Sun Salutation
The Jewish Week reports on a wonderful once , a once-in-a-generation ritual (every 28 years), Birchat HaChamah, “which will unite scattered Jews around the world the morning before the first seder, when the first sliver of the sun appears over the horizon in each of their gathering places.” In New York, events are being spearheaded by a variety of liberal Jewish organizations, including Hazon, a group that places environmental concern at the core of their Jewish practice. As their mission statement puts it, their goal is “to create a healthier and more sustainable Jewish community — as a step towards a healthier and more sustainable world for all.”
This is just the kind of thing that I find makes Jewish religious practice so special. It is deeply in tune with nature, is infinitely expandable to fit a variety of political, communal, spiritual, and personal needs. As the Jewish Week article notes, this celebration is “Part of a general return to Jewish tradition in non-Orthodox circles and a growing concern with ecological issues, the ritual has come to serve as a symbol of Judaism and environmentalism. It’s solar energy with a Jewish twist.” Even as the community is deeply divided about Israel, there are certain rituals that can unite us, even if we don’t always agree about the meaning. Part of building community is constructing meanings, and, happily, in the Birchat HaChamah celebration, previously little known outside of Orthodox circles, a very wonderful consensus is growing.
Or it could end up a bunch of Seeker-Moms doing Yoga on a roof.
