The Shalom Center - GREEN MENORAH COVENANT (on climate crisis)

Blessing the Sun: Looking Forward: April 8, 2009

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 07:27:43 -0400

By Rabbi Arthur Waskow

Early in the morning of April 8, 2009, Jewish communities will have a teaching opportunity that comes only once every 28 years: the festival of Birchat HaChamah, the Blessing of the Sun.

In ancient rabbinic tradition, it commemorates the moment when God created the sun in the first place. In modern practice, it fits well into today's crisis of global "scorching" and the search for sun-based sources of sustainable and renewable energy. So spiritual communities other than Judaism might well join in blessing the sun on that day -- and during the months before and after.

Blessing the sun: looking backward: April 8, 1981

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:39:27 -0400

By Rabbi Arthur Waskow *

Early in the morning of April 8, 1981, I gathered with several hundred other people at the Jefferson Memorial in Washington DC, to watch the sun rise and to bless it in what is surely the rarest and perhaps the oddest of all Jewish ceremonies -- Birchat HaChamah, the Blessing of the Sun, that comes only once every 28 years. It commemorates, according to ancient tradition, the moment when God created the sun in the first place.

And the moment will come again less than a year from now, on April 8, 2009. (The morning of the day before the first night of Passover.)

TORAH OF THE EARTH FOR ADDRESSING PUBLIC POLICY

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 11:45:33 -0400

(Notes by Rabbi Arthur Waskow, The Shalom Center)

These passages, with telegraphic divrei Torah, can help you root earth-healing policy talks and writing in Torah:

1. Creation: Humans are "adam," coming forth from earth, "adamah." The two are forever intertwined. (Gen 2:7)

2. Garden of Eden: God (Reality) provides extraordinary abundance ("Of every tree of the garden you may eat"); but we must show some self-restraint in using it ("Of the one tree in the midst of the garden, do not eat"). Gobbling up all that abundance brings disaster: The earth gives forth only thorns and thistles, humans have to toil with the sweat pouring down their faces to survive. (Gen. 2: 8-17)

Passover of the Nations: Haggadot to Heal the World

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 08:44:03 -0400

The Exodus from Pharaoh's tyranny, the Passover Seder that recalls it, and the Haggadah ("Telling") that guides the Seder are at the heart of Judaism and Jewish peoplehood. So it is not surprising that efforts to renew Judaism have, beginning in 1969, created a number of new Passover Seder rituals that are deliberately focused on healing some aspect of the wounded world.

Some remain available for those who are seeking to shape their own Haggadot and want to draw on them. (This not only includes Jews with a creative outlook on their own tradition, but increasing numbers of people from other spiritual paths who find some wisdom and empowerment in the Seder.)

Passover, Earth Day, & the Global Climate Crisis: Seder Supplement

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 08:45:24 -0400

Dear Chevra,

It is the third day of the moonth of Nisan. We have just opened our eyes to the glimmer of the new moon, birthing the
moonth when -- in two weeks, at the full moon -- we not only remember and
reenact the ancient liberation from the top-down, unaccountable power of
Pharaoh, but take responsibility to free ourselves as well. All of us, all
earth and all humanity.

As the Passover Haggadah says, "In every generation, every human being must
go forth to freedom."

This year, Passover begins the night of April 19 and includes Earth Day on
April 22. And today, the greatest danger of destructive plagues comes from

Rebirthing Trees, Sharing God's Abundance, Healing the Earth

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 13:02:28 -0500

By Rabbi Arthur Waskow *

[This essay includes some action steps you could choose to undertake as part of your Tu B'Shvat/ Birthday of the Trees celebration, or could undertake independently. Two sample letters on public policy are at the end of this essay.]

Wouldn't it seem strange if you heard that mystics had transformed April 15, Income Tax Day, into a festival for celebration of God's reemergence?

Yet that is what the Kabbalists of Safed did in the sixteenth century when they recreated Tu B’Shvat. Tu B’Shvat, the full moon of mid-winter, had been important only in Holy Temple days, in the calendar of tithing. It was the end of the “fiscal year” for trees. Fruit that appeared before that date was taxed for the previous year; fruit that appeared later, for the following year.

Martin Luther King, Trees, & the EPA

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 13:03:10 -0500

Last week I suggested that we plan actions on Tu B'Shvat, the Jewish midwinter festival of the rebirth of trees (and of the earth in general) , to address the recent destructive actions by the director of the Environmental Protection Agency.

He stopped efforts by the states to curb CO2 emissions from autos and thus reduce the danger we are facing from the global climate crisis.

A number of letters have come to us, supporting the idea. This letter suggests ways of carrying the message to EPA offices in eleven cities across America.

Religious Background: Monday, January 21, is the official day for celebration of Martin Luther King's birthday. At about 4:30 that afternoon begins the celebration of Tu B'Shvat. (The day before is exactly one year before the inauguration of the next President of the United States.)

Tu B’Shvat, the Climate Crisis and the Tree of Light; A Green Menorah Supplement for Your Tu B’Shvat Seder

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 13:04:02 -0500

Prepared by Rabbi Jeff Sultar
Director, Green Menorah Covenant campaign of The Shalom Center
http://www.shalomctr.org greenmenorah@shalomctr.org 215/ 438-2983

Tu B'Shvat is coming -- the evening of January 21. It celebrates the rebirthing of trees in the midst of winter, and in the mystical tradition of Kabbalah, also the reawakening of Divine energy with God seen metaphorically as the Tree of Life, with Its roots in Heaven and Its fruit, ourselves -- the universe.

Below you will find the text of a pamphlet that you can download as a supplement for you to use in holding a Tu B'Shvat Seder or giving a sermon on the Birthday of the Trees. Cut, paste, and click here for a PDF version that you can download and print as a four-page pamphlet:

Green Menorah Covenant Coalition: Personal, Congregational, & Public-Policy Changes to Avert Global Scorching

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 12:56:51 -0500

To save our planet, crops, water supply, & coastlines from the ravages of climate crisis & global scorching, The Shalom Center urges these seven directions of PERSONAL & POLICY change at all governmental levels, corporate and labor-union decisions, and household / congregational action. To work for these policy changes, write GreenMenorah@shalomctr.org or Shalom Center, 6711 Lincoln Drive, Philadelphia PA 19119.

1. Making carbon pay the real costs of its effect on climate:

Personal change: households set 5% of our annual coal, oil, & gasoline costs as tzedakah ("charitable" contributions) to support sustainable-energy activism.

The Green Menorah Covenant

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 05:50:10 -0400

What is a "Green Menorah"?

The Green Menorah is the symbol of a covenant among Jewish communities and congregations to renew the miracle of Hanukkah in our own generation: Using one day's oil to meet eight days' needs. By 2020, cutting US oil consumption by seven-eighths.

HEALING THE EARTH: THE GREEN MENORAH COVENANT

The Green Menorah is the symbol of a covenant among Jewish communities and congregations to renew the miracle of Hanukkah in our own generation: Using one day's oil to meet eight days' needs: doing our part so that by 2020, US oil consumption is cut by seven-eighths.

Communal Sukkot Celebration: Reconnecting with the Earth

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:27:43 -0400

Rose Kowel, Nicole Luna, Lauren Pack
Course on Eco-Judaism, Hebrew Union College, NYC
(Rabbi Arthur Waskow)
Festival Project: June 17, 2008

1. Decorating the sukkah/area with quotes, sustainable decorating alternatives for the children

Decorating options/resources to have available for kids : squash stamps, water soluable paints, recycled paper for paper chains.

For Sukkot quotes: See Appendix 1

2. Topic intro and local vegetarian buffet

The leader will lead the Hamotzi and introduce it by explaining that this prayer thanks God for not only the product (bread) but also the origins and the process that goes into our food.

SHAVUOT: RECONNECTING TO THE LAND AND ITS PRODUCE: A CONFIRMATION CURRICULUM

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:12:53 -0400

Heather Borshof, Emma Gottlieb & Ariana Silverman
Project for course on Eco-Judaism
Hebrew Union College, NYC, June 2008
(Rabbi Arthur Waskow)

SHAVUOT: RECONNECTING TO THE LAND AND ITS PRODUCE:
A CONFIRMATION CURRICULUM

DESCRIPTION OF OVERALL CURRICULUM:
This is a Confirmation/Shavuot curriculum consisting of five parts:

1) A text study on the Book of Ruth (see Appendix A)
2) Planning a dish to prepare for Erev Shavuot following Confirmation/Shavuot services
3) A site visit to trace one ingredient of that dish to its source (See Appendix B)
4) Further research and a 10 minute presentation to the class (See Appendix C)

Passover: Street Seders for the Global Climate Crisis

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:49:22 -0400

Prepared by Rabbi Jeff Sultar
Director, Green Menorah Program of The Shalom Center

This year, Passover converges with Earth Day. And it does so at a time when the global climate crisis can no longer be ignored, calling for us to take bold action. Taking inspiration from "street theater," we propose holding "street seders" during Passover to oppose the pharaohs in our own day. A "pharaoh" is anyone (or anything) that enslaves us, that puts limitations on our lives from the outside or from the inside.

What personal, economic and political pharaohs need to be confronted this year, in order to pull our climate back from the brink of crisis? What does it mean to heed the call from Exodus to remember the most disenfranchised in our country and throughout the world, to act on behalf of those who are most immediately and deeply affected by climate change?

Passover: The Earth Rises Up Against Pharaoh

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 09:48:11 -0400

Passover -- Pesach -- commemorates and relives the moment of spring when new grain, new lambs, and new flowers rise up against winter, and the earth itself rises up against Pharaoh (in what we call the "plagues").

Can we bring this meaning of Passover to the American public, to heal the earth from the plague of global climate crisis?

For example -- Beyond the conventional home and community Sedarim, could we do Speakout Street Seders for the Earth at some key public places -- eating matzah and bitter herb, reciting the eco-disaster plagues of today, dancing to celebrate the coming of Elijah -- ourselves -- to free us from the Pharaohs that are ruining the earth?

New Curriculum & Ceremony for Teens on Climate Crisis : ELIJAH'S COVENANT BETWEEN THE GENERATIONS

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 12:49:53 -0400

The Shalom Center has published a curriculum and ceremony for Bar/ Bat Mitzvah and confirmation-age youth and families, on how the younger and older generations can work together to heal the earth from the dangers of global climate crisis. Below you will find testimonials about it from leaders of Jewish education and action. Below that you will find a coupon for ordering copies of the 60-page "Elijah's Covenant Between The Generations," and below that the Introduction by Rabbis Arthur Waskow and Jeff Sultar.

"Elijah's Covenant" [Brit Eliyahu] looks like an exciting and creative educational venture. Congratulations to the Shalom Center for this positive contribution toward raising environmental awareness among Jewish young people."