[HANASHIR:2710] Re: Environmental service

[Judy Git <hillel...>]

What about Debbie's "Rainbow Blessing" which is on her "Debbie at the Del" album
or the one for hail,  which is on "The World of Your Dreams," which should be in
Des Moines, Alan, because I bought it for them.  LOL

Judy

GurevitzR (at) aol(dot)com wrote:

> Here are some ideas:
>
> Use the 'morning blessings' part of the service (the bit that usually goes
> ... 'wakes my eyes from slumber' etc) as an opportunitiy for spontaneous
> morning blessings from congregants about nature.  Start with 'Baruch ata.....
> melech haolam; or Brucha at.... ruach haolom, and then leave a silence for
> people to add their own endings (for the sunshine/rain this morning; for bird
> call, for.... etc.)
>
> Use the 2nd para of Shema as a focus for environmental messages (if we don't
> live with respect for the earth then the rains won't come/rains will be
> polluted/rains will flood; soil will be damaged etc...)
>
> One really powerful idea that we use in renewal that can infuse the whole
> service is the idea of the name of God, YHVH as sounding like a breath if you
> try to say those hebrew letters without vowels.  Rabbi Arthur Waskow does a
> wonderful teaching about how all that we breath out the plants etc. breath in
> and what we breath in they breathe out.  So another way to think about God is
> as the all-encompassing Breath of Life which supports and creates all in
> every moment.  That is why we have reconstructed the way we pronounce some of
> our blessings to say Baruch ata Yah (said in a breathy way - this is an
> ancient name for God, as in Hallelu Yah), Ruach haolam.  Ruach means
> spirit/breath.
>
> If you have an opportunity to go outside during the service, it is a great
> place to invite people to do their own Amidah where they can 'talk' out loud,
> or just notice the nature.
>
> There are many sources of environmental stories - see if you can get your
> hands on 'Let the Earth teach you Torah' produced by Shomrah Adamah, based in
> Washington D.C.  Or you could get this resource from COEJL (see earlier
> posting from someone else).
>
> Musically, and quite timely still, are anything from Song of Songs - all
> about Spring; related to Pesach as the ultimate freedom story, and
> traditionally read every Shabbat.  Dodi Li (Steve Sher, Debbie Friedman),
> Kumi Lach, etc. (Debbie has several, in English and Hebrew).  Shefa Gold has
> some beautiful chants based on Song of Songs.  See her Chantscendence (sp?)
> album especially.
>
> Some of this needs to be adapted, depending on the age you are working with.
>
> Hope it is of help.
>
> Rachel Gurevitz
>



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