Submitted by Editor on
Elyse Seidner-Joseph
[ Seidner-Joseph is a rabbinical student in the ALEPH smikha program. This project was created for a class on Eco-Judaism taught by Rabbi Arthur Waskow in 2009]
CONTENTS:
1. Invitation p. 1
2. Study and Action p. 2
3. Chanukat HaBayit p. 5
4. Eat, Blessing and Song p. 12
5. Background, Research p. 14
6. Appendix p. 18
several versions of the second paragraph of the Shema
7. References p. 21
INVITATION:
אַשְׁרֵי יֹושְׁבֵי בֵיתֶךָ עֹוד יְֽהַלְלוּךָ סֶּֽלָה׃
Happy are they who dwell in Your house; they are always praising You. (Psalm 84:5)
Please join Elyse and Kenny Joseph in a day of dedication for their new home, a day of dedication to healing the earth
Chanukat Habayit חנוכת הבית
Sunday November 1, 2009
143 East Miner Street
West Chester, PA. 19380
Come for one or all of the activities! RSVP: knejoseph@comcast.net
No gifts please! Your gift is your presence in our lives and your dedication to greater environmental consciousness.
Schedule:
10-11:30 am: Text study and political activism: What's in the mezuzah, and what does it say to us about healing the earth? (appropriate for adults and children over 12ish)
Resh Lakish said in the name of R. Judah the Prince: The world endures only for the sake of [Torah issued from] the breath of school children. (Shabbat 119a)
From this source comes the Chassidic custom of inviting children to a new home before the Chanukat Habayit even begins, to study some Torah. We will study and then we will act!
We will study and discuss several translations of the texts in the mezuzah, then write letters to local and national elected officials, our houses of worship, our workplaces, and schools, on environmental issues.
11:30-12:30 pm: Chanukat Habayit
Please think about blessings to share for our home.
Consider how you will dedicate yourself to healing the earth.
12:30-whenever: Seudat Mitzvah סעודת מצווה
Festive meal, singing, shmoozing, brainstorming.
Please bring vegetarian food to share--organic, and locally-grown if possible.
Leftover food will be brought to the St. Agnes Day Room, a drop-in center serving homeless and/or impoverished children and families.
One who is careful with the mitzvah of mezuzah will merit to have a beautiful home.
(Shabbat 32b)
F1, F2=facilitator 1 and 2 P=participant (various folks asked ahead of time to participate)
STUDY AND ACTION:
Text study and political activism: What's in the mezuzah, and what does it say to us about healing the earth?
Materials: shema translations from JPS, Brit Eliyahu p. 14, Rabbi Arthur Waskow, and Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, information on Safe Climate Bill of 2009 from opencongress.org, sample letters to Representatives and Congress people, paper, pens, stamps, envelopes, computer(s) with internet access--to look up names and contact information, FAX machine.
STUDY:
(F1) Join me in the blessing for studying Torah:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וְצִוָּנוּ לַעֲסוֹק בְּדִבְרֵי תוֹרָה
Baruch ata Adonai, eloheinu melech ha'olam asher kidshanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu la'asok b'divrei Torah.
Blessed are you, Yah, our God, Breath / Living Spirit of the World, who breathes into us the wisdom to know that we become holy by connecting with each other and with all of life, and that one way of making holy connection is breathing together words that aim toward wisdom.
(Rabbi Arthur Waskow)
(All) Let your home be a gathering place for scholars, get dusty (wrestle) in the dust of their feet,
and drink in their words with thirst. (Pirke Avot 1:4)
(F1) What's inside the mezuzah?
[expect that some folks will know--allow answers]
(F1) Would someone volunteer to read the passages?
(P) Reads Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 11:13-21 from JPS.
(F1) Many of us are very familiar with the first part of the mezuzah text, the beginning of the shema. We are going to take a closer look at the second part, which is the second paragraph of the shema. This is a part of the prayer that is often breezed through silently or skipped completely in Jewish worship. This is a shame--it has a lot to teach us about climate issues and our responsibilities.
Let's divide into groups of 2 or 3 people and look at this second paragraph. Some questions for your consideration:
what does G!d ask of us? what is our reward? our punishment?
how are we instructed to remember/integrate G!d's commandments?
do you connect with the idea of Divine retribution? why/why not?
if not, what might this mean metaphorically, or when examined through a modern lens?
Now take a look at a different translation of the same second paragraph. [distribute text from Brit Eliyahu p. 14, Rabbi Arthur Waskow, and Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi].
Read these with your small group.
Some questions for your consideration:
how do we love and serve G!d and all Creation in our lives?
what are our false G!d's?
is it appropriate/fair to compare our actions in the world that affect climate with G!d's warning about what will happen if we disregard the commandments?
how do these translations shift the idea of Divine retribution? does it work/not?
Let's rejoin into the larger group for some further discussion
ACTION:
(F2) There's a famous story in Talmud about study and action.
Rabbi Tarfon and the Elders were once reclining in the upper story of Nithza’s house, in Lod, when this question was posed to them: Which is greater, study or action? Rabbi Tarfon answered, saying: Action is greater. Rabbi Akiva answered, saying: Study is greater. All the rest agreed with Akiva that study is greater than action because it leads to action.
(Kiddushin 40b)
Action can, and does, occur in the absence of study, but, according to Akiva, study itself will stimulate us and inspire us to act. I hope that is the case today.
We are going to write letters to people in our local communities--where we work, go to school, where we pray, where we work out. We can encourage energy audits, car-pooling, recycling, switching to CFL bulbs, eliminating use of paper and plastic for receptions or meals after programs or worship, etc. What have you noticed in these settings where we could do better in terms environmental consciousness and action?
The Safe Climate Bill of 2009, sponsored by Rep. Henry Waxman, D-CA, was passed by the house on June 26, 2009. This bill includes a global warming reduction plan designed to reduce economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions 17 percent by 2020, new renewable requirements for utilities, studies and incentives regarding new carbon capture and sequestration technologies, energy efficiency incentives for homes and buildings, and grants for green jobs. Our representative, Joe Pitts, R-PA, voted against it. We could write expressing our disappointment in his vote and encouraging him to reconsider important climate and energy issues.
The bill is now in the Senate. We could write to Senators Robert Casey and Arlen Specter, asking them to support this bill.
(F1) Get into different groups of two or three and brainstorm about what you want to say, then write letters. Old-fashioned letters, sent by fax, are more effective than email. I've brought some samples to use as templates. We can look up names and contact information on the computer. At the end of our session, we will fax the letters and then mail them.
[do brainstorming and letter writing]
CONCLUSION:
(F2) I invite us to stand in a circle and hold hands if you would like.
After study, its customary to thank our teachers--all of them.
Close your eyes and think of the teachers in your life....
Allow gratefulness for what they have given you to fill your heart....
Now, think of those for whom YOU have been a teacher, in big ways and small....
What do we wish for our teachers and our students.
Love. Strength. Patience. Clean air.
What else? [wait for suggestions, then repeat each one, all saying "amen"]
(F1) For those here today, whose study leads to action, may we continue to work for the healing of our earth, remembering the words of Rabbi Tarfon. It is not up to you to complete the task, but you are not free to desist from it. (Pirke Avot 2:21)
CHANUKAT HABAYIT:
WELCOME (Gather in front room.)
CHANT (All)
Ash-rei yosh-vei vei-te-cha - od y'-ha-l'-lu-cha se-la. אַשְׁרֵי יֹושְׁבֵי בֵיתֶךָ עֹוד יְֽהַלְלוּךָ סֶּֽלָה׃
Happy are they who dwell in Your house; they are always praising You.
(Psalm 84:5)
(F1) Many of us are familiar with the holiday of Chanukah, which sounds alot like Chanukat ha-Bayit. The name "Hanukkah" comes from the Hebrew verb "חנך", meaning "to dedicate". The festival of Chanukah commemorates the re-dedication of the Temple, in 163 BCE. The small force of Israelite Maccabees defeated the mighty Hellenist empire. The Temple,which had been desecrated by the Hellenists, was cleaned and purified, then re-dedicated to holy service. There was only enough consecrated olive oil to fuel the eternal light in the Temple for one day. Miraculously, the oil burned for eight days, which was the length of time it took to press, prepare and consecrate fresh olive oil.
(F1) As we move into our new home, we dedicate it as a place of Kedusha, of holiness.
(F2) As a place of Kedusha, we dedicate this home as a container for the mitzvot, interpreted through our own contemporary lens.
WINE:
(Have wine and grape juice available for everyone.)
(P) Wine sanctifies.
(P) Wine represents the Life Force.
(P) Wine is a symbol of joy and gladness.
(P) Wine makes the heart of man glad. (Psalm 104:15)
(F2) We've chosen a wine made from local Chester County grapes, grown with no pesticides and lots of love, made into wine by our dear friend Tony.
Join us in the blessing for wine, in English and then Hebrew.
Let us bless the Source of Life that ripens the fruit on the vine. (Marcia Falk)
Blessed are You, Yah, our G!d, Source of All, Ceator of the fruit of the vine.
Baruch atah adonai eloheinu melech ha'olam borei p'ri hagafen.
ברוּךְ אַתה יי. אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָֽעוֹלָם. בוֹרֵא פרִי הַגפֶן׃
LIGHT:
(Have a CFL bulb and a lamp to put it in available.)
(F1) What do we dedicate, or re-dedicate, ourselves to, as we move into this home? With every-increasing awareness, we know that our actions--what we eat, what we buy, what we drive, how we dispose of our garbage--all have huge impact on our planet. We use the occasion of our move to acknowledge the cry of our earth, and to commit to action.
(F2) Take a few breaths and consider what you will commit to in order to heal the earth (pause).
(F1) Some lessons from the festival of Chanukah, the festival of dedication, help us to begin:
Source of all Life--give us the courage to change the way we consume oil and other energy--help us learn to make one day's worth of energy last eight days. Unlike the ancient Israelites, we can not produce and purify new supplies of our limited energy resources in eight days! We dedicate ourselves to ruach, to spirit, to sustainability, and to supporting efforts to discover new energy sources.
(F2) Creator of all--give us the confidence to know that we, like the Maccabees, are not powerless. When we put our minds, hearts, and energy to work, we also can make miracles happen. We can stand up to "the way things are," demanding action from our leaders, and demanding change. We can stand up against corporate energy and agri-business, modern "empires" who are destroying the earth, the sacred Temple of all nations and peoples.
(F1) Share some things that you, our guests, will dedicate yourselves to, to heal the Earth and to live a more environmentally-conscious life.
(F2) People came from near and far to celebrate Hanukah with with Baal Shem Tov. The Besht always taught Torah before lighting the Hanukah candles. Once, he taught on the opening of Parshat Be'ha'alot'cha--"When you light the lamp," with its more literal meaning being "when you elevate the lamp. When we light the lamp, we must also light ourselves, the Besht teaches. When we elevate the light, we must elevate ourselves.
When we light any lamp--the candles of Shabbat, of Hanukah or other festivals, when we switch on the lights in our new home, may it be a reminder to light ourselves up, to light a fire under us to act. To elevate ourselves to repairing the world, the world outside our home, in ever widening circles of connection, the world in our home, a place of intimacy and connection, and the world inside of our selves.
(F1) On Chanukah, as when we bring in Shabbat and other holidays, we light candles. Today, we light a CFL bulb as we dedicate our home. We commit to using these more efficient bulbs.
Join with us, if you are able to dedicate yourselves to these commitments:
(F2) We dedicate ourselves to caring for the miracles of Creation to those who will follow.
(F1) We will work to insure that those who come after us will be able to enjoy these miracles.
(F2) We dedicate ourselves to being mindful of all that we consume, and of the waste and pollution we generate.
(F1) We will work to consume wisely, locally, and with intention, and to use, re-purpose and re-cycle, and to support others in efforts to do so. We will compost, returning what we can to the earth, providing for the cycle of growth that we depend upon.
(F2) We dedicate ourselves to the v'ahavta, to to love G!d with all our heart, soul, and might.
(F1) We will work to actualize that love in honoring and caring for the Earth, G!d's ongoing creation.
(F2) We dedicate ourselves to doing our part to repair the world/tikkun olam.
(F1) We will work to encourage others as well to do their part in tikkum olam/repairing the world. We are all a part of the great flow of rain, sun, earth, animal, and plant which make up the rhythms of earth.
(F2 ) We acknowledge the participation of the Source in all the work of our hands.
(F1) Let us seek the unseen sparks that kindle the greater lights. (Marcia Falk)
(Put the CFL bulb in the lamp, and turn it on)
(All sing, repeating seven times.)
Vi-hi no-am A-do-nai E-lo-hei-nu a-lei-nu (repeat)
u-ma-a-sei ya-dei-nu ko-n'na a-lei-nu, u-ma-a-sei ya-dei-nu ko-n'nei-hu.
וִיהִי נֹעַם אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהֵינוּ עָלֵינוּ וּמַעֲשֵׂה יָדֵינוּ כֹּונְנָה עָלֵינוּ וּֽמַעֲשֵׂה יָדֵינוּ כֹּונְנֵֽהוּ׃
May Your kindly Presence, Lord be ever pleasant for us,
may our hands' efforts achieve their aim.
Please bring our efforts to a good result.
(Psalm 90:17, trans. Reb Zalman)
(move from inside the house to the backyard garden during the chant0
PLANT: Celeste Fig Tree
(Prior to the Chanukat Habayit, dig a hole for planting the tree, lining it with bricks. Have a shovel ready, and of course, the fig tree!)
(All) May it be my custom to go outdoors each day, among the trees and grasses, among all growing things, to be alone and enter into prayer. There may I express all that is in my heart, talking with You, to whom I belong. And may all grasses, trees, and plants awake at my coming.
(Rebbe Nachman)
(All) They shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig-tree; and none shall make them afraid. (Micah 4:4)
(F2) Traditionally, there is no blessing for planting fruit trees. The reason--the fruit tree does not bring us immediate gratification. We ARE connected, however, because what we breathe out, the trees breathe in, and what we breathe in, the tree breathes out. I am immediately grateful for this.
(All chant) Nishmat kol chai, tivarech et shim-cha, YAH Eloheynu
The breathing of all life blesses Your Name
(F1) Young fig trees require careful watering.
(P) Your mother is like a vine in your blood, planted by the waters; she was fruitful and full of branches because of the abundance of waters. (Ezek 19:10)
(F2) We are blessed to live in a place where clean water is available. So many others who share our planet are not so lucky. Water is the symbol of chesed, of overflowing love, and of Torah. Our fig tree, and our whole little garden here, will be nourished with rainwater collected in a barrel, our version of a well. In our tradition, many significant events take place at a well--Rebekah draws water for Eliezer, who was sent by Abraham to find a bride for his son Isaac; Hagar opening her eyes, and, seeing a well of water, gives her thirsty son Ishmael a drink, saving both of them from despair and death. A well is a place of possibility. May we see our home and garden as a place of possibility for all who enter.
(F2) Figs require direct sun to produce fruit.
(P) The sun to rule by day-- for G!d's loving-kindness endures for ever (Psalm 136:8)
(All sing) et ha-shemesh l'memshelet ba-yom, ki l'olam, ki l'olam khas-do (repeat)
אֶת־הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ לְמֶמְשֶׁלֶת בַּיֹּום כִּי לְעֹולָם חַסְדֹּֽו׃
(F1) A young fig tree will require protection from frost; in late fall, wrap it in burlap.
(P) A fountain of Blessings are You, Source of Life of all the World, who clothes the naked.
(P) Baruch ata Yah eloheynu ruach ha'olam malbish arumim.
(F1) Fig wood is weak and can decay rapidly; fig tree branches are muscular and twisting, spreading wider than they are tall.
(P) A fountain of Blessings are You, Source of Life of all the World, who gives Israel strength.
Baruch ata Yah eloheynu ruach ha'olam ozer Yisrael b'gevurah.
(F1) Fig roots are greedy, traveling far beyond the tree canopy; their roots can extend into foundations and above the ground.
(P) We are lining our tree-planting hole with bricks, which will restrict the roots and prevent the formation of tap roots without harming the tree. To produce good fruit and not damage other parts of our eco-system, we practice gevurah, setting healthy boundaries.
(Plant the tree. Invite guests to help.)
(F2) With G!d's blessing, we will return here in summer.
(All) My beloved speaks and says to me, Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away.
For, behold, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;
The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing bird has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land;
The fig tree puts forth her green figs, and the vines in blossom give forth their scent.
(Song of Songs 2:10-13)
WHAT IS INCOMPLETE/TZEDAKAH:
(Invite everyone into the kitchen.)
(F1) It is traditional to leave a part of a Jewish home incomplete, to remind us of what is not complete in us and in our world, what is broken, what needs healing. There are people who do not have homes, do not have clean water or food. We are all effected by climate change, by dependence on oil and coal, and by their devastating effects on our environment. The kitchen is the center of the home, a place of nourishment, of mother-nurturing energy. This spot on the kitchen wall, left unpainted, is a constant reminder of our responsibility in the brokenness, and our commitment to the healing.
(F2) A tzedakah box, a place to collect monetary donations, sits next to this spot. When we are reminded, daily, of the destruction and brokenness, we will donate to help repair the world/tikkun olam. Please join us, in giving today, and dedicate yourselves to giving to an environmental cause that you are passionate about. All of the money collected today will go to support the work of COEJL, the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life.
MEZUZAH:
(Invite everyone to the sidewalk in front of the house. Have the mezuzah, nails and a hammer available.)
(F2) Stand if you are able, and gather around the front door.
Breathe in and out, gently.
Hear the exhale,"Yah" as the Breath of Life--in us, between us, and beyond us, interlinking all.
We breathe in what the trees breathe out.
(F1) The word mezuzah means doorpost. It is derived from the word "zuz," which, paradoxically, means "to move!" We nail a mezuzah to the door post. It does not move.
(All) May the words contained within the mezuzah move us to action to heal the earth.
(All) May the words of the mezuzah move with us, as we leave our private space and encounter the world.
(F2) When we enter our home, we are reminded by the words of the mezuzah to struggle against the impulses towards anger and animosity.
(F1) When we leave our home, we are reminded by the words of the mezuzah to curb our egotism in dealing with our fellow earth-dwellers and to control our striving to acquire more.
(F1) We chant the words in the mezuzah, the words of the shema, together, in Hebrew and English, simultaneously.
Hear O Yisrael, Yah who is, is our God, Yah who is, is One.
Love Yah, who is your God,
in what your heart is in, in what you aspire to,
in what you have made your own.
May these values which I connect with your life
be implanted in your feelings.
May they become the norm for your children,
addressing them in the privacy of your home,
on the errands you run.
May they help you relax, and activate you to be productive.
Display them visibly on your arm.
Let them focus your attention.
See them at all transitions, at home and in your environment.
(Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi)
שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָֽד׃
וְאָהַבְתָּ אֵת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּכָל־לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל־נַפְשְׁךָ וּבְכָל־מְאֹדֶֽךָ׃
וְהָיוּ הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיֹּום עַל־לְבָבֶֽךָ׃
וְשִׁנַּנְתָּם לְבָנֶיךָ וְדִבַּרְתָּ בָּם בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ בְּבֵיתֶךָ וּבְלֶכְתְּךָ בַדֶּרֶךְ וּֽבְשָׁכְבְּךָ וּבְקוּמֶֽךָ׃
וּקְשַׁרְתָּם לְאֹות עַל־יָדֶךָ וְהָיוּ לְטֹטָפֹת בֵּין עֵינֶֽיךָ׃
:וּכְתַבְתָּם עַל־מְזוּזֹת בֵּיתֶךָ וּבִשְׁעָרֶֽיךָ
(F2) Now the second paragraph of the shema, the part often skipped over, that is also in the mezuzah. Hear, really hear, these words and their message to us in this time of climate change, excessive use of our dwindling energy resources, drought, bacterially-tainted food, and other consequences of our actions on our earth.
(ALL)
If you listen, REALLY listen to the teachings of YHWH, the Breath of Life, especially the teaching that there is Unity in the world and inter-connection among all its parts, then the rains will fall as they should, the rivers will run, the heavens will smile, and the good earth and all its creatures will feed you and each other.
BUT if you shatter the harmony of life, if you chop the world up into parts and choose one or a few to worship ---- like gods of wealth and power, greed, the addiction to Do and Make and Produce without pausing to Be and make Shabbat ---- then the Breath of Life will come as a hurricane to shatter your harmony.
For if you pour poison into earth and air and water, then it will be poison that you eat and drink and breathe. The rain won't fall [or, it will turn to acid], the rivers won't run [or, they will overflow because you have left no earth where the rain can soak in], and the heavens themselves will become your enemy [the ozone layer will cease shielding you, the Carbon Dioxide you pour into the air will scorch your planet], and you will perish from the good earth that the Breath of Life gives you.
So, therefore, set these words/deeds in your heart and in every breath, carry them in every act toward which you put your hands, and make them the pattern through which you see the world. Teach them to your children, to repeat them to their children; stay aware of them when you sit in your houses, when you travel on your roads, when you lie down to dream and when you rise up to act. Write them on the thresholds where you cross from world to world ---- the doorposts of your houses and your city-gates.
So that your days and the days of your children grow more, grow deeper, grow higher, upon the earth that the BREATH OF LIFE swore to your forebears to give them --
So that as Shamayyim, Heaven, is where Eysh and Mayyim, Fire and Water, can live in harmony together, you can make the earth a harmonious haven, can live upon the Earth days as filled with harmony as Heaven. (Rabbi Arthur Waskow)
(F1) There are two basic rulings as to how a mezuzah is to be attached to a doorpost.
(P) Rashi, from the 11th century, teaches that it must be affixed vertically.
(P) Rabbeinu Tam, his grandson, says that it must be affixed horizontally.
(F2) The accepted custom is to compromise and affix the mezuzah diagonally. Would it be that all disagreements within this home be addressed with such compromise!
(F1) “Yielding like a reed and not unbending like a cedar,” (Taanit 20a) like the reed used to write a mezuzah parchment.
(Hold the mezuzah at eye-level, on the right side of the door, angled in)
All:
.ברוךְ אַתה יי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדשַׁנוּ במִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָנוּ לִקְבוֹעַ מְזוזָה
Baruch atta Adonai Eloheinu melech ha‘olam, asher kideshanu bemitzvotav vetzivanu likboa‘ mezuza.
Blessed are You, Yah, the Breath of All Life, All Time and All Space,You sanctify us with Your mitzvot, commanding us to affix a mezuzah.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָה יְיָ אֶלוֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הַעוֹלָם שֵהֵחְיָנוּ וְקִיְימָנוּ וְהִגִעָנוּ לַזְמַן הַזֶה׃
Baruch Ata A-do-nai Elo-heinu Melech Haolam she-hech-e-ya-nu v'ki-ma-nu v'hi-gi-ya-nu li-z'man hazeh.
A Fountain of Blessings are You, Yah, Sustainer of Creation, for enabllng us to reach this time together.
(Nail the mezuzah to the doorpost)
BREAD AND SALT:
(Have the challot, salt, a cutting board and a knife ready)
(F1) Thank you, Sarah, for the gift of your home-made challah. Thank you, Wahi, for the beautiful eggs from your chickens that went into the challah that Sarah made.
(F2) There are many others whose efforts brought us the raw materials for this challah--the wheat and sugar growers, the packers, the truckers who brought it to us, the supermarket buyers, the check-out person and the high school student who bags your groceries--these people are largely unknown to us. Take a moment to know them, and acknowledge their efforts; pray that they are earning a living wage for their work.
(F1) It is traditional to put salt on the bread, for a housewarming in many traditions, and for saying the blessing/bracha over the bread before we eat. As we sprinkle the salt, I invite you to "sprinkle" on us, your blessings for happiness and joy in our new home.
Praise to You, Yah, Source of All, Who brings bread out of earth.
Barukh atah Adonai Elohaynu melekh ha-olam ha-motzi lechem min ha-aretz.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה אַדוֹ-נַי אֱלוֹ-הֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, הַמּוֹצִיא לֶחֶם מִן הָאָרֶץ
Praise to You, Yah, Source of All, Who brings bread out of earth.
EAT: Self-explanatory!
BLESSING AND SONG:
1. (All sing) Brich rachamana malka d’alma marai d’hai pita
Blessed be the Master of this bread ( Brachot 40b)
2. Psalm 67 (A psalm for all the peoples of the planet)
God Bless us with grace!
Let Your loving Face shine on us!
We want to get to know Your way
here on Earth
seeing how Your help is given to every group of people.
Oh how the various peoples will thank You
They all together will be grateful.
Many people will be joyous and sing
When You will do right with the forthright
And the peoples, as You direct them, will cheer You.
Oh how the various peoples will thank You
They all together will be grateful.
The Earth will give her harvest
Such blessings come from G!d, Yes from our G!d!
Bless us God,
All the ends of the Earth will esteem You!
(Psalm 67, trans. Reb Zalman)
3. Hinei mah tov umah naim, Shevet achim gam yachad
הִנה מַה־טוב ומַה־נעִים שֶׁבֶת אַחִים גם־יָֽחַד׃
How good and pleasant it is for brothers and sisters to sit together (Psalm 133:1)
4. Eilecha Adonai Ekra, v'el Adonai Etchanan (x2),
Sh'ma Adonai v'choneni, Adonai heyeh ozer li.
אֵלֶיךָ ה' אֶקְרָא; וְאֶל- ה', אֶתְחַנן (x2)
שְׁמַע-ה' וְחָננִי; ה' הֱיֵה-עֹזֵר לִי
I call to You Yah! I plead with you Adonai!
Listen Yah! Be kind to me! Yah, please help me.
(Psalm 30, A Song for the Dedication of the Temple, verses 9,11 trans. Reb Zalman)
5. Orech yomim asbi-ayhu, v'ar-ayhu bishu-ati (repeat)
אֹרֶךְ יָמִים, אַשְׂביעֵהוּ; וְאַרְאֵהוּ, בישׁועָתִי.
I will make you contented with your life span
and I will have you witness how I bring deliverance.
(Psalm 91:16, trans. Reb Zalman)
DEPARTURE:
Lemaan achai vereai, lemaan achai vereai
Adabra na, adabra na, shalom bach (repeat)
Lemaan bait Adonai Elohainu avaksha tov lach (repeat)
:לְמַעַן אַחַי וְרֵעָי אֲדַבְּרָה־נָּא שָׁלֹום בָּֽךְ
לְמַעַן בֵּית־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ אֲבַקְשָׁה טֹוב לָֽךְ׃
Because of my brothers and friends, because of my sisters and friends.
Please let me ask, please let me sing, "Peace to you."
(repeat)
This is the house, the house of the One, I wish the best for you. (repeat)
(Psalm 122:8-9, melody: Shlomo Carlebach)
BACKGROUND/RESEARCH/THOUGHTS ON THE CREATION OF THIS CHANUKAT HABAYIT:
STRUCTURE OF THE DAY:
I wanted to create a ritual that was not too long for our large, diverse group of people. AND I wanted to provide opportunities for deep learning and action, as well as singing, eating, ritual, liturgy and fun. There are invited folks who will want to do serious text study and write letters or brainstorm action; others will not usually be so motivated, but might be curious enough to show up. I felt it was important to include study and action, as well as blessing, singing, planting, and eating.
I used features common to many Jewish rituals--wine, light, bread. I consciously switched the order from what is typical--wine, then light in this ritual, rather than light, then wine. The flow from "V'hi noam....," the "work of our hands" idea, in transitioning from the light bulb to going outside to plant the tree made more sense to me. I added an earth-connecting piece, with the tree-planting, something that is not usually found in our life-cycle rituals. It seemed absolutely essential to it.
TEXT STUDY/ACTION:
The curriculum from "Brit Eliyahu," week 2, program 2 (p. 14) was perfect for adaptation for the text study. The objective of this unit states, "Explore climate as G!d's expression of cause and effect." Since the only "required" piece for a Chanukat Habayit is shechiyanu and putting up the mezuzah, studying the second paragraph of the shema and its connection to environmental issues was a great fit. I did not have to change the curriculum much. I added a few other questions, eliminated the requirement to write answers down, and I added questions would be used as several different translations of the second paragraph of the shema--the one in the Brit Eliyahu, Reb Zalman's, and Rabbi Arthur Waskow's.
The action part of our session is an adaptation of Brit Eliyahu week 4, program 2, "National Climate Campaign" combined with week 2 program 3, "Creating Communal Change, Greening Our Synagogue." Having folks write letters to officials at the local level(school, work, place of worship) is more intimate and thus more challenging, because the writers know the people, and are in those environments. Writing to national leaders (representative, senator, or other decision-maker) connects the writer to a larger community of concern.
CHANUKAH/CHANUKAT HABAYIT CONNECTION:
There is not a standard, well-developed, fixed ritual for Chanukat HaBayit, beyond putting up the mezuzah and saying the bracha. Because of its close semantic relationship to Chanukah, I thought that some Chanukah ideas would be easy to adapt for this life cycle event.
WINE:
It is very confusing--organic, biodynamic, sustainable, local or from Europe, South Africa, or South America, kosher or not! Here are some things I learned:
1. The carbon footprint of wine:
Organic wine-making produces less green house gas than regular wine-making, but not significantly less.
The fewer miles shipped, the better. Not all miles are "equal," it depends in the method.
From best to worst: ships, trucks, planes. Even better is driving to a local winery to buy.
A "green line" runs through Ohio--
Points east--buying French wine has less of a carbon impact.
Points west--buying California wine is better for the environment.
Buy larger bottles, due to a lower glass-to-wine ratio.
2. What do all those designations really mean?
Organic wine:
"100% Organic" carries the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) organic seal and indicates the wine is made from 100% organically grown ingredients and has been monitored throughout its entire production process.
"Organic" carries the USDA organic seal and indicates the wine has 95% organically grown ingredients (the other 5% must not be available organically).
"Made with Organic Grapes" or "Made with Organic Ingredients" means the wine contains at least 70% organic ingredients.
"Biodynamic" is based on an attempt at balance of nature, a concept originated by the early 20th-century Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner. Biiodynamic wine is not only 100% organic, in addition, the grower has gone beyond to try to bring the farming process more closely in tune with nature (making their own compost, for example).
"Preservative-free wine" may or may not be made from organic grapes. These wines are made without any external addition of sulfur (although some is always present due to fermentation), anti-oxidants or anti-microbial agents.
3. Kosher, or not:
Clearly grapes are kosher and so is sugar and alchol. To be considered kosher, a Shabbat-observant Jewish man has to be involved in the entire winemaking process from the harvesting of the grapes, through fermentation to bottling. It is important for some folks to use kosher wine for ritual purposes. If there were people who felt this way, I would provide it for this ritual. It irritates me to use wine made under these segregating, denigrating conditions to sanctify holy occasions, and I am moving away from it personally.
There are only a few Kosher organic options at this time:
Four Gates Winery – California-based, Organic, Kosher and Kosher for Pesach.
Yarden Chardonnay Odem Organic – Israel-based, Organic, Kosher, Kosher for Pesach.
Hafner Winery – Austria-based, bottled under the name “Queen Esther,” Organically-grown grapes, Kosher for Pesach.
Baron Herzog – California based, Not certified organic, but many of Baron Herzog’s wines come from “sustainably grown/low spray” grapes. .
4. So, how did I decide on what kind of wine to use?
Using the information above, if there was an insistence on the need for a kosher wine, the best would probably be Hafner--organic, from Austria--a lower carbon footprint than a California or Israeli wine.
If the major concern was the lowest carbon footprint, there is a winery 7 miles from the house, but it is not organic.
We chose a wine produced by a friend, from a backyard grape vine that is organically grown, not kosher.
PLANTING THE FIG TREE:
In our reading of Elon's essay, "Through Tu B'Shvat to Yah B'Shvat," I was struck by how sad and wasteful it was for the youngsters in the yishuv and later in Israel to plant saplings which usually died before the next year. The thought of planting, the intention behind it, was good, but there seemed to be little thought about what was appropriate to plant at that time of the year and in that eco-system.
I wanted to plant something in the garden for the Chanukat HaBayit, tying us to the small plot of earth that we temporarily possess. I was drawn to the idea of a fruit-bearing tree with some biblical connection, but needed to insure that it could grow in our eco-system, Zone 7. The Celeste fig tree is hardy enough for our winters, with a bit of help, another idea that I was attracted to, in emphasizing the inter-connectedness of us and the trees. I created the liturgy by alternating information about the Celeste fig tree with lines of liturgy or psalms.
WHAT IS INCOMPLETE/TZEDAKAH:
A person whitewashes their house with lime, and leaves a little portion (of their wall) unfinished in remembrance of the destruction of Jerusalem (Tosefta, Baba Batra 2:17).
THE MEZUZAH PARCHMENT:
A mezuzah is written on parchment made from the skin of a kosher animal, but the animal does not have to be slaughtered according to the laws of shechitah. The skin must be from a kosher species, such as a cow, sheep, or goat. One explanation is from Exodus 13:9, "It shall be for you for a sign on your hand and for a reminder between you eyes, in order that YHVH's Instruction may be in your mouth." The Sages explain this verse to mean that the Law may only be written on the skin of a kosher animal whose flesh is permitted to be placed in one’s mouth.
I was interested in whether one could purchase an eco-kosher mezuzah parchment. Since I buy my meat from KOL, which is organic, free-range, humanely-raised, and kosher slaughtered, I started there. They sell the hides to leather makers, but not for sacred purposes.
I contacted Soferet Jen Taylor Friedman; here are excertps from her emails to me:
No organic, free-range, humanely-raised, and kosher slaughtered companies are providing parchment yet.
What needs to happen is:
* connect with parchment-maker to find someone to make the hides into
parchment. Parchment-makers must be Jewish and skilled.
Parchment-makers basically live in Israel, I do not know of any who
are both Jewish and adequately skilled in the USA. Most of them don't
use internet much. This means a lot of phoning and Hebrew-speaking.
Convincing parchment-makers to participate will be a challenge, but it
must be possible.
* Arrange with parchment-makers to receive humane hides and make
parchment (also potentially tefillin housings) from them, keeping tabs
on the humane hides so that they don't get mixed in with the others.
Discuss fees, quality control, etc.
* Connect with humane cow-raising places in US, make arrangements for
collecting (buying) hides. Cows for kosher parchment don't actually
need shechita; most parchment is made from cows killed in regular
American slaughterhouses. So kosher killing is not an issue.
* Arrange permits for exporting hides to Israel
* Collect hides and ship to Israel (research most cost-effective way
of doing this)
* Arrange for parchment to be shipped back to the USA (import/export
duties); distribute to scribes. (Work out how much parchment will have
to cost to make the project financially viable.)
She feels that there is enough interest in humanely-produced parchments, which would not have to come from kosher-slaughtered animals. I wondered about the huge carbon footprint of round-trip to Israel, but Jen says that the hides are being shipped there anyway, since the parchment makers are in Israel!
There IS a person in upstate New York who is making parchment--he is not Jewish--so for it to be kosher, a Jewish person would have to supervise his work.
I also communicated with Shoshana Guggenheim, who has researched this issue and provided additional, very disturbing information about parchment procurement:
* I have made over a dozen visits to the factory (of the largest parchment-producing family in Israel) and have inquired extensively about this issue. I do not know of any hides that are being made from humanely raised cow.
* To make the matters worse, over 90 percent of the skins used today come from fetuses. Apparently, the skins of fetuses are more supple for writing and this is the preferred surface for scribes and the demand that serves the market. The fetuses from what we have gathered are not slaughtered in their own right to make parchment.
* The folks at the factory are contracted to receive those skins, which they do about once a month from several locations but mostly large packing houses in the US.
* I'm keen to do an expose on the subject. I"ve started documenting in video how the plant works, but I'd really like to take a visit to a meat packing house.
Hopefully, her documentary will be coming soon.
BREAD AND SALT: Traditional Gifts for a New Home
Bread is regarded as the most basic staple of human sustenance. Brachot 39b defines a "meal" which requires a blessing to be recited as the consumption of a piece of bread larger than an olive.
It is unknown where the custom of bread and salt for a new home came from, and it is not only a Jewish custom (see the movie"It's A Wonderful Life," where the new homeowners are welcomed with bread, salt, and wine). Three ideas that tie the two together Jewishly:
1) It refers to Genesis 3:19, which says "By the sweat of your brow, shall you get bread to eat"; salt is represented by the sweat.
2) It is an imitation of Temple ritual, where offerings were prepared with salt. “Never shall you suspend the salt covenant with your God. With all your offerings you shall offer salt.” (Leviticus 2:13)
3) Bread and salt are regarded as a natural pair because the Hebrew words *lechem* (bread) and *malach* (salt) are both spelled from the same three letters.
The challah for our Chanukat HaBayit was made by a friend. The salt was plain old large grain kosher salt.
EAT:
No disposables are used for the meal. Leftover food will be donated to the St. Agnes Day Room, a local drop-in center serving homeless and/or impoverished children and families.
PSALMS/SONGS:
The Ramban advises saying Psalm 90:17 seven times after lighting the Chanukah candles. The Baal Shem Tov also added Psalm 90, and others suggest Psalm 30 and 67 after lighting the Chanukah candles. In borrowing from the idea of Chanukah/dedication, I include these in the suggested psalms for the ritual and for singing after the meal. Songs like "Hinei mah tov" and "L'ma'an achei v'rei'i" are also appropriate. I invite people from other faith traditions to share their songs appropriate for a new home or the environment/ natural world.
APPENDIX:
JPS:
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one. And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be upon thy heart; and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy hand, and they shall be for frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates.
Second paragraph of the Shema--different versions:
Deuteronomy 11:13-21
And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto My commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, that I will give the rain of your land in its season, the former rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil. And I will give grass in thy fields for thy cattle, and thou shalt eat and be satisfied. Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; and the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and He shut up the heaven, so that there shall be no rain, and the ground shall not yield her fruit; and ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you. Therefore shall ye lay up these My words in your heart and in your soul; and ye shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes. And ye shall teach them your children, talking of them, when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates; that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, upon the land which the LORD swore unto your fathers to give them, as the days of the heavens above the earth.
Brit Eliyahu version ("updated for our generation"):
And if you listen, really listen to the commandments I grant you this day, to love and serve Hashem your G*d and all G*d's creations, with all your heart and all your soul, then Hashem will provide rain in its proper seasons, the former rain and the latter rain and you, and all G*d's creations will have food and be satisfied. But be careful, lest your heart be turned away and you worship other gods, gods of money and consumerism, fashion and sport at the expense of G*d's world. Then the wrath of Hashem will be turned against you, and global temperature will begin to rise. The climate will not behave as it used to: Freak floods and hurricanes will displace millions of people, with hundreds of millions more people watching the devastation on national TV. Polar bears will become extinct as ice caps melt, sea levels will rise, displacing billions of people in Asia. Areas which once grew good will become desert and unusable including large portions of Israel. And our species will find ourselves speedily evicted from this good land that G*d has given us.
Place these words upon your heart and bind them as a sign between you eyes. See G*d's wonder in all that surrounds you, and speak G*d's truths in all that you say. Teach them to your family in your home and on your way, when you go to sleep and when you wake up. And if we follow these commandments then we can again live in harmony and the days of our children will be like the days of the heaven upon the earth.
Rabbi Arthur Waskow's version:
If you listen, REALLY listen to the teachings of YHWH, the Breath of Life, especially the teaching that there is Unity in the world and inter-connection among all its parts, then the rains will fall as they should, the rivers will run, the heavens will smile, and the good earth and all its creatures will feed you and each other.
BUT if you shatter the harmony of life, if you chop the world up into parts and choose one or a few to worship ---- like gods of wealth and power, greed, the addiction to Do and Make and Produce without pausing to Be and make Shabbat ---- then the Breath of Life will come as a hurricane to shatter your harmony.
For if you pour poison into earth and air and water, then it will be poison that you eat and drink and breathe. The rain won't fall [or, it will turn to acid], the rivers won't run [or, they will overflow because you have left no earth where the rain can soak in], and the heavens themselves will become your enemy [the ozone layer will cease shielding you, the Carbon Dioxide you pour into the air will scorch your planet], and you will perish from the good earth that the Breath of Life gives you.
So, therefore, set these words/deeds in your heart and in every breath, carry them in every act toward which you put your hands, and make them the pattern through which you see the world. Teach them to your children, to repeat them to their children; stay aware of them when you sit in your houses, when you travel on your roads, when you lie down to dream and when you rise up to act. Write them on the thresholds where you cross from world to world ---- the doorposts of your houses and your city-gates.
So that your days and the days of your children grow more, grow deeper, grow higher, upon the earth that the BREATH OF LIFE swore to your forebears to give them --
So that as Shamayyim, Heaven, is where Eysh and Mayyim, Fire and Water, can live in harmony together, you can make the earth a harmonious haven, can live upon the Earth days as filled with harmony as Heaven.
Reb Zalman Schacter-Shalomi's version:
How good it will be when you really listen and hear my directions which I give you today, for loving YHVH who is your G*d, and acting G*dly wth feeling and inspiration.
Your earthly needs will be met at the right time, appropriate to the season. You will reap what you have planted for your delight and health. Also your animals will have ample feed, All of you eat and be content.
Be careful--watch out! Don't let your cravings delude you. Don't become alienated. Don't let your cravings become your gods. Don't debase yourself to them, because the G*d-sense in you will become distorted.
Heaven will be shut to you. Grace will not descend. Earth will not produce. Your rushing will destroy you. And Earth will not be able to recover her good balance, in which G*d's gifts manifest.
May these values of mine reside in your feelings and aspirations, marking what you produce, guiding what you perceive. Teach them to your children, so that they be addressed by them in making their homes, in how they deal with traffic; when they are depressed, and when they are elated. Mark your entrances and exits with them, so you will be more aware.
Then you and your children will live out on earth, that divine promise given to your ancestors, to live heavenly days right here on this earth.
REFERENCES:
Buxbaum, Yitzhak. The Light and Fire of the Baal Shem Tov. Continuum Int'l Pub Group, 2005, p. 289.
CLAL Faculty. This Ritual Life Archive, Moving into a New House. www.clal.org/rl2.html
Dobb, Fred. A Light Among the Nations. How Many Jews Does it Take to Change a Light Bulb? http://www.coejl.org/climatechange/CFLceremony.php
Elon, Ari. "Through Tu B'Shvat to Yah B'Shvat," in Trees, Earth, and Torah, by Ari Elon, Naomi Mara Hyman, and Arthur Waskow, pp. 289-341.
Judson, Dan and Wiener, Nancy. Meeting at the Well: A Jewish Spiritual Guide to Being Engaged. URJ Press, 2002, pp. 177-188.
Miller, Jason. When is a Doorpost not just a Doorpost?
www.rabbijason.com/writings/essays/mezuzah.html
Poltorak, Alexander. A Light unto my Path, A Mezuzah Anthology. http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/310306/jewish/Anthology.htm
Schneerson, Menachem Mendel. Eternal Joy,Volume 3. Married Life and Shalom Bayis.
Shore, Eliezer, transl. The Light of the Eyes: On the Greatness of the Baal Shem Tov, section 49. http://www.baalshemtov.com/Times/5768_Shemini.html
Tillies, Yerchmiel, Moving into a New House.
www.ascentof safed.com/cgi-bin/ascent.cgi?Name=c16q32
Waskow, Arthur. At Every Boundary, the World is One. http://www.theshalomcenter.org/node/230
Waskow, Arthur and Sultar, Jeff. Brit Eliyahu Bein Hadorot: Elijah's Covenant Between the Generations. The Shalom Center, 2008.
Waskow, Arthur and Sultar, Jeff. The Eight Days of Hanukkah: Eight Actions to Heal the Earth through the Green Menorah Covenant, http://www.theshalomcenter.org/node/1315
No author given:
Baal Shem Tov Times, Parsha Shemini, Volume 3, Number 28, March 27, 2008.
Kosher Organic Wine List.The Jew and the Carrot.
www.jcarrot.org/resrouces/kosher-organic-wine-list
Planting and Fig information:
---Fig Fruit Facts. http://crfg.org/pubs/ff/fig.html
---figs4fun.com
---United States National Resources Conservation Service. Backyard Conservation Tip Sheet: Tree Planting.http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/feature/backyard/treeptg.html
Wine information:
Ansems, Marcus. What is Sustainable Wine. Granville, Sustainable City Living.
Colman, Tyler, and Paster, Pablo. Red, White and Green: The Cost of Carbon in the Global Wine Trade. Journal of Wine Research, Volume 20, Issue 1, March 2009, pp. 15-26.
www.granvilleonline.ca/gr/features/2009/02/05/what-sustainable-wine#ixzz...
Howard, Brian Clark. Salute Organic Wines. the dailygreen, A Consumer's Guide to the Green Revolution. www.thedailygreen.com/going-green/tips/organic-wines-biodynamic-wine
