[HANASHIR:3911] Re: re re re spect (just a little bit)

[Rglauber <Rglauber...>]

Say hey,

I'm working on a new theme for my performances and workshops this year, and I 
wanted to put it out to the list and possibly get some feedback.   I am 
fairly obsessed with the idea of "ruach", and see it as THE key to meaningful 
Jewish interaction, celebration, and joy.  (Now obviously there are a great 
many avenues into Jewish connection, and I don't want to debate which is more 
valid than the other)   for the purposes of this discussion, I'd like to 
consider the notion of Ruach.

I'm sure that nearly everyone on the list is aware of the dual meaning of the 
word as both "spirit" and "wind" (breath, perhaps), and this double meaning 
is crucial to where I'm coming from.   an exapmle....

Late night at the CAJE in Columbus.   People are sitting around on chairs, in 
a circle, and it's a rather typical, low energy, sleepy kind of scene.  I get 
up in the center to do a song or two.  I start in on Hu Ya'ase Shalom  (one 
of mine), and before I make it through the first chorus, I realize that it is 
useless to continue given the vibe of the room.  I ask people to stand up, 
and very reluctantly, they do, keeping their distance, basically touching 
their chairs as if for security.   I invite them to come a little 
closer...... it's like pulling teeth, they inch their way forward until we 
get so that we can hear and feel eachother close by.   Then when I start the 
song again, it's like magic, we are singing loudly, Chaim grabs a drum, 
someone grabs some shakers, people break into dance, it is a completely 
different energy, and a joyful one, to boot.    (logistics)

Another.....   This past Saturday morning (Rosh Hashana), I'm leading 
children's services at Temple Beth Israel, Eugene OR, and we're about to 
begin under a tent on the lawn, as the adult service is underway inside.  
There are many adults outside as well, as many prefer the more informal 
service.   So people are hanging in the back shmoozing, wanting to gab, while 
the kids get their service.   

Before I begin, I ask everybody to get together under the tent.  There's a 
little grumbling, many adults still hang back, wanting the "safety" of the 
distance.   I ask again, call some friends by name, try to make it funny and 
non-threatening, and keep trying to get us ALL together under the tent.  Well 
it starts to happen, here comes Jill, here comes Carole, now we are all 
together in this place, at this time.   Eugene is a community that has 
undergone a lot of upheavel in the Jewish Community over the past 7 or so 
years, factions splitting off, political infighting etc, and it was 
incredibly profound to ALL get together under the tent.  I'm sure that I 
wasn't the only one to feel it.   

I did make mention of how wonderful it was, then taught Sing it In, Sing In 
the New Year. (which I learned in Carole Rivel's workshop a year ago at CAJE) 
 It was excellent, and only because we were close enough together to get that 
SOUND that you need to really lift up the energy.  It was a case of the 
service being "successful" from the instant that we got ourselves in the 
right position, which is standing up, close together, under the tent.    If 
that hadn't happened, the service would have been on more service, no more, 
no less.   As it was, it was a fantastic, meaningful, ruach event for our 
community.

So to close, I want to offer the first example of how to experience ruach 
among our people.....   get up, get close, get singing and moving.

Anyone else care to share another approach?

Rich Glauber
Eugene, OR

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