Minyan Replay with Rabbi Lizzi — Acharei Mot and Counting the Omer

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

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

Transcript

Transcript

Alright

alright share screen I do it hello

The strange thing

why can't I see it

there we go

not that you all need

to see the words for mo Danny but maybe you do we do it every day it's in your head it's in your body

but it's nice to be reminded

to be grateful in the morning and to say words of gratitude. So here we are.

So here we are

less this morning these might be the first words of gratitude that you're giving yourself the opportunity to say as they are in my case

so take a moment to sit up a little bit straighter or stand a little straighter whatever position your body is in to mostly just be able to breathe

deeply and freely

take a few deep relaxed breaths

feeling the Divine Presence filling your body with everyone

whoa

they're fun

rule

Kai earn more

money live

room

okay

be me

and Moon

share

me please

bear with me

any nine i

HEY

hey Yay

Yay

I've never done the math myself but apparently the word in Hebrew for prayer to feel ah has the same Gematria as the word for shear, or Shira. And

what the Hasidic do with that is that prayer and song are the same thing is that if you're singing, there's a way to inject that into prayer whether or not you're using any words at all. So when we sing a niggun when we sing, yay today, DVD, whatever, whatever syllables your prefer

syllable, you can make that prayer with intention. And likewise, your prayer could just be a song could just be the idea of identity

without without the right intention attached to it.

And so

that brings us to the question of what your intention is, as you sit here this morning as you listen whenever you're listening to this,

to be kinder, to be more generous, to be more open to be closer to the Divine to be closer to Torah.

Very curious, actually,

what people are bringing in? I didn't mean to hit record didn't not record. I know it's recording. I did mean to hit record for the person who asked, yes.

Yeah, so

I'll say my intention is to get back on the horse. I was very off that horse on break, although I did manage to get to eat car on

Passover, on the first day of Passover. ukar is the synagogue in Los Angeles where I learned how to be a rabbi. And I went to rabbinical school, I learned I learned some stuff there too. But I would say I learned how to be a rabbi at car. And it was so nice, and they let me come up there and dive in with them and help lead stuff. And that felt like a sweet homecoming. But also, for much of the week, my family was traveling and having the kind of regularity focus, consistency of showing up for minion did not happen over the past week for me during Passover. So that's my intention coming back here is developing, like Riri grooving into that discipline and into that consistency. Coming off the heels of Passover, right, we talked about this a little bit.

A little bit last time we met, which was in my case two weeks ago, but that getting to create your own calendar

is the first thing or rather like God, creating the calendar for the Israelites instead of the Egyptians was the first act of independence, their first act of freedom.

And that's therefore the first mitzvah go all the way back to Genesis.

And Rashi asks the question, why begin with creation? Like why begin with the creation story when the first Mitzvah is roach? Kodesh ta LFM. Like is an exodus as the new moon will begin for you? This this week, and then you know, on the full moon, y'all are going to leave Egypt, you know, and that will all be followed by, of course, Sinai and all the rest of the meats vote, why begin the Torah, whose purpose is getting whose purposes is getting the Jewish people connected to God's meets vote why begin with genesis of the first mitzvah isn't even Genesis, but the truth is, it is Peru Be fruitful and multiply actually is like, in right in there in the beginning to there are plenty of meats vote, as it turns out, that apply to all humanity, not just Jewish people.

But he says it's context setting. You know, it's like getting the whole story ready.

And interestingly, he says that, that the story of Genesis and the story of the creation of humanity and, and the speaking of God to Abraham and saying, you know, you're from Canaan, you're gonna go into the land of Israel, you will become a multitude of people. He says, The purpose of this is so that when the nations say to the Jews, you don't belong in that land, you can look back at the Torah and say, in fact, God gave us this land, which I remember reading that once ago, or once a long time ago and being like, what, who would say that? And Ha, joke's on me.

Okay, back to

back to regularity, intention setting calendar setting, freedom, independence, that's where we are. That's where I am. All right, I'm seeing what some of you have said here.

Ah, ooh.

I'm just gonna read I'm gonna read some of these out loud ground feeling ground down, after just inundated with all the news about the protests, to take control of my calendar by prac by protecting time for prayer and meditation. My intention is to deepen my connection with Jewish practice in community with others. Sometimes it can be hard to be connected indeed. And more acceptance. Oh, all that is such good intention.

Just want to hold all of that to all right. I'm going to move us forward to

barcoo so that we can make our way into

Talking about the Eau Claire.

So

if you're able to stand up feel free to stand with me

and if you're able to just sit up a little straighter and turn your turn your body and your posture and so kind of Mountain Pose straight that you can then bend and then stand straight and Becca wonderful

very who I don't I have never

regretted

I chose a key a little high for that sorry, bear with

me oh two

Oh Sasha Hello Maria taco.

hemiola Alright, so let me move to Val Mahadesh typically on to meet my savory she injecting your intentions in here to scheduling in consistent time to walk outside along the lakefront living my truth rather than fear being present in the moment. All so very good. Or huddle. Schutze on top Evany scare who ladder Mahira little row by row Katana you'd say a hammer or wrote

a viva I have

I don't I know he knows I'm not going to Olivia Tara hamata lino, you have loved us such and without an unending love you heaped upon us Your mercy, and your greatness. Our parents

are sovereign for the sake of our ancestors who trusted in you. I'm just I'm just translating as I read here. I love this words, for the sake of our ancestors who trusted in you our actual ancestors or our spiritual ancestors, the ancestors who have adopted us. But still I'm David okay fame.

You taught them the laws of life, the laws of living life ways, life giving ways likewise, teach them to us, our parent, who is merciful, the one who is full of mercy,

give your mercy to us, translated differently. Our Father who has a womb, put us into your womb, and envelop us in it.

Pretty fun.

Give us everything we need, and put in our hearts the ability to understand to distinguish between this and that thing. Levine Allah has skill is smaller, to have the intelligence and the wisdom to listen,

to learn and to teach, to observe and to do and to uphold and to upstand through all the words of this torah teaching and to do it bit Hava with love. enlighten our eyes through your Torah and help our hearts cleave to your meats vote, and bring us together bring our hearts together. I have vital Euro Jamaica, to love and to revere and to be in awe before you and then we will not be ashamed. Never, for all time because we trust in Your holy and great name.

We will rejoice we will be grateful we will be glad in your righteous saving. And you will bring us from the four corners of the earth and now we bring our Tsetse together, you will bring us from the four corners of the earth. They are bucketful to arts, but totally feigning common mute lard say no. And you will bring us in dignity into our land to pull your shoe out. That's one of our hearts of the Kolomna Shan because you've chosen us from all peoples and languages and brought us close to you and your name in truth, to be grateful to you to express gratitude to you and to bring you together Hashem, God in love.

By Ruka town I will clarify Emily's throw ale that I have

close and cover our eyes. Take a full breath for every word of the Shma

Shema.

Yesterday

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though he knew

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yeah have to eight I don't know

the whole of Absa overhaul NASA home in Odessa. The high you had of REM ha ala i share I know see Mensa Hi yo I love Alpha machina and Tom they're gonna have the barter

bomb they seem to have a ticker overlapping seven Dara who Chicago of comesa short term the Otalia deha. But how you a little tougher Oh then a NASA who could tough time zone they Tasha movie Shara hair

we have a minion guests this morning. All right. She doesn't want to she doesn't want to be on camera. Do you want to help me do the paragraph by yolmer

All right, I'm gonna flip two paragraphs to the one about seats seats while you've got your seat seat in your hand VIOME air i don't know I'm gonna shell him or DAB air Albanese forever I'm Marta la ham. Sula, him seat seat

I'll convey how Medora time they're not new I'll see

can aspartyl to fail out but hey

let's see.

Return Oh toe is hard tenants call me to vote I don't I've asked you to him Oh Tom, below tattoo after a hurry.

I share in terms of NEMA hurry. them are anti screw Vassy term it can be totaI very tempting to shame Lalo his or her knee? I do neither here.

I share Hotate he has climbed the era to me try him when he owed my family Elohim I nee i don't i Elohim

me I don't know Hello. Hey Sam and

all right. And we can't not do me some Oka on.

You know the day coming right off the heels of PESA. We will do this as our healing prayer. Who is it tonight? Or who is it today? Who needs healing? Who needs to cross the sea? Who needs a sense of freedom? Who needs a sense of independence? You want to send your love to me? So I'm gonna pick it up.

All right.

Aviv about Esther Aidan Shalom Ben

never made the universe sorry meno. Hasina, by time there. Had Assa

a Jackson

Teresa IOCC Johnny

Garni Okay, sending sending that left hand corner me Sherry am Linda see Joe and Katie.

Sabina.

I know some in our community who have parents who are in the midst of transitions

I'm not even thinking yes in this Minion but also beyond this Minion I just spoke with somebody yesterday whose husband is in hospice and so just wishing an easy and painless and comfortable transition to to people who are in that place.

Cliff and Lori

Jo, Julie, Gary, Nancy, Eric and Chuck Mike and myself and Larry. cleaving everyone in this Minion everyone everyone who shows up day in and day out to pray and to sing Even if sometimes our prayers are songs I know that throughout the day because of this time that we spend together some of our songs become prayers

me oh

by the Mojo who knows

me Come on

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Shiva who get me

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they will

restore alcohol mother's rights for heirloom for the family without a strain. Galena donates about Shimokita Doshi CERAM?

Ye sir.

Man, Ariane Jones reading healing today for those who are making the decisions today to effectuate a ceasefire and hostage release. May be

May they get there. May everyone get home and may everybody get

on. Oh goodness, y'all refreshed Lee, Marta, everyone who needs healing

All right, transitioning out of a healing prayer out of me from all her blue stuff on the back of your computer, for

I'll tell you later, sweetie.

Okay, so I'm going to share a Nagin Well, it's a song you've heard it before. You've heard us sing it before.

You've heard me sing it before. This is a beautiful tune for the intention setting before counting the Omer.

So intention is kind of our theme. This morning, I'm going to jump in the minion document to Omer. And I can post the minion document in our

in our group slack. For anybody who's listening, we have a minion slack. You can join it, see what's going on in minion. But I put some links in here, so that you'd always have a place to find them. I put the 5784 Omer counter. So you will see that in just a moment. I put the link for this tune, which I'll show you in a moment. I put a link for me and Marnie laufman, during the pandemic made like a little mash up a little duet,

the beautiful singer and rabbinical students made to do at singing the above tune. And then finally the blessing for counting and then you'll know what day to count by going to the Emir counter.

So let me where is the where's the intention here? So I'm just going to read this to you.

So that you'll know what they're saying. Let's shame you hood. For the sake of unifying could could Shabri one sheet Ooh Shantae

the majestic sort of you know the the parts of God that we can't know and the parts of God that are right here on this earth.

The idea of the Oh Mary's it takes us through the Kabbalistic spirits from top to bottom every day of the week and for seven weeks every single day, focusing on a different spiritual quality. And maybe you know any one of you who have done this Martin I know whose lives have been changed by focusing first on headset and then Gura. And then you know, going through the going through the Kabbalistic tree has said being loving kindness, Guevara being strength, and and every single one of those seven spheroid. I'll show them to you in a moment. But so for the sake of unifying all of the disparate parts of God. Just like we said, back in the Hava robot translation, he may be Mohana Mazuma en la que mitzvah say, Here I am ready and willing to uphold this positive Mitzvah of counting the Omer shells Virata Omar, this was written by Cabalists This isn't in the Torah, but the mitzvah of counting for seven weeks is in fact in the Torah commercia Katoomba Torah like it says in the Torah, was Sparta Mohammed Mahabharata Shabbat me Yum, have EFM at Omega had to do fat from the day after Shabbat and what they decide that means is on the second day of Passover, the day you have stopped, so you stopped for Passover. So on the second day, Miam heavy, heavy

him at O'Meara to new fire and and then until the day you bring your own we're gathering so the 49 days Sheva Shabbat tote Sheva Shabbat. So to me mattina seven complete weeks 49 days they will be add me and Mahabharata Shabbat has should be eat until the day after the the 49 day or the seventh week

to Sapru honey freemium you will count 50 days and on the 50th day it's of course shovel out. So, alright, it's 829 I already feel bad for taking up so much time explaining the Omar but for anybody who doesn't know what it is, now, you know, it is a daily counting between Passover and shabu about 49 days. And that's all the Torah says about it. But the Cabalists decided that we should turn this into a time of self refinement, and take this invitation to unify the disparate parts of God in ourselves and in the world with our intention. So that is what this Nichkhun is. I'm gonna let Rabbi Yosef Goldman lead a Senate it's four minutes long. And then we will say the blessing for counting the Omer and count it FYI this is done usually at night. Because night begins the day begins the night before so actually for those of you who have already counted last night, great, wonderful. It's just my hunch that sometimes people are gonna forget and let's just do it in the morning and it's okay

all right. Make sure like tell me if you can hear this okay. You can see this you can see me sharing my screen right

let me know if you can hear this

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translates into seven weeks of curating the idea of Shabbat Shabbat to me most of

you will become fewer the seven weeks were purified to speak complete.

They will

Hey

guys

ski

ski

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Beautiful rain

Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha olam share kid shadow Bhagat spoke tab did see Banu our sphere at how old mare

and then I click that Omer counter.

So helpful takes us to here we are. This was last night so that is today

click that.

Oh, here we go.

Oh, no no no click that

haYom schmo, nya meme, Shoreham Chippewa a had the Yom and had low mer.

Today is eight days, which is one week and one day of the Oh mare.

And now we are in the week of gururaj. So every word we're going to see, every every adjective, every quality is going to be some quality that effects or, you know, augments the experience of Guru which is strength or discipline, consistency, rigidity

boundaries. So lesson shibaura loving kindness within might.

That is today's quality. So I went to Simon Jacobson is sort of the one of the guys there are many who, who have, you know, a little spiel about the Omero day by day by day. This he's in, he's in the world of Habad. So, here's what he says about day one of week two, I said shall give era

if love class said is the bedrock of human experience. Then discipline Guerra is the channels through which we express love, are the channels through which we express love.

cavora gives our life and our love direction and focus. Take a laser beam its potency lies in the focus and concentration of light in one direction rather than fragmented beams dispersed in all directions. guvera discipline and measure concentrates and directs our efforts our love in the proper directions. Another aspect of Gura Gura is respect and awe Healthy Love requires a respect for the one you love. So day one of week two Crescent shell Bura

the underlying intention and motive in discipline is or maybe should be love. Why do we measure our behavior? Why do we establish standards and expect people to live up to them only because of love?

Let's interrogate that more deeply, even judgment of the guilty is only to express love. In other words, punishment is not slash should be not vengeance. It is another way to express love by cleansing, anything antithetical to love tolerance of people should never be confused with tolerance of their behavior, like negative behavior that's problematic. On the contrary, love for people includes wanting them to be the best they can be and therefore helping them be aware of anything less than I think perfect behavior is pretty high bar, but okay, I said, Joe, it will just go with what he's saying here and we could talk about it after minion, I said, of morale is the love and discipline, awareness of the intrinsic love that feeds discipline and judgment. It is the recognition that your personal discipline and the discipline you expect of others, is only an expression of love.

And that comes across when disciplining, I think he's speaking in such a way that's like it should be but maybe he's just speaking aspirationally

it is the understanding that we have no right to judge others. We have a right only to love them, and that includes them, wanting them to be their best. So ask yourself well

When I judge and criticize another, is it in any way tinged with any of my own contempt and irritation? Is there any hidden satisfaction in their failure? Or is it only out of love?

So exercise for the day before you criticize someone today think twice if it is out of care and love

Okay, we're gonna come back to and discuss that for anybody who wants to we're already eight minutes over so we're gonna go into our Kadisha Tom mourners Kaddish

40 minutes all right.

Who are we remembering this morning? As we close out here

go ahead. I'm remembering them other Muriel corn laugh and rabbit we have a new minion min hog we created last week. And what's that? Which is we invited everyone to unmute during mourners Scottish and join in the men's and the Haish may Raba. And if it gets a cough goodness, that's fine. Great noise.

Great. I feel like I feel like on days I've led we also do that but like let it fly. Let it fly. All right, Glenn, would you would you care to lead us this morning and Cuddy Shia tome? We're

like people to unmute and join in amens and together will you put it up on the screen? Rabbi Lizzi Oh, yes, of course. What do I don't even know what I have on the screen? Whatever I have on the screen is not is right. That was okay. One sec. Sorry. Thank you.

But pop up. Okay.

There we go.

YBCA VT Kadesh Ma Ba ba

Yamaji breath or take on Leith masa de Deus is on the on a phone with IEA default at Israel Viva La Mancha. Read the Maru man

you to buy raspy stuff off the pot RV Romand Vina say Utah dar Vita lab Ito la chimay to Kuta Shah

lei lay a law mean called bureau letaba Shirataki to spa hot tub and FMR ta I'm Iran be amavi Maru AMI

Hey Slama Rabat means Shamaya the Syene or Lena we call you sir I ll the Maru.

Shalom be my mom. Who your says Shalom. Elena will be I'll call you right l they'll call your che che Valle de Maru

man and then your his economic Abraham May their memories be blessings. Blessings to you. Here. Let me show you I want to I want to show you all this cool Omer counter thingy.

Just because it's just so fun people people really like you. Maybe people are having a good time adapting. Wait, where is it? And did I just open that? There it is. Okay. Oh, wait. And I also want to turn off the turn off the recording. Bye everyone. Have a great week. Yeah.