CBI NEWSletter March/April 2014 - Adar II / Nisan 5774

From the Rabbi: On Purim, Pesach, & Spring

Holy friends,

Despite continuing cold, spring is well on its way. Checkout the Shabbat and havdalah times listed later in thisnewsletter: you'll be amazed by how late sundown is begin-ning to fall! During the span of this newsletter we'll cele-brate Purim, our festival of disguises, and then one monthlater Pesach, our holiday of liberation.

Our sages teach that after moshiach comes, in the messian-ic era when the work of perfecting creation is complete, wewill let go of all of our holidays...except for Purim. Thosesame sages playfully drash (interpret) the name Yom Kip-purim (Day of Atonements) into "Yom K'Purim" (A DayLike Purim.) What makes Purim so special, and how onearth is Yom Kippur similar to it?

Purim, the mystics teach, is the holiday when we are invit-ed to raise our consciousness so high that we begin to seethe world as God does. As humans we see differences be-tween good and evil. But from God's vantage point, the dis-tinctions slip away. If we could see the world as God does,we would know that everything is truly good.

Perhaps when they wrote that Purim would be celebratedin the messianic era, they meant that in that future perfect-ed time, we would truly be able to feel that everything isgood, everything is God, everything is One.

On Yom Kippur, we wear white, refrain from eating, andspend all day in prayer and song. In the process of makingteshuvah (repentance/return-to-God), we remove themasks which usually hide our vulnerable truest selves fromthe world. On Purim, we wear masks and costumes...butsometimes those masks make it safe enough for us to revealfacets of who we most truly are. Maybe that's how YomKippur is a Yom K'Purim, a Day Like Purim.

Service timesPeriodic Friday nights (check our website)

Every Saturday9:30 a.m. Shabbat Service11:00 a.m. Kiddush & Torah Study

Meditation minyanFriday mornings, 8:15 a.m. No experience with meditation is required; all are welcome!

(Please see "From the Rabbi" continued, on p. 2)

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And then comes Pesach, the festival of ourliberation. We get to retell the story which isat the heart of Jewish peoplehood, and to re-member how God's "mighty hand and out-stretched arm" liberated us from Mitzrayimonce upon a time, and continues to liberateus even now.

You may remember that the Hebrew wordמצרים / Mitzrayim comes from the root צר /tsar which means "narrow." Our liberationisn't just from slavery in Egypt once upon atime; it's also from all of our places of con-striction, the narrow places of sorrow andgrief, anything in our lives which keeps usfeeling bound and trapped.

As we move through Purim and Pesach, maywe be blessed to really experience these festi-vals' joy -- and to be galvanized by our cele-brations to bring joy and gladness, freedomand self-determination, to every corner ofthis wide world. Kein yehi ratzon: may it beso!

After Pesach we'll enter into the season of theCounting of the Omer, the seven weeks be-tween Pesach and Shavuot when we counteach day, eagerly anticipating the revelationof Torah.

This year there will be an Omer study groupat CBI on Friday afternoons, which I willlead; we'll study spiritual texts relating to theOmer, to perfecting our hearts and souls, andto preparing ourselves to receive new Torah.Drop me an email or give me a call if you'dlike to sign up.

Blessings to all,

Rabbi Rachel

Gene Wein at Druryby Paulette Wein

Rabbi Rachel and Pattie Lipman asked me towrite something to accompany this photo forthe CBI newsletter about my father's love ofhigh school basketball. I am proud to do so.

Gene Wein at Drury tournament.

Eugene Wein has been a fan of Drury HighSchool sports -- especially basketball, butalso football and baseball -- since he was akid in the 1920s and 1930s when his uncleCharlie would take him to the games. Afterhe graduated from Drury in 1939, my fatherattended the University of Massachusetts(then called "Massachusetts State College"),and he was manager of the college footballteam. After graduation, he enlisted in theU.S. Army, where he followed Drury basket-ball closely through calls and letters fromhome. In the mid-'40s he moved back hometo North Adams, married my mother, hadfour children, ran his shoe store, and startedgoing to every Drury basketball game that hecould possibly attend, no matter how bad theweather and no matter how far he had totravel to watch his team play. He alsocoached Congregation Beth Israel's basket-ball team in the North Adams "ChurchLeague" with Bob Bashevkin in themid-1950s (Bob admits that his primary jobwas to try to keep my father calm during thegames). (Continued on next page.)

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My siblings and I have wonderful memoriesof going to Drury basketball games with myfather ever since we were kids. For severaldecades, my father and I traveled to the"March Madness" western Massachusettsand state basketball tournaments in Spring-field, Worcester, and Boston every year, noteven missing the tournament that took placejust four weeks after his open heart surgeryin 1991. We're still taking my father to Drurybasketball (and even football) games whenhe feels good. Drury High School has hon-ored my father many times for being its #1fan, acknowledging his pride in the studentathletes, his good sportsmanship, and hiscomplete devotion to high school sports.When Drury started its girls basketball pro-gram in 1976, he quickly became the girls'number #1 fan as well. He not only remem-bers who won many Drury basketball andfootball games from 20, 40, or 80 years ago... he can also tell you the names of the play-ers and coaches and the final score of thegames.

Year after year he served as master of cere-monies at Drury's end-of-year basketballbanquets, and in 2002 Mayor John Barrettand the North Adams School Committee per-manently re-named Drury High School's an-nual "Christmas Tournament" the "GeneWein Holiday Tournament".

Drury High School's sports program has giv-en my father a lifetime of enjoyment andmemories, and he's not done yet!

CBI Calendar Facelift!

If you go to:

www.cbiweb.org/announcements.html

you'll find the CBI calendar which now listsall of our events, services and meetings.

The calendar also lists who's leading eachservice, and who's hosting each service.

Book group meetings, classes, mah-jonggames, and more: all are on our calendar,which is updated regularly!

And when you're viewing the calendar, youcan choose whether you want to look at oneweek at a time, one month at a time, or an"agenda" style listing of all upcoming events:in the upper left of the calendar screen thereare three "tabs" (they look like the tabs onmanila folders) and you can choose whichone you prefer.

If you want to add a listing to the calendarplease email your info to plipman@fair-point.net.

Summer Program on In-terfaith Families at CBI

Mark your calendar: this summer CBI willhost a panel discussion on interfaith / dual-heritage families in our community. Thispanel will include representatives from inter-married couples in our community, as well asrepresentatives from the community of thosewho grew up as children of intermarriage,grandchildren of intermarriage, and so on. Itwill be moderated by board co-chair BillLevy, who's been part of similar programs atother congregations. Don't miss whatpromises to be a meaningful and thought-provoking event!

Member Business Spot-light: BabyCakes

CBI member Helene Armet, and JudyTurbin, wife of new member Ron Turbin, be-gan their friendship 50 years ago on the daythey started their first adult jobs, teaching el-ementary school in suburban Maryland. Thetwo women remained friends throughoutgraduate school and partners in a series ofentrepreneurial startups, lovingly describedas "harebrained schemes" by Helene's hus-band, Stu. (Continued on the next page)

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Forty years later, and retired from herpenultimate career as a children's librarian,Helene began baking BabyCakes with Judyin their certified and inspected homekitchens. The plan was to sell BabyCakes atthe Williamstown Farmers Market as a wayto become part of the new community theirfamilies had just moved to.

BabyCakes, adapted from an old familyrecipe, are the perfect size for a small partyor gift. Couples have ordered a display of var-ious flavors for their weddings at BascomLodge atop Mount Greylock, the Red LionInn and on the Williams campus. Parents ofWilliams College students have phone-or-dered birthday cake delivery from as faraway as Hawaii, Alaska and Abu Dhabi.

This past summer, Helene and her bakingpartner began baking breads. Helene usesthe same KitchenAid mixer that her fatherdid for baking challah back in the 1960's.When you come to Shabbat morning servicesat CBI, the challah we enjoy each week afterservices was baked by Helene!

Kabbalat Shabbat 2/28

On Friday, February 28 CBI will hold a vege-tarian / dairy Shabbat potluck dinner at5:30, followed by a Kabbalat Shabbat ("Wel-coming the Shabbat Bride") service at 6:30.All are welcome for one or both. Join us for asweet taste of Shabbat joy & song!

We will also gather the following morning at9:30 am for our usual Shabbat morning ser-vice, followed by kiddush & Torah study.

Don't Miss Purim at CBI

Purim photo by Len Radin.

Join us for Purim revelry!Saturday, March 15

6pm pizza dinner (rsvp)

6:30: Costume Parade, then SpielThe story of Purim begins with merriment (King Achashverosh's grand party) and ends with merriment (proclaiming a day of cele-bration for Jews throughout all time.) Our celebration will be equally merry!

Purim is also a story of masks and disguises. Esther disguises herself (pretending not to be Jewish) but reveals herself just at the right time. Even God is "hidden" here, since God's name never appears in this Biblical tale. How do we "mask" ourselves or hide in our daily lives? How might our costumes re-veal something about who we truly are?

On Purim eve, we'll begin with a pizza dinner(RSVP to the office), a costume parade (with small prizes for the kids in costume, and per-haps for costumed adults too!) Then we'll en-joy a Purim Spiel (Purim Play) featuring in-trigue, disguises, passion, and revenge, ably acted by a cast of congregants.

After that we'll retire to the social hall for re-freshments; please bring something to share.For adults there will also be homemade etro-gello, for a celebratory Purim toast.

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And Don't Miss Pesach!CBI's second-night Passover seder will takeplace at 6pm on April 15.

Those who attend can expect music, guitar,good food, chevreschaft (companionship /friendship), poetry, stories, and more.

Once again we'll use a special abridged CBIedition of the Velveteen Rabbi's Haggadahfor Pesach, Rabbi Rachel's haggadah whichhas been used around the world in commu-nities from here to Texas to California toLondon to Woomargama, New South Wales,Australia.

The evening includes a non-dairy, kosher-for-Passover potluck. (This means: do not in-clude any milk or dairy in your dish, andplease do not include any leaven, whichmeans either bread, or leaven-able grainssuch as wheat, spelt, oats, etc.) CBI will pro-vide a chicken main dish; the rest will be pro-vided by we who attend.

There's also a sign-up sheet in the CBI foyer;if you are able to bring charoset, a sederplate, or one of the other many necessaryitems, please sign up to do so.

The cost is $18 (chai) for an individual, and$36 (double chai) for a family. Please RSVPto the synagogue office by April 1, 2014. Wehope to see you here! All are welcome: Jewsand non-Jews, members and non-members.Let all who are hungry come and eat; let allwho are thirsty for spiritual sustenance comeand celebrate the Pesach with us!

Plagues photo by Len Radin.

Hebrew School Update

Ne'arim students look at a slideshow ofphotographs of Korean monastic life, withspecial guest Seon Joon Sunim.

Our Hand in Hand students (preschool chil-dren and their families) have been enjoyingmonthly classes focusing on subjects rangingfrom Tu BiShvat, to the Tenth Command-ment and Jewish folk teachings about thesun and the moon, to Purim.

Our Aleph-Tav students (first through fourthgraders) have been continuing to work ondecoding the alef-bet and studying a varietyof Torah stories, holidays, and Jewish values.

Our Ne'arim students (fifth through seventhgrade) have been learning about (and discus-sing) their own Jewish identities while alsoexperiencing guest visits from teachers ofother traditions.

We've had visits from Buddhist nun SeonJoon Sunim (depicted above), Christian min-ister Rick Spalding, and Muslim chaplain Bi-lal Ansari.

In between these visits, we've studied anddiscussed what makes each of those tradi-tions different from Judaism -- and alsowhere those traditions and Judaism havecommon ground. The students are alsoworking on multimedia Jewish identitybooks (featuring their own prose, poetry, andart) which will capture this learning for themto revisit in future years.

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Two Tu BiShvat Seders

Adult Tu BiShvat seder.

This year we celebrated Tu BiShvat, the NewYear of the Trees, with two different seders:one for adults on a Shabbat at lunchtime,and one for pre-school-aged children andtheir caregivers on a Sunday morning.

At both seders we savored the fruits of differ-ent kinds of trees: fruits with shells such asalmonds (symbolizing winter and the worldof assiyah, physicality) -- fruits with pitssuch as apricots (symbolizing spring and theworld of yetzirah, emotion) -- fruits whichare edible all the way through, such as pears(symbolizing summer and briyah, thought.)

For the fourth stage in our journey (autumnand atzilut, the world of spirit), the kids tast-ed a tiny sip of maple syrup (the essence ofmaple which rises in our local trees) and theadults enjoyed a nip of etrogcello, home-made etrog vodka which reminded us ofSukkot!

Hand in Hand Tu BiShvat seder.

New Member Welcome

Welcome to CBI's newest member families,Carrie Greene & James McAllister and theirkids Dakota & Catherine. We're so glad tohave you aboard!

Shabbat candle andHavdalah times, March/April

If you want to light Shabbat candles and make havdalah at the halakhically-acceptedtimes, here they are:

3/7 candles 5:36pm, 3/8 havdalah 7:07pm3/14 candles 6:43pm, 3/15 havdalah 8:15pm3/21 candles 6:51pm, 3/22 havdalah 8:22pm3/28 candles 6:58pm, 3/29 havdalah 8:294/4 candles 7:06pm, 4/5 havdalah 8:37pm4/11 candles 7:13pm, 4/12 havdalah 8:44pm4/18 candles 7:20pm, 4/19 havdalah 8:51pm4/25 candles 7:28pm, 4/26 havdalah 8:59pm

If you're ever looking for Shabbat teachings, resources, ideas, melodies, etc, check out the Shabbat At Home page on the CBI website: http://www.cbiweb.org/Shabbat-At-Home.html

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Membership ReportBy Elizabeth Miller

State of Membership

Last year (2013) we had we had 6 new member units join the synagogue and 5 member units leave the synagogue plus one additional member death whose spouse is still a member. This leaves a total number ofmember units (as of November 11, 2013) of 105.

Membership Committee

The membership committee has been working to recognize and welcome new members and to identify prospective members. Some of our activities since September include:

• Holding a brunch to honor newmembers (those who joined during the last 5 years). • Creating a new membership category for students. This proposal was voted into the by-laws at the annual meeting.• Distributing a card at High Holiday services as a tool to identify prospective members. A modified version may be used as a brochure at future events.• Contacting non-members who attended HHD services

PR Committee

This committee is trying to increase use of PR for synagogue events. Activities since September include:

• Creating a press release for My Mexican Shiva (last ‘bagels, coffee, films’ event). Thus event had approximately 16 attendees, many who were new faces.• Creating a list of contact information for local (news) organizations; this list is available to any who are planning events. A press release template has also been created.

Thank you

Special thank you to the members of the membership and PR committee – Pattie Lipman, Elizabeth Miller, Alice Cande, and Chaim Bronstein – for their hard work over the past year. Anyone interested in joining this committee or assisting in membership events should contact Pattie at plipman@fairpoint.net.

New & ProspectiveMember Brunch

By Elizabeth Miller

On Saturday, November 16, a brunch was held following Shabbat services to honor members who had joined the synagogue overthe past five years. Close to 40 people attended, including 8 new member families and 3 prospective members. Attendees were treated to a wonderful spread including bagels, cream cheese, lox and accoutrements,kugel, pasta salad, tuna fish, and desserts. A fun time was had by all, as the event gave new, potential, and current members a chance to relax, eat, meet new people, learn about the synagogue and enjoy each other’s company. We hope to make this an annual event.

Thank you to all who attended and those whohelped make this event possible: the membership committee (Pattie Lipman, Alice Cande, and Elizabeth Miller) for organizing, setting up, prepping food and many other little things; Helene and Stu Armet for super food shopping; Suzanne Graver for the beautiful floral arrangements; Jack for administrative help; John Huffaker, Jane Miller, and Karen Kelly for cooking; Steven Miller for picking up coffee; Rabbi Rachel for her welcome and support; Bill Levy for his welcome and helping with drinks; and David Pomerantz for helping with set-up.

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A Short History of JewishMeditation

by Rabbi Rachel

(Reprinted from the From the Rabbi blog;the version on the blog includes hyperlinksto more resources and information.)

“Would you consider teaching or writingsomething about Jewish meditation?” a CBImember asked me recently. “I think peoplewonder sometimes whether it’s reallyJewish.”

Contemplative practice in Judaism has takena variety of forms, and bears a variety ofnames, but it’s been a part of Judaism for avery long time. (“Contemplative practice” isan umbrella term which covers a variety ofpractices; meditation is one of thosepractices.) For those who are interested, hereis a short history of Jewish meditation -- Ihope you enjoy!

Let’s start here: maybe you know thattraditional Jewish practice includes prayingthree times a day. The traditionalexplanation for that thrice-daily prayerregimen teaches either that we do this inremembrance of the offerings at the Templeof old, or that we do this in remembrance ofthe patriarchs (or both.)

We read in Torah that Abraham connectedwith God in the morning, Isaac in theafternoon, and Jacob in the evening, so wedo the same. And in Torah, what form didthat connection take?

In Genesis 24:63, when Isaac went out לָׂשּוחַ/ la’suach in the fields, what exactly wasgoing on? According to the classical JPStranslation, that verb means “to meditate.”So one could make the case that from thepatriarchs on, Jewish prayer has always hada meditative component.

Later, during the time of the Tanna’im (the1st and 2nd centuries of the Common Era),Jewish mystics sought to elevate their soulsby meditating on the chariot visions ofEzekiel. This became a whole school ofcontemplative practices known as merkavahmysticism. Some of their practices were re-imagined and re-interpreted by latermystical and contemplative movements inJewish tradition.

Meanwhile, the sages of our tradition werediscussing the proper balance of keva (fixedform) and kavanah (intention or meditativefocus) in Jewish prayer. Some went so far asto argue that prayer without the rightmeditative intention doesn’t actually count.In the days of the Tanna’im, communalprayer frequently took the form of variationson known themes, where a skilled prayer-leader would improvise new words on theexisting themes of the prayers. Over time,those improvised words were written down,and by the Middle Ages became fixed inmore-or-less the forms we know today.

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Kabbalah (the branch of the mysticaltradition which began around the 11thcentury) features all kinds of contemplative /meditative practices. These includedvisualization practices (imagining Hebrewletters and focusing on Divine Names), lettercombination practices (mentally combiningand recombining Hebrew letters in order toelevate the mind to a higher plane ofconsciousness), and practices ofcontemplating different sefirot (aspects orfacets of God) — all of which had the goal, inone way or another, of uniting one’s soulwith God in a state of devekut, “cleaving” orunion. (This was the subject of myundergraduate thesis, so I can go on about itat some length. I’ll spare y’all the longversion, though if this is interesting to you,let’s have coffee sometime!)

There’s a teaching in the Gemara about theHasidim rishonim, the first generation ofpious Jews, who before sitting down to praythe morning service would first meditate foran hour in order to be able to bring fullconcentration and intention to reciting theprayers’ words — and after the morningservice, would meditate for an hour in orderto let the prayers fully percolate into theirhearts and souls. Two hours of contemplativepractice for every one hour of liturgicalprayer: holy wow!

Much later in our history, the movement wenow call Hasidism, which began with theBaal Shem Tov in the 18th century, inheritedthose meditative practices along with thekabbalistic aspiration of seeking devekutwith God. A variety of contemplativepractices arose in Hasidic communities. Oneis hitbonenut, “contemplation.” In someHasidic schools this term connotesintellectual contemplation of divinity —particularly in Chabad, the branch ofHasidism whose name is an acronym forthree divine modes of knowing (chochmah,binah, and da’at — wisdom, understanding,and insight.)

Another form of Hasidic contemplativepractice is hitbodedut, which means “self-seclusion” — for instance, walking alone inthe woods and communing with God.

This was the practice of the Hasidic masterknown as Reb Nachman of Bratzlav. Hefrequently engaged in what we would call“walking meditation,” walking alone innature, while speaking aloud with God alongthe way. Here’s a tiny taste of a prayerattributed to Reb Nachman:

How wonderful it would be if we wereworthy of hearing the song of the grass!

Every blade of grass sings a pure song toGod, expecting nothing in return.

It is wonderful to hear its song and toworship God in its midst!

(That prayer can be found in A HiddenLight: Stories and Teachings of EarlyHaBad and Bratzlav Hasidism, by RabbiZalman Schachter-Shalomi and NetanelMiles-Yepez.) This form of contemplativepractice tends to be fairly solitary,spontaneous, and unstructured; its goal is toestablish a close relationship with God.

In the Mussar (ethical self-improvement)school which developed in 19th-centuryEurope, contemplative practices were refinedand reframed in yet another way. OneMussar meditative practice features focusingon different middot, character-traits orqualities which we can seek to cultivate inourselves. (These include qualities likepatience, lovingkindness, order, humility,and so on.) There are visualization-basedMussar meditative practices, too. Manycontemporary Mussar teachers advocatetaking time each day to sit in silence andsimply notice how one’s mind wanders.

All of this may sound unusual to those of uswho are most familiar with the Jewishpractice of liturgical prayer, known inHebrew as tefilah. We may have the notionthat meditation is something Buddhists doon their cushions, whereas Jews engage insomething different altogether! Except… I’mnot so sure it’s all that different. I thinkthere’s a clue to the meditative quality ofJewish worship in the very word we mostfrequently use to mean prayer.

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The Hebrew word tefilah comes from theroot l’hitpallel, “to judge oneself.” The factthat we use the word tefilah to mean “prayer”hints that our liturgical prayer has at leasttwo purposes. One purpose is to help usconnect with God (whatever we understandthat term to mean); the other purpose is totake a long deep look inside ourselves, to seewho we most truly are, to become aware ofour consciousness and our thoughtprocesses, and to guide ourselves towardbecoming the people we most intend to be.Tefilah is meant to connect us both outwards/ upwards / God-wards — and inwards /downwards / into our deepest selves. Both ofthose directions can involve contemplativepractice.

As I’ve grown more familiar with our(occasionally wordy) liturgy, I’ve come tolove the idea that even our wordiest liturgicalprayer can be understood as a contemplativepractice. Of course, in order to be able toexperience rapidfire Hebrew prayer as acontemplative practice, one needs to knowthe words so well that they becometransparent and flow from one’s lips withouteffort — which can be a tall order for mostcontemporary Jews, for whom the Hebrewmay be challenging and the siddur‘s ancientmetaphors distancing. Many of us who arenot able to reach meditative states throughspeedy recitation of Hebrew prayers chooseinstead to daven shorter versions of theprayers, bringing greater intention andattention to each word.

If you’ve ever seen a page in a prayerbookdedicated to an image made out of Hebrewletters and words — perhaps an archway,perhaps a menorah, perhaps a tree — that’sanother very old Jewish meditative practice.It’s called a shviti, after the verse shvitiAdonai k’negdi tamid, “I keep God before mealways” (Psalm 16:8.) The idea is to gaze atthe words which make up the image and tocontemplate the words and the letters as away of keeping God foremost in one’sconsciousness. Some people carry a shvitiwith them on a keychain or on a wallet-sizedpiece of art, in order to be reminded of God’spresence every where they go.

Some forms of Jewish contemplative practiceborrow concepts and terminology fromWestern mindfulness practices which may befamiliar to other practitioners ofmeditation — such as “following the breath,”“exhaling the tension from your body,”“noticing how the mind wanders.” Others areexplicitly Jewish in origin and terminology.For example, letter-meditations featuring thefour-letter Name of God, where one inhaleson the ,י exhales on the ,ה inhales on the ,וexhales on the second .ה (That’s a breathingmeditation which allows every pair ofbreaths to be a recitation of the divinename.) Or the shviti visualization meditationI mentioned a moment ago. There are alsoembodied Jewish meditation practices whichmap the sefirot (the diagram of divinequalities, usually conceptualized as a sort oftree) onto the human body and direct energyand attention from one to the next.

At CBI, Jewish contemplative practice takesthree different forms. At our Friday morningmeditation minyan, we spend half an hourconsciously entering into Jewish meditationpractices. We follow our breath as it comesand goes, rises and falls; we notice ourthoughts as they arise, and withoutjudgement let them drift away; and thendepending on the teaching I offer midwaythrough the session, we either engage inguided meditation, or contemplate a qualitywe wish to cultivate, or reflect on the weeknow ending in order to process its ups anddowns and let it go before Shabbat.

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That’s one way we engage in Jewishcontemplative practice.

A few times a year, I lead an explicitlycontemplative Shabbat morning service.That’s a service which takes the form ofchant interspersed with silence. We don’tskip any prayers or any of the elements ofprayer which are required in order for aperson to be yotzei (to have fulfilled theobligation of davening), but instead ofreciting each prayer in full-text form, wechant only one or two lines of each, over andover, allowing the meaning of the words tosoak in to our hearts and souls. Then we sitin silence for a few moments as the prayer’smeaning continues to resonate andreverberate in us before we move on to thenext chant. That’s a second way we engage inJewish contemplative practice.

And the third form happens frequentlyduring the Shabbat morning services I lead,the “regular” ones which aren’t explicitlycontemplative. Every time we reach akaddish, and I remind us that the kaddish isa doorway in the service from one part of theservice to the next, and invite us to pause fora moment, and take a deep breath, and seewhat we’re feeling in that moment, and thento carry that feeling (whatever it may be) intothe next part of our prayers? That’s a Jewishcontemplative practice, right there, andthat’s a third way that we can enter into thisancient tradition.

Jewish contemplative practice can take theform of Torah study, chanting, sitting in

meditation (not necessarily in “lotusposition” or sitting on meditation cushions —you can meditate sitting comfortably in aregular chair if that’s what works for you),walking in nature, gazing at names of God(on the printed page or in one’simagination), focusing on personal qualitieswe want to cultivate, reciting the prayers inour siddur with deep intention andattention…and more. Many of thesemeditative practices are as old as ourprayers. And all of them have deep roots inclassical Jewish tradition.

Recommended resources:

If this is interesting to you, don’t miss RabbiJeff Roth’s Jewish Meditation Practices forEveryday Life: Awakening Your Heart,Connecting With God. He’s the founder ofthe Awakened Heart Project, which has as itsmission “to promote the use of Jewishcontemplative techniques that foster thedevelopment of a heart of wisdom andcompassion.” Rabbi Roth’s focus, both in thebook and in his organization, is bringingmeaningful spiritual practice to life.

For a different perspective, I alsorecommend Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan’s JewishMeditation: A Practical Guide. Rabbi Kaplanis an Orthodox rabbi, and his book exploresthe deep history of Jewish meditation as wellas offering “a guide to a variety of meditativetechniques: mantra meditation (withsuggested phrases and Bible verses to use asmantras); contemplation; visualization;experiencing nothingness (which he does notrecommend for beginners); conversing withGod; and prayer.”

If you have questions, I welcome furtherconversation (and I'm considering teaching aclass on this later in 2014, perhaps over thesummer) -- don't hesitate to drop me a lineor give me a call!

Blessings to all,Rabbi Rachel

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New Feature: "MeetOur Members" Column -Information Needed!

Starting with the May/June issue of the CBI Newsletter, the Membership Committee would like to begin a new feature highlighting our members. Have something interesting about yourself you’d like to share? Want to let people know about your business? Have a unique hobby? We’d like to hear from you. To be featured, send a paragraph or two with your bio and/or information about your business to Liz Miller (emiller@isenberg.umass.edu) or to Pattie Lipman (plipman@fairpoint.net) and we’ll work to get it into a future issue of the newsletter.

Happy Occasions!

We wish happy birthdays and anniversariesto our members who have simchas duringMarch and April:

March & April Birthdays

Richard CohenEdward OshinskyCameron MillerGeorge DrasinPatricia Anne LipmanAlex ApkinSasha RooneyRuth ThierGrace BowenJohn HoganRobert HertzigAndrew LevyRabbi Rachel BarenblatIsaac HerrmannJay ShapiroJefferson StraitAudrey ThierHoward SaundersRichard DubowSally GotliebLori Guy

Robert WerbelDena DrasinLauren GotliebLawrence WeberDeborah RothschildCarol JacobsElma SandersRose GotliebMatthew HoganJonah MarshallJane A. W. S. ShiyahMarsha AltschulerAlina FeinBeth WeesSusan WelschBarbara GoldsteinMaisie LentznerRuth LevinSophie LaneSarah Elizabeth ApkinSarah MillerSimon WinebergLaura Schoenbaum

March & April Anniversaries

Howard & Deborah WinebergWilliam Levy & Karen KellySusan & Charles Welsch

Deep thanks to donorsWe offer gratitude to members and friendsfor their fiscal support of CBI.

In Memory of Adrienne Apkin

Eva AmusoJoseph & Anne ApkinAdele AshkarMark & Karen BenzelCarlsonJohn & Elaine DanielsRisa & William DemersRebecca GoldMyrna KatzAllen & Debbie KushnetRuth LevinTheodore & Adele LiebermanArthur & Janice McConnellBarbara & Lewis Nagy In memory of Adri-enne Apkin and Judge Benjamin Apkin

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Yoni & Stephen NeirmanJane PlankeyJoan Reeves & Leo Pinsonneault also inmemory of Phil ApkinPaul SenecalRabbi Pam Wax & Chaim BronsteinEllen Weiden & James Overmyer

In Memory of William Bashevkin

Elizabeth & Madeline CohenMark GoldCarol & Edward Oshinsky To Take & EatRobert Richton To Cemetery FundPhilip & Aldona ShapiroWarner & Amely SmithMelvin & Marilyn TiermanEugene Wein & Family

Other Memorial / Honor Donations

Rashi School In honor of Bar Mitzvah Max Sunog

Nancy Gabrilove & Robert Sarnoff In loving memory of Hillard & Ella Gabrilove

Jerrold & Carol Jacobs In memory of Morris Jacobs

Jerrold & Carol Jacobs In memory of Es-telle Goldman

Jordan Golding & Sandra Hirsh Golding, Michael & Carol Hirsh In memory of Re-becca C. Hirsh

Susan & Charles Welsch In loving memo-ry of Richard Welsch, Dorothy Golob & Irving Golob

Dara & Michael Cohen In memory of Dr.E. Marshall Goldberg

Allen & Debbie Kushnet In memory of Graham Kushnet

Robert & Jane Miller In memory of Sterling Shapiro & Ruth Shapiro

Rabbi Pam Wax & Chaim Bronstein In honor of Barbara Bashevkin on her special birthday

Lois & Albert Feldman In memory of Joseph Rudin

Richard Weiner & Mimi Shapiro Weiner In memory of Eli & Lee Shapiro, Freida & LeonWeiner

Barbara & Bob Budnitz In memory of Ada Rudick Paresky & Paul Paresky

Susan Taskin In memory of Elizabeth Carr and Harold Taskin

Additional Donations to Take & Eat

Robert & Barbara BashevkinJulian Rudin

Donation to CBI Senior Lunch

Joan Reeves & Leo Pinsonneault

General Donations

AnonymousIrving & Gail TanzmanJacob & Dora Wineberg Fund

High Holiday Appeal

Suzanne GraverKenneth & Fern SannRobert Werbel

Donations WelcomeDonations to CBI are always welcome, andmay be directed to:

Cemetery FundEducation FundBuilding Fund

Senior Lunch FundRabbi’s Discretionary Fund

Take & EatProgram/Event Fund

Gemilut Chasadim (Acts ofLovingkindness)

The Gemilut Chasadim ("Acts of Lovingkindness") Fund (also known as a gemach) will help to support acts such as cooking meals / buying groceries for those who are in fiscal need or who are too ill to shop/cook.

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Seeking ShamashimThe Shamashim are the people who facilitatethe Saturday morning services, set outkiddush and bring some snacks for afterservices. The group is named after theshamash, the "helper candle" which lightsthe candles on a Chanukah menorah.

We are in need of additional Shamashim tohelp with our Shabbat services each Saturdaymorning and on periodic Friday nights.

The Shamashim have been faithfully hostingour services for years but we need to expandthat group by a few. It takes a Saturdaymorning, from about 9 to noon, once or twicein a 4 month time period.

Hosting services is an honor. It is also a joy,a way to meet members and welcomepotential members and visitors. Bringingyour children or spouse is welcome, and theycan help or just relax and enjoy the serviceand the beautiful light streaming through thesanctuary windows. That's up to you.

Helping at services is a way to teach childrenabout serving the community andperforming a mitzvah.

Pattie Lipman makes a 4 month scheduleusing the possible dates people provide, andit has worked out well for years now.

We provide challah and juice; you arewelcome to bring light snacks for thekiddush afterwards, though if that would befiscally onerous for you, let us know and wecan work something out.

If it is something you would like to try, Pattiecan match you with one of our hosts for yourfirst hosting experience. If you havequestions, ask away!

All are welcome!

Save the Date: OmerStudy Group

In Jewish tradition, the period of the Omer --the 7 weeks between Passover and Shavuot --is a time for deep spiritual work, a time totake stock of oneself and refine one'squalities and characteristics as we prepareourselves to re-experience the revelation ofTorah at Sinai.

Join Rabbi Rachel for a spiritual study groupwhich will explore texts from our tradition asa way of opening up the texts of our soulsand hearts at this special time of year. We'llmeet in the rabbi's office from 3-4pm onFriday afternoons during the Omer period,starting on the Friday after Pesach. RSVP tothe rabbi if you'd like to join!

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Next Newsletter...If you have items to submit for the March/April newsletter, please submit them to rabbibarenblat@gmail.com by April 15, 2014.

Thanks!

Congregation Beth Israel53 Lois Street

North Adams, MA 01247www.facebook.com/CBINorthAdams

www.cbiweb.org

And here's a poem to sweeten your day:

Breath Of Life

I breathe in All That Is --Awareness expandingto take everything in,as if my heart beatsthe world into being.

From the unnamed vastness beneath the mind, I breathe myway to wholeness and healing.

Inhalation. Exhalation.Each breath a "yes,"and a letting go,a journey, and acoming home.

-- Danna Faulds, from Go In and In

Coming Soon:Board Game Night!

Board Game and Pizza Party at CBI!

Saturday February 22nd

5:30 to 9:00 pm

Surprises from Where’d You Get That!?

We provide the pizza (meatless only) anddrinks. You provide the salads and deserts!Bring your favorite games (and we’ll bring

some too).

RSVP to the CBI office so we can order thepizzas!

Doors open at 5 to set up tables.

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Congregation Beth Israel53 Lois StreetNorth Adams MA 01247

Nonprofit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDNorth Adams, MA

01247Permit Number

56

SYNAGOGUE OFFICE HOURS & PHONE NUMBERS

Office: Rabbi's Study: Monday - Friday Mondays 8am-3:30pm 9am - 1pm Fridays 9am-4pm (meditation minyan 8:15am) Phone & Fax (413) 663-5830 other times by appointment E-mail cbioffice1@verizon.net

Phone (413) 822-5267 E-mail rabbibarenblat@gmail.com

___________________________________________

Rabbi: Rachel BarenblatCo-Vice Presidents: Pattie Lipman & Bill Levy

Synagogue Administrator: Jack HockridgeTemporary Newsletter Editor: Rabbi Rachel Barenblat

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