Go Outside!
Author | |
Date Added | |
Automatically create summary | |
Summary |
Parashot Matot-Masei - July 10, 2021
On Fourth of July morning, it was cool enough to take the dogs on a light, easy nature walk at the Red River Wildlife Refuge. We chose to take a path we had never taken before, and halfway through, we found ourselves trudging through a lovely, green swamp. As we kept thinking we saw dry land, we trudged deeper and deeper, until we all were covered with algae and accepted that it was time to turn back. Our dogs were exhausted and wouldn’t drink water, and I was, of course, panicking about hidden snakes. At the same time, the birds, the vivid green, the time spent with Rabbi Feivel and the dogs, and the story to tell afterwards made it all worthwhile.
About halfway through our reading today, Rabbi Feivel will sing of the Israelites travels and campsites from place to place. As they do whenever the Torah presents a long, potentially boring list, the Rabbis of old ask, what’s the point? Wouldn’t it just be enough to say they traveled - end of story? The commentator Seforno answers that this list is a symbol of the great merit of the people Israel that they willingly trek בארץ לא זרועה, across a land largely untouched by human hands, walking behind God the whole way. God knows that both journeying and camping can be rough; the wilderness offers so many unknowns. Because of their willingness to enter uncharted lands, to experience the great outdoors, the people Israel are now deserving of their land.
While the Red River Refuge is not so far from civilization - part of the trail we took bordered the highway - spending those couple of hours outside reminded me of the importance of taking that time. We are blessed to live in a community with some of the most gorgeous, and sometimes the funkiest, birds I have ever seen. The humidity here brings us bright, lush greenery right in our backyards.
I know people in this community take advantage of the outdoors through daily walks, visits to the dog park, backpacking trips, feeding local wildlife, gardening, and fishing. Through these outdoor activities, we learn to live through the unexpected. We get sunburns, beestings, and bugbites, we strain our muscles, and sometimes worse just to experience God’s Creation. We know the potential reward, the beauty that comes, when we step outside of our comfort zone and into the outdoors. Outside, when we see the intricate constructions of our beloved ants, or when we see the speed at which the hawks dive, we rediscover our humility. When we run that one mile further than yesterday or climb a peak despite our fear of heights, we rediscover our confidence in this body in which we were created. Every time we take a risk and step outside, we gain the potential for learning, for joy, and often, even for awe.
On the next relatively cool, dry Sunday or Wednesday, I’m looking forward to exploring Walter B. Jacobs with Rabbi Feivel and the dogs; I hear it’s well worth it, even with the foxtails that might get stuck in their paws. And I’m looking forward to hearing about your next outdoor adventure - I ask that you take even more of a risk and walk further, sit for longer, or go somewhere different than you normally do.
When we arrive outdoors, even if just in our backyard, we have the privilege of language we can use to thank God for the beauty and the adventure of existing in this world, even when the awe that we see or feel is vaster than any words we can conjure. In the Jewish tradition, we have blessings on seeing the ocean for the first time in a month, on seeing a rainbow, on hearing thunder, on seeing lightning, on smelling fragrant plants, on seeing unusual animals, and on seeing a tree blossom for the first time in a year. I have printed these blessings for you to take home and to bring with you the next time you explore. Today, at this moment, I invite you to look outside at the garden that Sandra Ginsburg has so graciously tended, highlighting the Creation right under our noses, and I invite you to say the blessing for a beautiful scene of nature with me:
ברוך אתה ה׳ אלהינו מלך העולם שככה לו בעולמו.
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of Time and Space, who has created such things in God’s world.
Tue, October 8 2024
6 Tishrei 5785
Rabbi's Sermons
Bereshit - Genesis
- Parshat Bereshit: Oct. 26, 2019, October 1, 2021, October 2, 2021
- Parshat Noah: Nov. 2, 2019, October 8, 2021, Oct. 29, 2022
- Parshat Lekh-L'kha: Nov. 9, 2019, Oct. 31, 2020, Oct. 31, 2020 - Part 2, Oct. 15, 2021
- Parshat Vayeira: Nov. 16, 2019, Nov. 7, 2020, Nov. 7, 2020 - Part 2, Oct. 22, 2021, Oct. 23, 2021
- Parshat Hayei Sara: Nov. 14, 2020, Oct. 30, 2021
- Parshat Toldot: Nov. 30, 2019, Nov. 21, 2020, Nov. 6, 2021
- Parshat Vayeitzei: Nov. 28, 2020, Nov. 13, 2021
- Parshat Vayishlah: Dec. 14, 2019 , Dec. 5, 2020, November 20, 2021
- Parshat Vayeisheiv: Dec. 12, 2020, Nov. 27, 2021
- Parshat Miketz: Dec. 4, 2021
- Parshat Vayigash: Jan. 4, 2020, Dec. 26, 2020, Dec. 11, 2021
- Parshat Vay'hi: Jan. 11, 2020, Jan. 2, 2021
Shemot-Exodus
- Parshat Sh'mot: Jan. 18, 2020, Jan. 18, 2020 - Part 2, Jan. 9, 2021
- Parshat Va'eira: Jan. 25, 2021
- Parshat Bo: Feb. 1, 2020, Jan. 23, 2021
- Parshat B'shalah: Jan. 30, 2021, Jan. 15, 2022, Feb. 3, 2023, Feb.4, 2023
- Parshat Yitro: Feb. 15, 2020, Feb. 6, 2021, Feb. 6, 2021, Feb. 21, 2022, Feb. 22, 2022
- Parshat Mishpatim: Feb. 22, 2020, Feb. 18, 2023
- Parshat T'rumah: Feb. 29, 2020, Feb. 29, 2020 - Part 2, Feb. 20, 2021, Feb. 4, 2022, Feb. 5, 2022, Feb. 25, 2023
- Parshat T'tzaveh: March 7, 2020, Feb. 27, 2021, Feb. 12, 2022, Feb. 11, 2022
- Parshat Ki Tisa: March 14, 2020, March 6, 2021, February 19, 2022
- Parshot Vayak'heil-P'kudei: March 21, 2020, March 13, 2021, February 26, 2022, March 18, 2023
Vayikra-Leviticus
- Parshat Vayikra: March 20, 2021, March 11, 2022, March 24, 2023, March 25, 2023
- Parshat Tzav: April 4, 2020, March 27, 2021, March 19, 2022
- Parshat Sh'mini: April 18, 2020
- Parshot Tazria-Metzora: April 25, 2020, April 17, 2021, April 2, 2022, April 20, 2024
- Parshot Achrei Mot-Kedoshim: May 2, 2020, April 24, 2021, May 7, 2022, May 3, 2024, May 10, 2024
- Emor: May 9, 2020, May 1, 2021, May 13, 2022, May 14, 2022, May 6, 2023
- Parshot B'har-B'hukotai: May 8, 2019, May 16, 2020, May 7, 2021, May 21, 2022, May 28, 2022, May 24, 2024, May 31, 2024
Bamidbar-Numbers
- Parshat Bamidbar: May 15, 2021, May 20, 2023, June 7, 2024
- Parshat Nasso: June 6, 2020, June 6, 2020 - Part 2, May 22, 2021, June 10, 2022, June 2, 2023, June 14, 2024
- Parshat B'ha'alotcha: June 13, 2020, June 13, 2020 - Part 2, June 9, 2023, June 10, 2023, June 21, 2024
- Parshat Sh'lach: June 20, 2020, June 20, 2020 - Part 2, June 5, 2021, June 28, 2024
- Parshat Korah: June 27, 2020, July 18, 2020, July 24, 2023, July 5, 2024
- Parshot Chukat-Balak: June 26, 2021, July 12, 2024, July 19, 2024
- Parshat Pinchas: July 11, 2020, July 11, 2020 - Part 2, July 2, 2021, July 3, 2021, July 22, 2022, July 23, 2022, July 26, 2024
- Parshot Matot-Masei: July 18, 2020, July 18, 2020 - Part 2, July 10, 2021, July 30, 2022, August 2, 2024
D'varim-Deuteronomy
- Parshat D'varim: July 25, 2020, July 25, 2020 - Part 2, July 17, 2021, August 6, 2022, August 9, 2024
- Parshat Va'et'hanan: Aug. 1, 2020, July 24, 2021, August 12, 2022, August 13, 2022, Aug. 16, 2024
- Parshat Eikev: Aug. 8, 2020, July 31, 2021, August 19, 2022, August 20, 2022
- Parshat Re'eh: August 7, 2021, August 30, 2024
- Parshat Shoftim: September 7, 2019, Aug. 22, 2020, August 14, 2021, August 14, 2021 - Part 2, September 3, 2022, September 6, 2024
- Parshat Ki Teitzei: Aug. 29, 2020, August 20, 2021, September 13, 2024
- Parshat Ki Tavo: Sept. 5, 2020, Sept. 5, 2020 - Part 2, August 28, 2021, Sept. 17, 2022, Sept. 20, 2024
- Parshot Nitzavim-Vayeilech: Sept. 11, 2021, September 24, 2022, Sept. 27,2024
- Parshat Ha'Azinu: Sept. 26, 2020, October 4, 2024
- Parshat Haberakhah
Rosh HaShanah: Sept. 19, 2020, Sept. 19, 2020 - Part 2, Sept. 19, 2020 - Part 3, Sept. 20, 2020, Sept. 7, 2021, Sept. 8, 2021, Sept. 9, 2021, Sept. 26, 2022
Yom Kippur: Sept. 28, 2020, Sept. 16, 2021, October 5, 2022
Sukkot: Oct. 3, 2020 , Sept. 20, 2021
Passover: April 3, 2021, April 23, 2022, April 7, 2023, April 12, 2023 April 27, 2024
Rosh Hodesh: April 22, 2023
Friday Night
Kol Nidre Service : 6:20pm |
Candle Lighting : 6:28pm |
: 7:30pm |
Shabbat Day
Yom Kippur : 9:00am |
: 1:30pm |
Evening Service : 5:00pm |
Havdalah : 7:35pm |
Upcoming Programs & Events
Oct 11 Kol Nidre Service Friday, Oct 11 6:20pm |
Oct 12 Yom Kippur Shabbat, Oct 12 9:00am |
Oct 12 Evening Service Shabbat, Oct 12 5:00pm |
Oct 13 Sukkot Preperation-setup. Decorating starts at 11 Sunday, Oct 13 10:00am |
Oct 16 Erev Sukkot Service Wednesday, Oct 16 7:00pm |
Candle Lighting
Friday, Oct 11, 6:28pm |
Havdalah
Motzei Shabbat, Oct 12, 7:35pm |
Erev Yom Kippur
Friday, Oct 11 |