Reconstructionism and Spiritual Life

1. PEARL: Providing Education and Resources for Leadership Reconstructionism and Spiritual Life Jewish Reconstructionist Federation Transformative Judaism for the 21st Century 101 Greenwood Avenue Beit Devora, Suite 430 Jenkintown, PA 19046 215.885.5601 / fax: 215.885.5603 www.jrf.org Rabbi Shawn Zevit and Rabbi Jacob Staub April 27, 2011-8:00 p.m.-9:15 p.m.

2. Text Study Genesis, 1:26: And God said: 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness… 27 And God created man in God’s own image, in the image of God, God created humans; male and female God created them. ..31 And God saw every thing that God had made, and, behold, it was very good. Leviticus 19:1: You shall be holy; for I, Adonai your God am holy.

3. Text Study “They envisioned you in an abundance of metaphors. You are one in all of those images.” - Shir Hakavod (12th-century Germany ) “God heals the sick/healing the sick is godly.” Rabbi Harold Schulweiss “The rabbis taught: ‘Everywhere that God is described as majestic, God is also described as humble, because God is both and neither.’ I believe that God is the ground of all being, perpetually manifesting judgment and mercy, grandeur and humility, closeness and distance. We experience those aspects of God only when we are open and prepared to receive them. Rabbi Jacob Staub, Zeek Magazine http://www.rrc.edu/Resources/Reconstructionist%20Resources/%3Ci%3EZeek%3C/i%3E%20Special%20Issue

4. Text Study “We must learn to distinguish between the belief in God and the conception of God. The belief in God is the intuitive experience of cosmic Power upon which we depend for our existence and self-fulfillment. It is, therefore, the basic substance of religion and is a constant factor in it. On the other hand, the particular conception of God is a cultural formulation of that belief. It varies with the particular stage of man’s intellectual and social development.” Mordecai Kaplan, Future of the American Jew, p. 182 “By the end of the eighteenth century, when Higher Criticism and the scientific method began to captivate the human mind, the intellectual elite assumed that religion soon would vanish. However, two hundred years later, the concept of God and the primal stories of religion remain with us and, in many instances, appear to be gaining in strength. The main reason God won't go away is because our brains won't allow God to leave. Our brains are set up in such a way that God and religion become among the most powerful tools for helping the brain do its thing—self-maintenance and self-transcendence. “ Dr. Andrew Newberg, How God Changes Your Brain: Breakthrough Findings from a Leading Neuroscientist (coauthored with Mark Robert Waldman), http://www.andrewnewberg.com/

5. The Evolving Religious Civilization of the Jewish People Reconstructionists define Judaism as the evolving religious civilization of the Jewish people.By religious we mean that Judaism is the means by which we conduct our search for ultimate meaning in life. God is the source of meaning. We struggle, to be sure, with doubts and uncertainties.Reconstructionists affirm that struggle; we believe it is the duty of all Jews to question and to study in order to find unique paths to the divine. We believe in a God who inhabits this world and especially the human heart. God is the source of our generosity, sensitivity and concern for the world around us. God is also the power within us that urges us toward self-fulfillment and ethical behavior. We find God when we look for meaning in the world, when we are motivated toward study and when we work to realize the goals of morality and social justice.

6. The Evolving Religious Civilization of the Jewish People The starting point of Reconstructionism is our quest to understand the historical and spiritual experience of the Jewish people. We believe “the past has a vote.” Therefore we struggle to hear the voices of our ancestors and listen to their claim on us. What did this custom or that idea mean to them? How did they see the presence of God in it? How can we retain or regain its importance in our own lives? We believe “the past does not have a veto.” Therefore we struggle to hear our own voices as distinct from theirs. What might this custom or that idea mean to us today? What might we borrow from this custom to create a new tradition that is more significant for us today. When a particular Jewish value or custom is found wanting, it is our obligation as Jews to find a means to reconstruct it - to find new meanings in old forms or to develop more meaningful, innovative practices.

7. Exploring Judaism Staub and Alpert, Living as a Reconstructionist, p. 79 Recent studies suggest that there are different “spiritual types”…Some people find holiness in analysis and study. Some experience God most readily in social justice or interpersonal relationships. Others find transcendence in observing the natural world or experiencing the creative process. There is even a spiritual type who best connects to God and religious life- remaining true to God by smashing the idols of religious hypocrisy… No individual is purely one of these “types,” but each of us has greater propensities in some directions than others. Viewing Judaism as a religious civilization that encompasses all these paths, Reconstructionists affirm the validity of each of them and seek to encourage one another as we each find our own way.

8. Spiritual Practice in community: celebrating the sacred with a blend of the traditional and the contemporary Communal prayer (inc. meditation, chant, body-centered practices, etc., as well as liturgy) is a central activity of Reconstructionist congregations. Through prayer Reconstructionists forge a connection with the past and with other Jews. They become aware of the spiritual dimension in their lives, and discover that the perspectives of our ancestors can enhance the quality of contemporary life. Our spiritual practices and liturgies draw deeply from tradition, enriching it with contemporary poetry, music, art and personally written prayers.In some Reconstructionist communities, members are encouraged to write and deliver their own commentaries on the Torah, or lead worship. They also create and lead ceremonies for special occasions like retirement, baby-namings, or the dedication of a new home.

9. Belonging to a Democratic Jewish Community in a Post-Halakhic Age http://jrf.org/showres&rid=140 If halakha is defined as the Jewish process of celebrating, creating and transmitting tradition, Reconstructionist Jewish communities would certainly fit within the framework of halakha.But if halakha has the meaning of a rigid body of law, changeable only under very rarefied circumstances, most Jewish people, including Reconstructionists, no longer accept its binding authority. While Reconstructionists are lovers of tradition and support community celebration of the Jewish sacred year and life-cycle events, we also believe that the face of the Jewish community is changing and that individuals have the right to adapt Jewish tradition to new circumstances.Reconstructionist communities challenge Jews to participate fully in our shared Jewish civilization. From building a sukkah to appreciating Jewish music, from caring for the Jewish young and old to leading Torah study - community members should experience Jewish civilization in our day as fully as they experience secular civilization.Judaism will continue to be a dynamic civilization only if we choose to participate, create and transmit vitality to future generations. Reconstructionist rabbis work in partnership with committed lay people to formulate guidelines that serve as Jewish touchstones for our times. These guidelines are presented and democratically considered in Reconstructionist communities as standards for enhancing the Jewish life of the individual and the community rather than as binding laws.

10. Values of Spiritual Peoplehoodhttp://jrf.org/files/PEARL_packet_innovative_experiential_education.doc • חכמה Hohmah (Wisdom) • הדור מצוהHiddur Mitzvah (Creativity) • קדושהKedushah(Spirituality • ציונות Ziyonut (Peoplehood), • תקון עולם(Repairing the World) • דרך ארץ DerehEretz (Character) • שמירת הגוף Sh’mirat Haguf • קהילהKehillah (Community) Belonging, Behaving, Believing, Becoming

11. Further Resources • Reconstructionism: http://jrf.org/reconstructionism • Reconstructionism Today Articles: http://jrf.org/resources-library&tid=5:12&show=#Religious Values • Who Is A Reconstructionist Jew?: http://jrf.org/showres&rid=140 • Reconstructionism and Prayer: http://www2.jrf.org/rt/article.php?id=159 • Audio Programs: http://jrf.org/heart-mind-spirit • FAQ's on Reconstructionist Approaches to Jewish ideas and Practices http://jrf.org/showres&rid=487 • How To Successfully Integrate and Use Reconstructionism in Synagogue Processes http://jrf.org/pearl/2008/how-to-successfully-integrate-and-use-reconstructionism-in-synagogue-processes • ”What Is Reconstructionism, Anyway?” http://jrf.org/resources/files/What%20is%20Reconstructionism.pdf

12. Further Resources http://jrf.org/resources-library&tid=3:5&show=#Spirituality http://www.rrc.edu/ethics-center/publications/publications http://stores.jrfbookstore.org/-strse-Prayer-Books/Categories.bok (Omer Series available at http://jrf.org/pearl) http://jrf.org/pearl/2009/growing-the-soul-of-your-community Omer Project: "A House of Prayer for All Peoples": Diversity in Growing Sacred Community Omer Project: Spiritual direction : "Growing God-ward" Omer Project: Varieties of Spiritual practice Omer Project: Liturgy and Prayer Omer Project: Growing Self and Community through Creativity and the Arts Omer Project: Tikkun L'eyl Shavuot: The Many Paths to Revelation of Torah Omer Project: Growing Spirituality in Education: Learning Across the Lifecycle Spirituality and Social Justice http://jrf.org/showrt&rid=673 Re-inventing Synagogue Life and Prayer http://jrf.org/showrt&rid=508