Dear Lab/Shul,
As we come out of the holiday of Shavuot – which according to tradition is when our ancestors received Torah at Mount Sinai – I’m thinking about the Midrashic idea that all of us were there, and that each of us heard, absorbed, or experienced revelation in a way that we uniquely could understand. I like this idea because it subverts the notion of wisdom as something that descends hierarchically from the heavens and prompts us instead to turn toward each other, asking, “And what did you hear?” “How did you experience it?” “What do you see from your vantage point?”
That spirit of horizontal inquiry is at the heart of GENerate, our yearlong rite of passage program for adults 60ish and above exploring ways to age wisely, generatively, and soulfully together.
Since we last connected about GENerate, we have a beautiful cohort of wise elders-in-process forming.
While we are all systems go for our SPRING GALA THIS TUESDAY (see below for final tix) and look forward to welcoming you, I am here in your inbox with a LAST CALL TO APPLY FOR GENERATE if you have been on the fence.
If you missed it…
This summer, we are launching a cohort of GENerate that will meet primarily online, making it a uniquely deep and intensive offering for our whole community no matter where you live. GENerate provides a nurturing, inclusive space for a select cohort of curious adults to ask what it means to get older — or to become an elder. Inspired by art, texts, and stories from Jewish and world wisdom traditions, GENerate invites depth, openness, heart-centered conversation and discovery regarding this extraordinary and sacred season of our lives.
Sound like something you’re interested in? Sound like something your bubbe or friend or mentor would find meaningful?
The program formally kicks off on Thursday, July 11!
Questions? Please contact me at ben@labshul.org.
The mystics teach that chochma, the Hebrew word for wisdom, can be broken into koach — potential — and mah, what is. In this understanding, wisdom is the potential of what is and can be, the potential of becoming. If you were there at Sinai, and you were there, and I was there too, how much greater might our chochma be if we sat down and talked about it, face to face, heart to heart? That’s what GENerate offers. Hoping very much to meet you there.
Warmly,
Ben Freeman, Associate Clergy, Program Director of GENerate
& Sam Hipschman, Director of Community and Culture
On behalf of the extended GENerate team
