirit of all human beings.

What is your soul? The American Heritage Dictionary defines soul as: “The animating and vital principle in humans, credited with the faculties of thought, action, and emotion and often conceived as an immaterial entity.” Encyclopedia Britannica describes the soul as: “the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being, that which confers individuality and humanity, often considered to be synonymous with the mind or the self.”

However you define the soul, do you ever question whether that essence in another human or yourself is good? Do you ever have those days where it feels like everything around you is rotten? It is often difficult to shake such feelings but Judaism provides us a beautiful tool to remind us of the purity of our soul and of all those around us. The Elohai N’shama prayer is great for connecting and reminding ourselves of the good within us and others.

“My God,” we call our attention to God and begin our prayer.

“the soul with which You endowed me is pure.” Just in case you ever begin to question it we remind ourselves daily that our soul is pure. This is to counter the idea that we are full of sin.

“You created it, You formed it, You breathed it into me,and you protect it within me.” To remind ourselves of the purity of our souls we acknowledge that God created our soul and each and every day God protects that soul. Isn’t it a beautiful idea that you are pure to the core and that reminding yourself of your relationship with God strengthens your connection.

“So long as this soul is within me, I will thank You, Adonai my God,” Subtly we acknowledge that God can take away our soul, that someday we will die. But until then we will thank God for the essence of our being.

“God of my ancestors, Source of all creation, Master of all souls.” Here we acknowledge that God has given the souls to all my ancestors and we are all interconnected. Not only do our ancestors have souls but all of creation and God is in responsible for it all. Seems to be the classic Rabbinic trick of making sure you realize that you are worthy (you have a pure soul) but you should temper that with the fact that you are no different from anyone else (you are just one of creation and God is Master of your soul).

“We bless You, Adonai, in whose hands are the souls of all the living,and the spirit of all human beings.” This then turns the prayer that was focused on us as individuals and ends it in a communal blessing. Traditionally, this part of the prayer acknowledges that God is so powerful that can resurect us and give us new souls. The idea of resurection seems so foreign to us that we even remove it from the prayer.  However, for a good many people it is comforting to know that after we die our souls will be connected and resurected.

Try the prayer. Try to say it each day in the morning. Maybe the positive outlook will cause positive things to happen in your day. Maybe by acknowledging that every person’s soul is pure you will be able to look at each person you meet in a different way.

I am reading a book about early Hasidic teachers. The book is A Heart Afire.

There is a story about the Baal Shem Tov that struck me. He was constantly challenged to his beliefs. The traditional Rabbis thought of him as a heretic.

The BeShT taught that G-d is in everything even in the most profane. It does not matter whether you are talking to a rabbi or a theif G-d is in there.

So the next time you are with a person, whether it be the clerk at the store, the garabage man or a beggar on the street listen very carefully. Everything a person says has something to learn from and just perhaps you may learn something new about G-d.

I love this idea. When was the last time you listened very carefully to every person you met? When was the last time you tried to find G-d in every interaction with a person?

Let’s try it and let everyone know what you find.

Lilah: A Novel (Canaan Trilogy)

http://www.amazon.com/Lilah-Canaan-Trilogy-Marek-Halter/dp/1400052823/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248833151&sr=1-1

I enjoyed this. I read the first 2 novels a year ago and this one this summer when I went to Florida. I love getting lost in this old world. The images are fashioned by the book and terrible Hollywood movies, but I love the pictures in my head.

Lilah is the faithful sister of the Prophet Ezra. He is in an unlikely sole obsessed by the word of G-d. So much so he moves out of the house and into the poorest neighborhood. He barely takes care of himself so Lilah makes regular deliveries of food.

Through her relationship with a man in the Kings army she is able to sway the evil queen into helping her convince the king to send her brother back to rebuild Jerusalem.

The book is written to create a relationship with Lilah. Very little is nice or sympathetic of Ezra, a man who cannot control his own emotions or presence amongst others.

I enjoy these “historical” novels that take a little bit from the Torah and make it into a big story. For me it started with the Red Tent. I hope more come along in this genre. It is nice to escape to another time.

The Alchemist

http://www.amazon.com/Alchemist-Paulo-Coelho/dp/0061122416/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248834068&sr=8-1

I dug this book out of my father’s attic. 100 + degrees in Florida, I was crawling around looking for books I gave him. They were not there. I think he threw them away. I came upon a few books that I would give a try. This one my father recommended. Others seemed to love it too.

I turned page after page waiting for something. I did not find anything. I was not impressed.

The book was Paulo’s opportunity to write down his philosophy of life. It did nothing for me.