#Rabbi Paul Kipnes

[jewish-education]

1. REGRET

2. RENOUNCE

3. CONFESS

4. RECONCILE

5. MAKE AMENDS

6. RESOLVE

[scuffed-tarot]

For us and all of the women of Torah, let us praise and emulate the Holy One:

Emulate Eim HaChayim, Mother of All Life, Wellspring of Humanity, Shechinah, Who holds close the women, And remembers their names— Naamah, Lilith, Hagar, and Miriam the prophet, finder of wells, leader of people, and Rebekah the matriarch, who spoke with God and Thus insisted that Jacob should lead, And Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah, Zelophehad’s daughters, Who insisted that they too receive their inheritance—

Praised be the Mother of All Who passes these names down to us, In Torah, Talmud, and midrash, and Who expects us to remember them, And embrace them, Because the Source of All Life embraces their Equality and Partnership and Imperfection and Consoling and Leading and Independence and Self-advocacy.

They are our mothers and sisters, Our wives and friends, Our past, our present, and our future. Endowed by our Creator With undeniable equality, With blessed uniqueness, And with infinite value. May their names be recorded and remembered as blessings for all time.

Praised be the Eternal, Who remembers each of us in truth. 

(From Naming Naamah, Noach’s Wife (And the Other Torah Women, Too) by Rabbi Paul Kipnes)

[radical-awe]

Thanks for adding this! I am just learning Hebrew and I guessed (wrongly, natch) on the spelling of HaMakom—the correct spelling is as you said.

As the below screenshot will prove, I guessed wrongly DESPITE HAVING IT SPELLED IN FRONT OF ME because this was from a different rabbi’s essay (R. Paul Kipnes)

So, it was written by me as if it’s in their bio but location is also a perfectly valid interpretation.

[Text in image for above screenshot: “God is found everywhere in every moment. That's why the ancient Rabbis knew God as HaMakom (הַמָּקוֹם), “The Place,” meaning God is in every place, everywhere. God is here, over there, up there (pointing skyward), down there (pointing earthward), in there (pointing inside you and me).”]

[yidquotes]

A Prayer for Flood-filled Days by Rabbi Paul J. Kipnes

Eloheinu velohei avoteinu v'imoteinu, Our God and God of our fathers and mothers, The flood waters came, wreaking havoc upon our cities, our homes, our rescue workers, our sense of security, And we turn to You for comfort and support. Help us to differentiate between floods of destruction and down-pouring of Your love and comfort. We know that waters can destroy. In a world decimated many times before, having been submerged in waters from the Florida hurricanes, the Asian tsunami, and … each of Biblical proportions, we remember the destructive abilities of these flood waters. Recalling now that the world, though filled with Your Glory, is not equal to Your flawlessness, we strive desperately, sometimes without success, to move beyond the impulse to blame You. Keep us far from apocalyptic thoughts, for we know that You ask us to care for each other, an awesome responsibility. We also know that we can seek You in the waters. We recall Your Loving Hand, guiding us in our infancy: From a barren rock, You brought forth water to quench our thirst, In the midst of a journey through the wilderness, You showed Miriam a myriad of wells which healed our parched throats, You guided us through Yam Suf, the Red Sea, moving us past destruction toward new life and new beginnings. Through Your love, we found our way. Be with us now, during these deluged days. Draw us close to those harmed by these waters, hearing their cries, responding to their needs. Lead us to support those who will fix the cities, care for the displaced, who bring healing to those suffering. Though our attention spans seem so short, may we be slow to forget those who were in danger. Please bring a warm wind and hot sun from the heavenly realms to help dry up the flood waters. And may we all embrace at least one lesson spoken aloud by so many who - facing the floods - rushed to pack up their valuables: That memories of love and of time spent with family and friends are priceless, holy and sacred. This can never be taken away. As we rush to meet the challenge of living in this imperfect world of ours, May we slow down enough to cherish those who are truly valuable - kadosh /holy - to us. Baruch Ata Adonai, Hamavdil bein kodesh l'chol . Blessed are You, O God, who differentiates between the truly Valuable and everything else.

[businessthreesixfive-blog]

Start Up Synagogues: The Future Looks Confident - Rabbi Paul Kipnes

Jewish pundits enjoy to anticipate the eventual death of the synagogue, decrying its scarcity of deep ideas, scarcity of spiritual inspiration, and absence of heat and meaning. They state that Jews and Jewish households are choosing instead for Do It Yourself Judaism, where one can rent-a-rabbi to "do it yourself," or to start their own shuls, unencumbered by the features of standard synagogue sloth.

Real, there are a lot of temples stuck in the 1970's, whose music, approaches and message seem to neglect that fact that the world and its spiritual candidates have altered. Contrary to these doomsday situations or the radical welcome of only newly birthed synagogues-without-walls, synagogue life is alive and well.

Five Insights on Synagogue Next Steps

5 insights over five days at the Union for Reform Judaism's Biennial convention declared this. Many synagogues, like the most robust services, are fearlessly and truthfully taking a step of themselves and are reacting to what they see by experimenting and innovating. Yes, at an interesting rate, synagogues are transforming themselves into flexible, all embracing, relationship-focused engines for a refreshingly amazing and deeply spiritual Judaism.

1. Deep Dedication to Social Justice

When we reach out to others, we wind up raising ourselves up too. At Biennial, as father-son cantors Doug Cotler and Kyle Cotler (Churchgoers Or Ami, Calabasas, CA) led Havdala ( video), singing Eliyahu Hanavi, the prayer asking the prophet Elijah to herald the coming of the Messianic Age. At the Biennial, we reminded ourselves that we Jews do not wait for another person to bring an end of war, poverty, violence, prejudice and more. Rather we roll up our sleeves and do the work tikkun olam, repairing the broken world we inherited. Instantly later, in speeches to the put together, United States Ambassador Rabbi David Saperstein and Vice President Joe Biden each highlighted the centrality of social justice work to being Jewish.

That's why at Biennial, synagogue leaders attended workshops in droves, learning how to efficiently advocate on issues varying from racial justice and transgender equality to combating hardship and working for peace in Israel. We discover a central Jewish fact: synagogues that wed deep learning more about the Jewish foundations of tikkun olam with routine and meaningful social justice work continue to attract vibrant participation.

2. Audacious Hospitality and Radical Inclusion

Stroll in the doors of a lot of synagogues, being in the benches, and see how few individuals will greet you. Try bringing a child with special requirements into lots of synagogues, and see whether the management will alter their program to accept you. So numerous other barriers to participation keep large groups of Jews and Jewish households away. Altering that vibrant holds one key to changing a synagogue into the much-sought-after kehilla kedosha (holy neighborhood) that can sustain itself.

At Biennial, Rabbi Rick Jacobs with the support of the Ruderman Structure designated Congregation Or Ami and 26 other synagogues(out of 850)asExemplar Churchgoers, in acknowledgment of excellence in disability inclusion. They honored "Yes, let's together determine how," as the only appropriate response to the question, "Can my unique needs family member take part in the synagogue?" As Cantor Alicia Stillman and I co-lead an "audacious hospitality"-themed morning service, we patterned it after what we do regularly at our parishes. We welcomed everybody in several, inclusive ways: with name tags, minutes to greet others, opportunities to hold hands, embraceable niggunim, and a daf (written page) that let everybody know what we were doing and where we were going.

What did so many worshippers comment upon thereafter? That in addition to feeling spiritually moved, they felt warmly accepted. Synagogues that thrive in this new age trumpet this essential Jewish worth: " Nobody belongs at here more than you!.?.!! Whether you or your Jewish family includes special requirements, multiethnicity, LGBTQ, interfaith partners, older adults, empty nesters, youths, recovery from addiction, healing from brokenness or more, we accept you always."

3. Deep Knowing and Spiritual Searching

Back to fundamentals. Jews and Jewish households today are seeking something that transcends their everyday pressures and top priorities. As synagogues return Torah to individuals in available methods, we provide an overflowing wellspring of inspiration. The URJ Biennial overruned with standard and creative ways of exploring and confronting our Jewish source-text. Enriching our lives with holiness, these spiritual opportunities pointed us back to our Jewish source text, encouraging us towards holiness and holy living. Synagogues are welcoming wide-open conversations about Israel. Synagogues that prosper are providing their neighborhoods with deep study, typically covering primary text study in elegant packages-- Torah on Tap, Men's Night Out, Rap with the Rabbi, Loving Israel/Learning Why. View individuals keep coming back for more.

4. Development Makes the Difference

Synagogues that accept innovation-- technological, programmatic, financial, and relational-- are reenergizing and restoring. Social network, as soon as seen as the obstacle to real relationships, becomes an effective tool to tell and retell basic common stories that share core Jewish values. With the energy specifically of forward believing clergy and lay teams (and at Congregation Or Ami, also by visionary student interns), the exploring synagogue-- older in years perhaps, however unafraid of occasionally stopping working-- can end up being the brand-newSynagogue Launch, brightening an engagingly new Jewish entre point for Jews and Jewish families.

5. Let the Young Run the Shul

The old adage, "The old shall dream dreams but the youth will see visions," reminds us to engage our youth in real methods. Guide them to mentor more youthful students, teach them to teach classes, partner with them to establish community social justice tasks, and let them frequently lead Shabbat services. Their energy, enthusiasm and technological expertise are transmittable and will lead their parents and grandparents to reconnect themselves.

Launch Synagogues Lead the Way

Where as soon as structures thrilled individuals, we now understand that social justice work, inclusion, discovering and development seems to bring them back for more. Synagogues, like our own Parish Or Ami, are retooling, exploring, stopping working sometimes, and choosing themselves approximately innovate anew. The results are exhilarating!

Jewish Launch Synagogues-- frequently the older shuls that are restoring themselves-- are exciting and exceedingly confident.

That's what I uncovered while investing 5 days with 5000+ individuals at the URJ Biennial Convention. That Hatikvah-- the hope-- is progressing through the welcome of social justice, addition, Torah, development and youth.

Hatikvah! What's more Jewish than that?!?

What did you find out, experience and/or bring house from Biennial?

[newstfionline]

How to save the world: Schedule some awe in your summer vacation

Holly Lebowitz Rossi, Religion News Service, June 25, 2018

When she was 12, Anjali Mitter Duva spent a year living in India with her Indian father and Jewish American mother. During a school vacation, the family traveled to Rajasthan, a desert region in the northwestern part of the country. After a long, uncomfortable train ride, they reached the medieval city of Jaisalmer, where a young teenager’s angsty frustration with family travel was quickly transformed into what she describes as pure awe.

“It’s completely gorgeous, with a stunningly blue sky and everything else in shades of orange, yellow, ochre and sandstone,” said Duva, who lives in Arlington, Mass. “Everything is super-saturated.”

In that stunning environment, Duva was particularly captivated by a local girl performing a sacred dance called kathak.

“I had been plucked out of my life for this year,” she recalls. “And here was my counterpart, this other 12-year-old girl. I remember this feeling of what made me be me, what made her be her, and how we were both there at the same place at the same time.”

That awe stayed with Duva. Nearly two decades after her trip, she published her first novel, “Faint Promise of Rain” (She Writes Press, 2014), set in the desert of Rajasthan and featuring as its protagonist a young Hindu dancer.

Travel, psychologists say, can change lives, especially when it’s to destinations that elicit awe and wonder. The feelings that take us out of ourselves foster positive social relationships, lower stress levels and cultivate overall well-being.

Awe has two phases, says Daniel Stancato, a researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, who studies the impact of awe on emotional health. Awe arises when a person perceives something “so strikingly vast that it transcends one’s current frame of reference,” he said. Next, awe forces someone to change his or her beliefs or worldview in order to make sense of the experience.

“To put it succinctly, one’s mind is … blown in a state of awe,” said Stancato.

Travelers needn’t go to the ends of the earth to experience awe. Nearly 331 million people visited a U.S. national park in 2017, where, according to the National Park Service’s mission statement, “inspiration” is listed next to “education” and “enjoyment.”

But according to the 2018 “State of the American Traveler” report from the U.S. Travel Association, more than half of American employees leave some earned vacation time unused each year. This translates to 705 million unused vacation days per year.

“Missed vacation time is detrimental for many reasons, but missed opportunities to experience awe in nature is one of them,” said Stancato.

The costs aren’t only to the overworked employee. Stancato is the coauthor of a 2015 paper that associated awe-inspiring experiences with positive social emotions, including generosity, selflessness and ethical decision-making.

Stancato’s research was published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology as five separate studies. Its major finding was that experiencing awe “can increase ‘prosociality,’ or inclinations to care for, share with and assist other people,” said Stancato.

Study participants experienced awe in different ways--for example, watching a moving video, looking at a tall grove of eucalyptus trees or recalling and writing about a time they experienced awe in the past. The positive social emotions were evident no matter which awe-inspiring stimulus was used.

New studies are building on these findings, including research on whether awe can break down barriers between social groups, including between people with differing political views. Early findings, Stancato said, suggest that experiencing awe can “lead liberals to be more tolerant of conservative views, and vice versa.”

Especially in an era when people report feeling divided along political lines, the research suggests that more awe could translate to better social cohesion.

“These outcomes are noteworthy, as several decades’ worth of research has shown that acting in ways that benefit others and help to build social bonds can have profound benefits for one’s health and well-being,” said Stancato.

Paul Kipnes, rabbi at Congregation Or Ami in Calabasas, Calif., takes his congregants outdoors for services around a campfire in the nearby town of Agoura or on a Shabbat hike in Malibu Creek State Park.

“We live lives where we think everything revolves around us,” said Kipnes. “Once we push ourselves outside, we realize that we who thought ourselves so big are really so small. You see a mountain range or look down into the Grand Canyon or at the ocean, and you realize immediately that you are part of something bigger, longer-lasting and amazing.”

Travel, journeying and wandering are “a common thread through most religions,” said Dallen Timothy, a scholar at Arizona State University who studies religious tourism.

Some of the most important moments in religious history occurred in natural settings. Moses received the Torah on Mount Sinai. Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness.

Timothy, whose book “Contemporary Christian Travel: Pilgrimage, Practice, and Place” (Channel View Publications, 2018) will be published in October, notes that religious travelers connect with these stories through trips to sacred sites, but they also can access awe and wonder simply by spending time in nature.

“There are probably as many ways to interpret ‘awe’ as there are religions and denominations within religions,” said Timothy. “Some faith traditions would understand awe as being spiritually moved by experiencing firsthand the localities where sacred events occurred or where religious figures ministered. Others might interpret awe as being inspired by the grandeur of God’s immense generosity.”

Mark Anderson, president and CEO of Journey Quest, based in Canyon City, Colo., leads groups of Christians on tours of canyons, rivers and mountains, pairing an outdoors experience with what he calls an opportunity “to share the love of God and experience his creation.”

Like many evangelical wilderness trips, Anderson’s rafting trips down the Arkansas River weave creationism--the belief that God created the world in seven literal days--into his tours. The grandeur of Royal Gorge, which rises 1,000 feet on either side of the river, inspires awe in his customers. Some, he said, have “accepted the Lord” or converted to Christianity during the trips.

In the presence of such grandeur, “You get a sense of who God is in your life and how minute and infinitesimal we are in the big picture,” said Anderson.

But there are no rules for where and how travelers can experience awe, said Judith Fein, a travel journalist and author of “Life Is a Trip: The Transformative Magic of Travel” (Pudie, 2012). Whether you are visiting a nearby town or an international locale, Fein advises journeyers to let travel “pull you into the present.”

“Travel is a mindset, awe is a mindset, and it’s not geographically determined,” she said, “All you have to do is be curious.”

[jewish-education]

There’s a stereotype that Jews are open about mental health and we all have a therapist -- but frankly, that’s not true. There are people of all ages in our communities who need more help than they’re getting.

[radical-awe]

I apologize, I don’t think it’s available online! It’s from an essay by R. Paul Kipnes in a collected anthology called “Lights in the Forest,” edited by Rabbi Paul Citrin. (I got it for Kindle off Amazon but it looks like it’s available elsewhere as well.)