Dear Friends,
As the Holyday season moves into Sukkot, I have been reflecting on the powerful experiences of this year’s High Holy Days and, aware of how the busy-ness of our lives can take over, would like to offer something new this year. I would like to invite you to join me in entering into deepening conversations around the themes of the Holy Days that were shared and/or that are present and still unfolding for you right now.
We have many topics to choose from:
- Forgiveness
- Making amends
- Letting go of our need for our past/present to be different than it was/is
- Letting go of our need for others to be different than they are
- Becoming more aware of the ways we show up in our world
- Learning when and how to speak up in courageous ways and deeply listening as a path to love.
I am also leaving the door wide open for you to bring up as a topic whatever is awakening within your heart.
So if you feel like I do and would like to continue the conversation, join me for six Thursday evenings from 7PM – 9PM, October 27, November 3 & 10, December 8, 15 & 22. You can come to all of them or as many as you need to allow your own process to deepen. I would just ask that you make a $10 donation to Bet Alef each time you come.
The space for these sessions will be based on how many of you decide to participate and engage in these conversations. Therefore, if you could let Shellie know as soon as possible by a simple e-mail that you are interested in participating, that will help us figure out how big of a space we’ll need. Please note in your e-mail, as well, what other topic(s) of conversation you would like to see included. Thank you.
As always, I am immensely grateful for your presence and energies, and I look forward to seeing what will unfold from this kind of community dialogue.
With blessings,
Rabbi Olivier BenHaim
P.S. These conversation sessions are taking the place of the class The Concept of Time in Early Rabbinic Judaism that was scheduled on these dates. We will definitely find time to learn about this fascinating topic later on.