Copper Mirrors, Creativity, and a Loop Pedal — Morning Minyan

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. Today's Morning Minyan features "Kedusha" by Amy Robinson.

https://mishkan.shulcloud.com/form/reg-morning-minyan-evergreen

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

Transcript

Transcript

00;00;00;05 - 00;00;29;05
Unknown
Some of our friends already put on their prayer garb, their prayer armor. Wrapping yourself in a garment of fabric, but also a garment of light. Taking a moment to close your eyes and feel yourself entrapped by generations of arms, by generations of support and resilience and creativity and love. Taking a moment to just breathe into it.

00;00;29;07 - 00;00;59;29
Unknown
Viral catatonia. I call them the shaky channel women's rights advocacy venue. The heat, the Tiff petite seat. I'm just taking another moment here to be where you are and appreciate everything you have that surrounds you and holds up and gives you the strength to live another day, fight another day, breathe, open your eyes and be grateful for this moment, for this day.

00;01;00;03 - 00;01;30;26
Unknown
And I will tell you that what I did last night was pull out my loop pedal, because I thought, it's been too long since we've played over here. You know, I mean, I play guitar. I play guitar, but I've missed being playful. So that's what's going to happen here. And what's what's also going to happen here is, using a loop pedal, as it turns out, which you'll kind of, for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, you'll see what it is in a moment.

00;01;30;28 - 00;02;09;29
Unknown
But it is fine footwork. You have to figure out exactly when to tap your foot and exactly when to untap your foot in order to make the loop loop properly. So it might sound a little messy. And you know what? Aren't we all? She might be. I, listen, Eddie, Sammy, she v t I, then.

00;02;09;29 - 00;03;53;21
Unknown
Eddie. Sammy and I, I have, I have I, I have I, I have I, have I, I have I, I, I, I, have I now have can you hear it, have I, I have, I have I, I have, I, I have, I have have I, I have I, have I, have I now, I have I mean, I, I, I, I have, I, I have, I, I have have I, I, I, have I, I have she, I have, I have, I, have now.

00;03;53;23 - 00;04;40;14
Unknown
I have, have I have I, I, I have, she, okay. Now I, I, I have, I have, so many voice, my, have I, I like all right. Thank the sweet, sweet Lord. Now I see God's presence. All right. Oh.

00;04;40;17 - 00;04;51;09
Unknown
You know, Rabbi, Chef Gold has this thing she says where it's like the medicine is the music, but the healing is the silence. After.

00;04;51;11 - 00;05;25;11
Unknown
It's especially true in. You just did that. Oh. All right. But the covenant, the intention of seeing God in all places and waking up in the morning and setting an intention to really experience God's presence, whatever is happening. So I think it still stands. Let us do some blessing of the body. First of all, especially seeing folks here who I know who are going through different kind of physical journeys.

00;05;25;13 - 00;05;48;22
Unknown
Journeys of healing, journeys of breaking and then mending so we can say this together in Hebrew and I'll say it together in English to Baruch, but, I don't I, I the way no matter how them share, it's Adam the former vivo and Cavium the cavium. Hello, Lima. Hello, Liam. Galway. We are do a leaf Navy say for Dhaka.

00;05;48;24 - 00;06;12;25
Unknown
So, Amy, if I had mayhem via Satyam had mayhem. If Shiloh came for that I'm mode at the for a fellowship. But by rule at I don't know. Yeah. Of fair bazaar. Lovely that are so blessed are you are God creator of the universe, who formed human beings with wisdom and created within us openings and halos.

00;06;12;25 - 00;06;34;10
Unknown
It is obvious and known before your glorious throne that if one of them were ruptured or one of them were blocked, it would be impossible to exist and stand, or sit or lie in your presence for even a short while. Blessed are you who heals all flesh and performs wonders both a description and a prayer, and a man.

00;06;34;10 - 00;06;53;27
Unknown
A man. All right, and we'll take this moment. I'm kind of I'm encumbered by wires and things. So I'm going to. I'm going to sit up a little straighter. But if you'd like to stand and take this opportunity, you know, when we as okay for for fame, when we bend to bend, when we stretch, to stretch. Please feel free to take this opportunity.

00;06;53;27 - 00;07;21;01
Unknown
To stand, to Baruch to I don't I I though he no matter how them I sure not on this earth Viviana that reinvent your movement like I am grateful for the ability to make distinctions between day and night, but I don't I, I the one who. I am sure, Sanae, but Sam, I am grateful that I was created in your image.

00;07;21;04 - 00;07;53;19
Unknown
Perfectly imperfect. But Haru, rattan and I. Although I call them Sassanid Catherine, I am grateful that you created me to be free. But I, at a at an I though in medical them a sunny Israel. I am grateful that I am a Jew, a God wrestler. Barbara. I don't know how I'm Pocock. Ibrahim I am grateful that my eyes open each day with new vision and just take a moment.

00;07;53;21 - 00;08;14;19
Unknown
If you have not already looked around at all the other folks who are on the screen this morning to say hello, hello folks that I can see with my eyes with new vision. And also if your eyes are not necessarily serving you this morning, if you haven't put on your glasses yet, or if you're not in front of the computer and you want to just unmute for a second and say, good morning.

00;08;14;22 - 00;08;43;09
Unknown
Happy Wednesday. Unmute. Hi everybody. Good morning. Happy morning. Happy Wednesday morning everyone. Good morning. Morning. Morning. That's so nice to hear your voice. Morning our love. This good morning Mindy from Texas. From Texas. God, we've got, a holy minyan of people remembering beloved family members in in this minyan this morning. And so, from all of the places where you're sitting.

00;08;43;09 - 00;09;10;06
Unknown
Welcome. All right, we'll go on the Haruka chat and I'll show you how that might be a true meme. I am grateful for the gift of clothes and the chalice over my naked body. Giving me protection, giving me a sense of being contained. Barbara and I owe them. My tears are supreme. I'm grateful for the ability to release what is all tied up.

00;09;10;06 - 00;09;28;17
Unknown
What is stressed and bound. So take a moment to go ahead and stretch into some of those tight places. To release any feelings of stuff that is tight. Breathe into them.

00;09;28;19 - 00;09;56;07
Unknown
Barbara I don't I allow any room for them. The cave for fame. I am grateful for my ability to straighten what is bent. We can do that literally and just think about all of the ways metaphorically. We also can kind of straighten out things that felt crumpled or cruncher bent in funny ways, and just taking time to smooth things over and just stand up a little bit straighter.

00;09;56;07 - 00;10;14;06
Unknown
Once you do that, I don't I mean, no matter how old I am, rock I am, I am, I am grateful for the stability of the earth over the water. Take a moment to feel the stability of your feet on the earth, whether you're standing or sitting, drawing strength from the earth up through your feet and through your body.

00;10;14;08 - 00;10;40;26
Unknown
The Haruka I don't know. I don't call them hermit today. Gavin, I am grateful that you prepare my steps, but I don't know if I owe them. Casali chords or key. I'm grateful that you provide for all my needs, but I had, and I owe them, I was there. You serve. I'm grateful that you give strength to me and my people.

00;10;40;29 - 00;11;08;14
Unknown
I retired, and I owe them. Well, Terry, so far I am grateful that you crowned me with dignity and beauty. So take a moment to. As you sit up a little straighter, feel the crown on your head of dignity and beauty. Very hard. And I let you know I owe them and a ten leaf Koa. I am grateful that you give me strength when I am tired and sad.

00;11;08;16 - 00;11;49;04
Unknown
Big hearty. I meant all that goodness I and I think we're going to go straight from here into Baku so we can stand face east. If you're able, bear who at I don't know, I I'm ever, but I don't I don't know amara's coming along the red arrow and I am for they old I'm bad barrel at, I don't I, I mean mean I have them yet they're all over, shall we say shadow move or air attack or an air the arts for that.

00;11;49;04 - 00;12;23;17
Unknown
I mean, they have uranium which will shed that volume to minimize savory sheet or radiation to ear. He's careful that a Mahira they will rot barrel to I don't I chair her male role. She's so I I you know what as we go into I have Arab this one I really like this one. We don't do it often because it really kind of requires a couple voices, but it's a great meditation.

00;12;23;19 - 00;12;46;24
Unknown
In this week's Torah portion, there's a whole lot of all of the materials that we've already seen in the building of the Mishkan. And one of those materials is copper. And there's there's a lot of cool stuff happening in this week's Torah portion, almost all of which we've already seen, but we've seen it kind of rendered differently, just slightly.

00;12;46;26 - 00;13;08;10
Unknown
We've already seen the commandment to keep Shabbat, but it's mentioned again. We've already seen that we're supposed to bring gifts, for example, bring gifts to God. Everyone whose heart is so moved right? Call native LeBeau. Everyone with a generous heart. Gold and silver and copper and blue and purple. We talked about this a couple of weeks ago, and Laurie asked a great question.

00;13;08;10 - 00;13;27;28
Unknown
Why does God need all of this stuff and why is it all so specific? We had a great conversation about how important precision and specificity can actually be in creating spaces, and the way that we want to create them, and creating a sense of holiness and deliberateness. And it's like you wouldn't want your surgeon, for example, to just kind of wing it.

00;13;27;28 - 00;13;43;19
Unknown
You would want them to be precise and to know exactly where each thing is and to use the right tools. And it would matter what those tools are made out of. And so we keep going, right? The Israelite community here they are, everyone who excelled in ability. They have lots of different ways of expressing how people give of themselves.

00;13;43;19 - 00;14;04;11
Unknown
Not that room. So now it's like their spirit move them a share nasally bow. They lifted up their hearts. This is where, by the way, when? When I say like the Mishkan in the Torah was a maximally inclusive community building project, it is actually from these verses that we see that because it says men and women, all whose hearts moved them all, who would bring this offering?

00;14;04;14 - 00;14;27;14
Unknown
There are not that many places in the Torah where men and women both explicitly are referred to. Oftentimes it says the children of Israel or, you know, God is speaking to one person singular. And from that we infer everybody. But it's very it's actually quite rare to see Vivo and Hashem. But I'll hand him. It's it's unusual. I just want to point out again gifts of silver and copper and then all the other stuff too.

00;14;27;14 - 00;14;46;26
Unknown
It's like at a certain point your eyes glaze over with all of the repetition of all of the stuff and the people bringing all this stuff to the Tabernacle, to the Mishkan to bring it. But ultimately, this is what, you know, kind of rehabilitates the Jewish people from the sin of the golden calf. So it's just worth saying they needed to do something to make it right.

00;14;46;26 - 00;15;11;17
Unknown
And this was their way to make it right. There is a midrash that describes way back earlier in Exodus, when the oppression was so devastating that the Israelites never thought that they would get out of Egypt. They stopped trying to have children. They didn't. They didn't want to create families anymore. Or rather, the Midrash says that the men stopped having sex with their wives, and so the women were like, WTF?

00;15;11;19 - 00;15;29;07
Unknown
We're like, we want to create families. We have hope for the future. We believe that redemption is possible, but the only way redemption is going to be possible is if we create a next generation to hope and pray and work to make things better. And so they had to seduce their husbands. And so they had these copper mirrors.

00;15;29;09 - 00;15;45;02
Unknown
It describes them like sitting, looking at these copper mirrors, looking at themselves and going, you know, sweetheart, I think I'm more attractive than you are. And the husband would say, what? What are you talking about? Stop talking nonsense. She'll say, no, I think I'm more beautiful than you are. And he'd say he'd take the mirror and be like, you know what?

00;15;45;02 - 00;16;09;20
Unknown
I actually think I'm pretty good looking. Take the mirror back and say, now, oh, now, now, now look at. Look at my cheekbones, look at. And this little seduction would go on. And lo and behold, the Jewish people out of this playfulness and creativity and seduction and these copper mirrors created a next generation. And it was from this generation that Moses and Miriam and the children of Israel walked out of Egypt, fight the power, and walked out of Egypt.

00;16;09;20 - 00;16;26;29
Unknown
And so these mirrors became this holy thing. But the truth was, they were used for seduction and so in the Midrash later on, as God is telling Moses, you know, make the tabernacle and use the copper and the Torah and Moses and use these mirrors, and you're going to make the laver that people wash their hands as they come into the Mishkan.

00;16;26;29 - 00;16;48;08
Unknown
Let's make it out of the mirrors of the women and Moses, like, what are you talking about? Those mirrors were used in licentiousness in like, some kind of sexual ritual that like, do you really think that belongs in the mission? And God is like Moses? Of course, that belongs in the Michigan, of course, that playfulness, that sense of redemptive ness that create, you know, like what?

00;16;48;13 - 00;17;07;28
Unknown
That what more could belong in the Mishkan than that. And Moses, like, all right, you got it. I'm mentioning all of this before we go into Ahava Rabbi and Shama, because love shows up in a lot of cool ways and sometimes in ways that are in fact, deliberately sort of explicitly sexual. And we're like, oh, I don't know, is that love?

00;17;07;28 - 00;17;23;27
Unknown
And it's like, that's love. And sometimes it's in building, it's in acts of service and creation is that it's not like, are we allowed to mix those? Yes. Should we ask permission? Is this right? Sure. Yeah. Great. Do we have consent to do this? Yes. And it says Moses, such a misogynist. He just. He had lessons to learn, Emma.

00;17;23;29 - 00;17;41;00
Unknown
You know, he had lessons to learn from the women. He had lessons to learn from God. He learned them. And and we're all better as a result. In any case, as we go into I have Arab and I kind of want to just take all of us a moment to think about those moments that are we like, does this belong in the story and the story of my redemption story?

00;17;41;05 - 00;18;03;23
Unknown
Is this a little too racy? Is this a little like, should I not share this? And I'm not asking for you to share, like your deepest, darkest secrets here, but to think about those moments that actually you think maybe they're a little to this or that to belong in the redemption story of your family, of you. And it's like it kind of it's all of a piece, and it can all be redeemed and it can all be part of a beautiful story.

00;18;03;23 - 00;18;56;13
Unknown
So anyway, as we go into I have that rabbi, this is, it's just a few words here, have, there, I mean, has said this. Shalom. Have, there, I mean, said this, long, back there, I mean.

00;18;56;16 - 00;19;59;29
Unknown
I said this Shalom. Have ever, had me as that this Shalom. Have, that, had me attend this Shalom. Home I work at, I don't I have a rare family, sir, and the I have the blessed are you who chooses all of us through love. We're going to take our four corners of our city, gather them together, hold them over our eyes.

00;19;59;29 - 00;20;28;06
Unknown
We close our eyes, and we say this gathering together, all of all the disparate parts and pieces that sometimes don't feel like they go together, but in fact can be molded into something beautiful. And that is of a piece that is one Shimon in Israel, I don't I. Hello, Hanan.

00;20;28;08 - 00;20;39;06
Unknown
Don't I have, yes, of course not.

00;20;39;08 - 00;20;43;25
Unknown
That I have to I don't I.

00;20;43;27 - 00;21;27;25
Unknown
Don't have home there. Have you had barium? Hey there. Sure, I know him. It's, how your mother, Barbara, the CNN time. The part about this if to have a they Sharma have come a short time. They ought Baha'u'llah to devote they never look at have time. As a result that movie he should have, take a moment now to do a healing prayer for all of your families, for all of your friends who are suffering, for anyone in this room who is suffering.

00;21;27;28 - 00;22;04;21
Unknown
So one by one, sharing the names of the folks that you're thinking about and names that you can share out loud, and the names of the folks that you just holding in your heart this morning. Those names are coming in. We'll sing. I'm just sending a prayer out as well to anyone who is living in fear. And that includes, I think, like all of our brothers and sisters all across the Middle East, and a prayer that that fear come to an end and we give way to a sense of peace and wholeness.

00;22;04;23 - 00;22;17;07
Unknown
Now and the refined, line.

00;22;17;09 - 00;23;08;08
Unknown
911 riff. Another line. Nine and, refined. And refined. And and refined. I love.

00;23;08;10 - 00;23;59;08
Unknown
Nine and, refined. Like, and, and I refined, and refined. And and, refined.

00;23;59;10 - 00;24;24;09
Unknown
And and, left and, like. And, and, refined,

00;24;24;16 - 00;24;49;10
Unknown
Healing of body and healing of spirit to everyone whose name you mentioned today with them. I mean, all right. And so as we go into Katie's home, seeing the time here, there are a lot of folks here who are remembering people. And I just want to take a moment to honor the people who you are remembering, especially, for example, if you're here on a yard site.

00;24;49;10 - 00;25;10;28
Unknown
So go ahead and just unmute and, you know, put your hand in the air. If there's somebody whose name you want to say you're remembering this morning. And my father is common then and has the marker. Yeah. And my, my I'm saying still same colors for my dad wrap up around me. It's like your smell, your color. There's ten guys for my dad, Dick Jacobs.

00;25;11;01 - 00;25;37;24
Unknown
I'm saying of for my dad, Norm singer. Then Kaddish for my dad. Herb wine shave. Oh, my gosh, so many dads. Same cottage for my wonderful husband, Miles wertheimer. I'm saying cottage for my partner, Tom, John and anybody else who wants to. You can put names in the chat for folks who are remembering this morning to sending out so much love to all of you, and lifting up the spirits of all of those dads.

00;25;37;26 - 00;26;11;03
Unknown
Is there anybody who would like to lead us and guide us this morning? We can all do you guys without the mirror. I mean, got all the time I have you to pages. So, first of all, he's going crazy. Brew. I mean, I'm a huge fan of our athlete and and this Barack Obama.

00;26;11;05 - 00;26;48;01
Unknown
And this is a dog. And tell me that I'll be home. And I'll be there, too, because I'm not far from. You know, I'm a man. I mean, I mean, on my on my way to my uncle right there on man. A message. Yeah. Oh, yes. Oh, like. Oh, that's just, you know, Dale Hebrew from back home.

00;26;48;03 - 00;27;08;00
Unknown
A man, if he is different name over here, may all of their memories be blessings. And anybody have any request? I bet a shalom song of some kind. Yeah. How about a shalom song of some kind? That's just what I was thinking. You know what? Let's end on a major key. Boy, do you have a Shalom?

00;27;08;02 - 00;27;52;13
Unknown
Lane. Oh. Oh, yeah, I have. Oh, Shalom Alleyne on the other. Shalom lane there. Cool. I'm on. Yeah. Oh, Shiloh. My lane. Oh, wait, you have a Shiloh, my lane or whatever. Shiloh. My lane there. Cool. I shall, lane of alcohol. Shall I shall, shall. It's, lane of alcohol. I shall love.

00;27;52;15 - 00;28;33;27
Unknown
Shut up. Oh, gentle shall on my lane. Or driver shall of my lane. Oh, my devil shall on my little that, pull up. Oh yeah. Those shall my lane up on the other side of my lane. Up I never shut up a little bit. I pull up, tell us a lane of alcohol a long time. Shut off side lane of alcohol.

00;28;34;00 - 00;29;05;03
Unknown
Tyler side. I do have a shalom lane. I do have a shallow my lane or whatever. Shalom. Lane there. Alkaline. I do have a shallow lane. I have a shallow mullet. You know, whatever. Shallow. My lane. Hey. Oh.

00;29;05;05 - 00;29;23;24
Unknown
You've been listening to contact. Hi. A production of Michigan. Chicago. If you were inspired or informed by this episode, please leave us a five star rating on Apple Podcasts so that others can encounter our work. And if you appreciate what Michigan is doing, I invite you to join as a builder or make a donation on our website at Michigan chicago.org Shabbat Shalom.