Minyan Replay: Tu B'Av — Love is All You Need

Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan.  You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.

https://www.mishkanchicago.org/series/morning-minyan-spring-2024/

****

For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our venues. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook for more updates.

Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.

Transcript

Transcript

I'm going to begin to

invite you to sit up a little bit straighter if you are in a seated position to get as much breath as you can take in with every inhale,

let your shoulders relax

exhale,

and just become conscious of the rhythm of your breath and

and begin to

connect the awareness

that every time we say Adonai or Have a yah, or look at this word Hashem or Melech or Ruach. I am Melaka yam, Master of the Universe, Breath of the universe, life, force of the universe. Every time we say that we are connecting to our breath

now, which gives us the creativity and resilience and ability to Meet the day

Ruach I

rabbi,

Rabbi,

Hi,

I

so I came outside today, and I don't know if you can hear all of the noises of the neighborhood, but there's like, a truck or some kind of something or other over in the alley making a bunch of noise. And it's not spiritual, because I was totally like connecting with the words of the tune, and then all of a sudden I'm listening to this truck. But the truth is, we know, we know what the truth is, which is, like, it's all spiritual. The question is, like, the question is inside of me. The question is, how am I interpreting the world, and can I be okay with things as they are, and not wishing them to be otherwise than they are? Because it is what it is. And you know what that truck is doing important work, otherwise it wouldn't be here. So anyway, if you hear any of that noise say thank you truck and refocus on whatever it is that we're doing,

I'm going to turn to Bucha, to blessings of the morning. I'm going to stand you are welcome to stand with me, if you like, as we go through these different blessings, feel

free to join me in the in Hebrew or in English or just say, I mean,

I don't even know, moving Laila. I'm grateful for the ability.

To make distinctions between day and night. I mean, arujan, I don't even know. I am grateful I was created in your image.

Arujana,

I am great.

I am grateful that You created me to be free. I actually want to pause with those first, those early, early blessings. I'm grateful that I was created in your image, Sani, but Salmo,

a teacher in rabbinical school, once gave a challenge to a room full of people. She said,

Write down as many things as you can think of

that you love about yourself,

that you think are really like, that make you really special and unique, or that you just think are great about you. And

it was an easy exercise for some, it was a very hard exercise for others.

And so I like to think these blessings of the morning are an opportunity, you know, if that's an easy exercise for you, great, you know, check, I was created in God's image. Oh, my gosh, I love myself and for the person who's like, I don't even know what that means,

what part of me is divine.

I actually want to invite you this morning

to share one thing. Doesn't make you arrogant. Doesn't make you,

you know, prideful doesn't make you like unlikable. To share even one thing, one

that you think is actually fabulous about you

is great, and share it in the chat and you will be affirmed.

And you will be affirmed

by other people saying similar things, or maybe very different things, but at least also coming out and sharing a truth. Cindy, you're kind that is so great. You

you have a soft and vulnerable heart and care deeply for others. Jesper, yes, you are unstoppable. And Merle. Irene, you try to keep an open mind when speaking with folks, especially when people have different opinions. Yes,

you keep trying to be a better person by healing yourself. I mean, so good. Ellen,

you're empathetic. Gail, you are. You're

good at finding the humor and things. Sarah, I thank God for that.

Thank God for that. Oh, I love how y'all are giving each other little emojis of support and affirmation. You're a good connector. Susan, you are, and Sherry, you do prioritize connections with others and safe travels.

You have a special ability to see patterns in human behavior that help with problem solving. That is a special gift.

I look for the positive so important. Julianne, support others. Roberta,

you do

both highly sensitive and analytical and loyal. Martin, you are, you are all of those things, and I love all of those things about you.

Susanna, you're a connector. You are,

all right, well, feel, feel free to keep on this. Don't stop. Don't stop. All morning, I'm gonna keep going here.

Varuhata, don't baruja, nice. Asani, Israel. I'm grateful to be a Jew and a god wrestler. Delia, you're sensitive and love to find solutions, right?

And you freaking connect with us every single day, from Sweden or Germany or wherever you are, which I just feel like there's something very special and unique about

that too. Bucha, I dream. I'm grateful that my eyes open each day with new vision. Maruja Taruna, grateful for the gift of clothes over my naked body, and as Rabbi art green writes, also for the gift of boundaries

between my inner self and the external world, and for my ability to navigate what I want to share and when. But here, ASU re him, I'm grateful for the ability to release what is all tied up. And I'm grateful for the one who gives hope to the captive, and I am praying for all of those who are being held captive. And I am praying for all of those whose life feel feels assur, whose life feels bound and constricted. May they all be MATIER, may they be set free. Baruch hat.

Keith, I'm grateful for my ability to straighten what is bent. If you're able to take a forward fold, whether you're seated or standing, even if you're just able to bend your neck and then finally

come back up a little bit straighter and more aligned.

Take a deep breath into your chest.

Baruja

taronahi, grateful for the stability of the earth over the waters. Baruja Naomi, sorry, God there. I'm grateful that you prepare my steps. Baruja Naomi, SHA Sally, cold. Sor key I I'm grateful that you provide for all my needs, but I don't hear me serious, real big Bucha, I'm grateful that you give strength to me and my people.

Terry, Israel, but Tifa,

I'm grateful that you crown me with dignity and beauty,

and look if there, if you didn't write anything in the chat, remember that every single morning you put on your crown of dignity and beauty of T Ferret, walk around with that all day and see how that makes you feel.

Baru, katarna, Melaka, Olam, hauten, Leah, EFCO, ah,

I am grateful for the one who gives me strength when I am tired.

Irene chimes in here that both your sisters and nieces cats always greet me unconditionally, okay, and it's about the treats you bring them. I feel like I saw

maybe a bumper sticker or, you know, a greeting card once that light that's like, if I could just have the disposition of my dog, you know, if I could just be happy to see anybody who walks in the door, you know,

and grateful for every every little treat and every little bit of attention,

then life would be so much easier. We could all just be a little more like the average house cat or dog.

I am going to move all the way into into Shakir, because I wanted to focus this morning on the Shema, because it is in this week's Torah portion. So I wanted to, I wanted to do it in context. I wanted to sort of prepare to do it in context, by looking at it well, in the context of the service, in the context of the Torah where it first comes from.

So I'm actually going to stand back up for Baruch Hu, and we're going to make our way to the Schnabel

barhu at Adonai flora.

Bar.

Who at, I don't

know how, before me, moved to mama say, very sheet. Teravenua Keith,

but

of can hear the siren in

the background, but just sending prayers that they get wherever it is that they're going and whoever It is that needs help gets the

help they need. Dacha mi MITs,

Fauci le ombuds,

Rabbi,

A

Man, the hotel, your head

and I Bucha Israel.

All right, before we go into this Shema, I'm going to turn us. Oh, cool. I'm going to turn us to the shaman here.

I'm

looking at, oh, did you want to do the shaman with us? Okay, you can come back in a minute, because we're gonna, we're gonna do a little bit of learning first. Okay.

Oh, not right now. All right. So I wanted you to see some of this. This is all this is all in the book of Deuteronomy. You know, this is what we're going to be reading for the next couple of months here, until some has Torah. And of course, this is all just Moses trying to give over what is, you know, essentially, like his ethical will to the people. He knows he's not going to go with them. He knows he's going to die, you know, before seeing the promised land, and that they are all going to go on living. And so he is trying to instill in them

memories that they don't even have because they were children or they weren't born when these memories were made. So he says to them, God made a covenant with us at Sinai, you know man, I like imagine all the little children around the campfire, you know. And he's like God made a covenant with us at Sinai, not just with your ancestors. Did God make this covenant today, but with us, every one of us here today. And you can almost like imagine him looking into the eyes of every person you know you, and with you, like Mr. Rogers or Oprah, And God made the covenant with you and with you and with you. Me, yes, you

face to face. God spoke with you on the mountain out of the fire, and I stood between God and you at that time to convey God's words to you because you were afraid. It was so scary.

And then, and then God said all these things, all these powerful things. And so then, of course, you've got the 10 Commandments here. Okay, I'm actually going to skip over the 10 Commandments, because that's not what I want to focus on. Did that at Shavuot.

God gives over the Moses gives over the 10 Commandments.

I

and this is the instruction, and these are the laws and the rules that God told me to tell you to be observed in the land you're about to enter, so that you and your children and your children's children may revere God as long as you live, abide by all these laws so that you may long endure on the land.

Shma Israel, Adonai Lo, you know Adonai hat,

they have to add on. ILO, I have a whole of avha over home.

DEA ro Israel, Adonai is our God. Adonai

is one. It's interesting they translated this alone.

There's a different Hebrew word for alone, so I don't exactly know why the translator here thought that was the right translation. And

then, of course, it goes on.

How does, how does knowing where the Shama comes in context in the Torah change or affect the way it feels to say the Shama or like as we're about to do in A Moment.

Feel free to unmute.

I

any thoughts.

My impression is it's not as standalone as I expect, because it's coming in a whole series of

follow God's rules. You know, God gave you these rules. Follow them. You'll be better off if you follow.

Of them here is we'll listen to God. And so it just seems like

it's interesting. That's the one we picked to make a central part of our prayers. But we could have picked some of these others. Yeah, yeah. My understanding is that at a certain point in history, it was actually standard to actually do the entire section of the 10 Commandments every day as well, you know, from like this whole section. And then when Christians adopted a similar practice, like early Christians adopted that practice, then the early Rabbi's were like, ah, you know, how are people going to know the difference between them and us? All right, let's not, like, not do that anymore. Let's do the very distinctive thing that literally says Shema Yisrael, you know,

apparently, the same thing happened with full prostration during the alainu and Muslims, you know, because, like on the High Holidays, we go down to the ground in much the same way as your average Muslim every day goes down to the ground five times a day. And then when Muslims started praying using the same physical sort of thing, it was like, Well, okay, let's we'll do something a little bit different to differentiate ourselves, just sort of interesting, but we'll still do it on high holidays. And, okay, what else? What else

about the Shema? In context here, I

I'm, I'm actually just noticing the extent to which observing these commandments feeling that one is, you know, in in a lineage, that one feels that oneself is. You know, if you are a Jew, you are in a lineage, whether by descent or consent, you know, whether by, you know, you inherited it from your parents or you converted,

that feels and has a deep connection to this land, you know, like the land of Israel. You know, there's a whole, there's a whole movement right now, I would say, you know, like the sort of diasporas approach to Judaism, which is like, Yeah, this is not working for us. You know that the focus on a land and a place, especially a land and a place that has other people living in it, like, let's liberate ourselves from this orientation to Judaism

slash like, let's pretend that we never had a connection. And just looking at this, you know, it's like, that is not intellectually that is, that is like, not an intellectually honest read of the tradition. You can like that, not to say, you know, like, there's also the part of the tradition is practicing justice and, you know, caring for the stranger, loving the stranger, caring for neighbors, you know, not murdering all, etc. But I think to say that there is not some kind of ancestral connection to this place. Is just not intellectually honest, the Shema comes on the heels of, right, oh Israel, if you willingly and faithfully obey all these commandments, it will go well for you, and you will increase in the land flowing with milk and honey, as the God of your ancestors spoke to you.

I don't believe, I don't believe that, you know, God telling us something is a reason to say, you know, to do anything

other than understand that as our story. You know, it's like, okay, that's, that's our story. That's not a reason to, you know, to oppress or hurt anyone. However, this is our story. This is the story that we have been, you know, living with and passing on for 1000s and 1000s of years.

Yes, there's, there's something that comes up for me, just in the way of,

you know, there's like, it's like a New Covenant, like a new okay, we're, you know, we're, marking a marking a transition to a new place. And this is the like, this is the story that we carry with us and and, you know, I can, I can receive that in a way that feels very diasporic in, you know, in terms of lineage, in that like, okay, we're, you know, there's a crossing over, there's a, you know, this is an agreement that we, that we have. This is the story that where we've come from, this is what we've taken from our ancestors. You know, yes, land, you know, land is flowing with milk and honey. You know is, you know, can, can be quite, quite broad, like, you know, the where the boundaries are in terms of geographical space. Feel like, you know, there can be a fluid read with with that, but you know, the mark of inheritance and starting anew and crossing over with a new generation and sort of marking this moment,

you know, really comes through. Yeah.

Yes, I thank you for saying that. And also it's worth noting, like many of the you know,

many of the laws that were written, you know, laws that hukim, mush, batim, whatever you know, like the the the laundry list of all the things that we're supposed to do in the 613, commandments that were written in one way in the Torah were interpreted in a different way by the later Rabbi's and interpreted differently by us, you know. And so however something might be written here is it's like the beginning of the story, but it's not the whole story, and it's not right. It's it literally, is just the beginning of the story. And I think what you said is really beautiful. So much of Jewish tradition is actually interpreting these verses in a really expansive, generative, creative, spiritual way that liberates them from the literalness of, you know, the land or gender, or, you know, whatever it is that seems limiting.

So thank you for saying that. Lexi.

Yeah,

I something I'm also struck by is, you know, there's a Midrash about the first time the Shema is set, and it's not here The Midrash about the first time Shema is said is Jacob on his deathbed, you know. So this is, you know, many generations earlier, when he has gone down into Egypt, right? His whole family is in Egypt, and all of his sons are, you know, like living successful lives in Egypt. His son, Joseph, of course, is like a big, big deal in Egypt. Got an Egyptian wife, got Egyptian children, and Jacob is wondering to himself if he has actually made a huge mistake in coming, you know, in coming to Egypt and doing what he thought was saving his family. But in fact, maybe he's just assimilating into Egyptian culture. And this thing that was, you know, his inheritance from his father, that he had inherited from his father, which was the, you know, being, you know, in this relationship with God, in this covenantal relationship with God, like maybe he screwed it all up. And so on his deathbeds, on his deathbed, his children say to him, Shema Yisrael, which is to say, Listen, dad, because his name is, you know, Jacob, it's Israel, listen, dad, Adonai elohinu, your god is our God, you know, Adonai God, it's all one,

like your God is our God and and like we got you, we got you, Dad, and then, and then he and then he dies, feeling a sense of comfort hearing his son say this to Him.

And so it's, it's striking that then here Moses basically on his, you know, in his swan song, his last, his last sermon, similarly, passes on like, this is the core of it. This is the heart of it. This is the thing that gives us a sense of connectedness to the ancestors behind us and, you know, to who is coming after us.

So, okay, I'm just reading. I'm reading now the words Susan has here. Is there any special significance that's actually Moses, not God telling Israel to hear the words. They're his words, not telling people what God told to tell him, right? Like Moses is saying this, she may Israel, that's interesting. Susan, you would have to tell me what you think the significance is. And then, Miriam, you're having just on a Catholic funeral yesterday and sitting with their best hits liturgy. It does feel very declarative of this is how we feel about our connection to God. Interesting? Ah, like, that's that tends to be what happens at a funeral, or that it tends to be what happens as we're

nearing death. Yes, Susan, what do you think the significance is that this is actually, this is Moses's words. This isn't even God. I like the connection with

when you're facing down your own and that, and maybe that's because that's where I am right now, in this period of mourning my own dad, you know, is now almost exactly a month gone, that he too was sort of facing down like, what does it all mean? And the importance of passing it on that people, you know, his descendants, that that those who remain will will get the point. So I like that connection. I didn't think about the connection with Jacob. And I think this is sort of a deathbed moments, in a way. It's like he knows he can't go on. And so this is what I've had, this special connection. God's been

helping me help you, and now I won't be there. So here it is. So I like, I do like that.

Thank you, yeah, you know. And if we understand, Yod, hey, Vav, Hey, this word God Hashem, you know. And you can see this on in the.

Yeah, on the side here, I left the commentaries up on the side. And so here's the dictionary, commonly transcribed in English as yud, hey, Vav, Hey, unpronounced except with the vowels, you know, the vowel pointings of Adonai. But like, you can't say this word. It's the word for the life force of the universe, the unpronounceable, unknowable, unsayable, you know, animating,

you know, animating life force that makes the grass grow, and the trees blossom in their right season, and the rain fall. And, you know, babies know what to do with with milk. And you know, it's just like it's, it's, and it also is, is death, and it's rebirth, you know, and it's like it's

all encompassing.

And then to say, and you will love that all encompassing, everything

your which is your God, with all your heart, with all your strength, with all your everything you know, your orientation to the world, fundamentally. And Lexi calling back to what you said, Wherever you are, needs to be love.

And take these words, which I give you today, and set them on your heart. On your heart. You know

she not to live in a covid, but she took half of it to cover. Teach them to your children. Speak

of them when you're at home, when you're at home, when you're on your way, when you lie down and when you rise up, which is to say everywhere at all times at home, and when you're not at home, when you're in a lying position, when you're in a standing position, when you're in a seating position. How do we orient ourselves around love?

That is the central question of the Jewish tradition. That's the that's the thing the rabbi's wanted to pick out of here and make sure that we said every single day. So I guess with that

our Shema this morning, we're gonna say it and then, and then I'm gonna play us a tune that's Debbie Friedman, and it's sung really beautifully by the Panthers at Central choir or central synagogue.

So so that'll be our schma and vieja this morning.

And if there are people who you're thinking about, who you want to pray for their health and healing.

So then, as we listen to this tune, go ahead and put their names in the chat.

First we will say the Shema together,

cover and close our eyes.

Take a whole breath for every word.

Shima,

y is right.

Adonai, elohinu,

Adonai,

oh, I

don't know.

Let

me know if you can hear this. Okay?

And you

shall find

these

words, daily,

Joy. Them

daily, gently unto she,

day,

you shall

bind them for a sign. Shall rise.

To

everyone on Your list for healing.

Got long lists today from everyone here,

sending each one of you prayers for healing,

reflection.

All right, we're a little bit over here, so I want to make sure we do Khadija Tom Warner's Kaddish.

Who this morning do you want to remember out loud,

my aunt Nancy Jacobson,

my aunt Francesca wax

Sylvia, herring, Mark nur love Teresa Owen.

Anyone else is

there anybody who would like to lead us in coddish This morning,

I all right, I'm happy to me and Adira will do it here.

The

alma de Brock Bucha, who

rabbi,

amen, Amen, shalom. BIM Roma,

who Yeah, shalom. Ale, velko, Israel, the alcohol, Yosh way table,

amen,

Libra, may all of their memories be for a blessing.

Amen, amen,

amen, mean, not man.

Now what should we do?

Feel like we should. We should close out with, we should close out with a song that's about love. Because, of course, the next holiday on the Jewish calendar is Tuba of

little known Jewish Valentine's Day. Who's heard of tuba? Of

anyone? Anyone? Yeah, yeah, Jewish Valentine's Day.

I mean, today is the beginning of, today is the beginning of the rest of our lives. Everybody. Yesterday was rock bottom on the Jewish calendar. And it is just all you know, it is. It's like, it's all growth and healing and transformation and regeneration from here. That's kind of and I also had an insight yesterday, again, Lexi, speaking to what you were saying. I don't know if you're still here.

You know what? This isn't my insight. I actually can't take credit for this. I just realized that I'm recycling. Rabbi Allen Liu talks about how Tisha bAv is, you know, the it's the day we mourn for the destruction of a literal house.

And then you spend the next seven weeks moving toward Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, these holidays of personal transformation, of forgiveness, of spirituality, of reconnection, you know, with God, with other people, with the tradition. And then the culminating holiday in the whole season is Sukkot, which is a temporary house, which is a he says, like it like it's, it's like it mocks the idea of a house. Because, of course, you know, a house has.

Solid walls, and, you know, protects you from the rain. A Sukkah does none of that, you know. It just pretends to be a house. It's the outline of a house. It insinuates a house without being a house. And its whole purpose is to remind us of fragility and impermanence. And we build Sukkot wherever we are. And the theme of the holiday is joy and so and so we go from this place where we're where we're feeling sadness and grief, mourning, literal, physical loss, and going to a place where we embrace the truth of impermanence, wherever we are, you know, and then we celebrate by by rolling the Torah back to the beginning and celebrating that which enlivens us wherever we are in the world, you know.

Thank you. My daughter's standing behind me trying to pull out my gray hairs, which is karma, because I used to do this for my own father. All right, great.

So what shall we sing? What shall we sing? We want to sing a love song. Can you not though? Maybe, because I'm a little worried, maybe you're gonna get the brown ones.

Okay,

what's a love song?

You don't know any, any requests or suggestions from the crowd,

from the sunflower nut gallery,

Beatles, all you need is love. Oh, that's a great idea, Irene. I'm gonna pull up the words and anybody who wants to sing with me can, because I also don't necessarily know them by heart. All right. Oh, you need is love. Beatles lyrics,

great suggestion. Irene,

hold.

Oh, no, no,

all right, well, it just started playing it for me. So we'll just go with this. I

Nothing you can

make.

I

me love

all in need

is love. All

I need is love. Love. Love is all in need

come. Is Love. All You Need Is

Love. Love.

Love is all you

need. Nothing

You can see, it's Easy.

Oh, need. Love is that was a great suggestion Irene, and that was a great

that was a great mistake my browser made, the

hell.

Okay, great.

All right,

thank you. Rabbi Lizzi wants to talk about before we sign off and go live our lives and have our Wednesday. Yeah, but can you stop the recording? Oh, yeah, of course, of course. Of course. Thanks, Irene, yeah,

have a good day, everybody. Bye.