Hey Lab/Shul,
Remember Saturday SoulSpa? It’s been a while — too long! — since we’ve gathered in person and online at the conclusion of Shabbat for music, meditation, nosh, Havdalah, and words of Torah reimagined and reinterpreted in an original Storahtelling ritual performance.
If you were inspired by last week’s letter from Stephen and feel compelled to gather and connect like so many of us do right now, you are in luck:
This Saturday, December 2, we invite you to join us in person in Harlem or online as the third cohort of GENerate — our rite of passage program for adults exploring aging and transitions — guides us through an interactive exploration of the story of Jacob wrestling with…a stranger? An angel? The divine mystery? Himself? Having studied the text of this famous story alongside their own stories, this cohort asks: how do we wrestle with wrestling? How do we stay present, grow wiser, and dance with both shadows and blessings in the midst of life’s transitions? Importantly, they also ask: what if Jacob hadn’t had to wrestle alone? What if he had had a supportive community to witness him as he became Israel, one who wrestles with divine mystery? What if he had a community like ours to help him grow into a more powerful version of himself? Want in? Register here.
The following weekend – December 8-10, 2023 – you have the opportunity to dig even deeper into the power of our Lab/Shul community by joining us in Connecticut for our annual Winter Retreat. Over three days, we’ll welcome in Shabbat, celebrate Hanukkah, engage in artist-driven learning for all ages, and spend time outdoors in a beautiful rural setting. There’s even a talent show that is truly not to be missed. So…what are you waiting for? You can join us at a variety of price points and even register for only one day if attending for the entire weekend isn’t feasible for you.
The Shabbat afternoon rituals that we’ll celebrate both of the next two Saturdays are called mincha: the gift. This autumn has presented such profound challenges for all of us. As the culminating ritual for GENerate approached, the cohort asked: is celebrating our coming of age really something that’s appropriate now, in the midst of such unbearable violence? With time and discernment, they chose to move forward — to honor life in the midst of death, joy in the midst of sorrow. To wrestle with all of it: that’s what we’re called to. That’s what we give each other through the gift of our presence. So, we invite you…to join us and also – on this Giving Tuesday – to give your gift light, your gift of love, your gift of compassion. On this day of giving, we give our thanks to you, our global community.
Yours,
Ben Freeman
Associate Clergy
