The cold is finally coming as we heat up for another semester and our winter programming.  Kabbalah classes begin Monday January 3^rd and our Kabbalah Live Speaker Series re-freshens with Tucker Shaw delighting us with the metaphor of his life: food.

I never thought of this question before but on the face of it celebrating the New Year in January seems odd. Looking up the origin of January as the New Year did not yield more than historical facts. The thought occurred that there might be a parallel between when we start (calculating) the day as a parallel to which season we start the New Year. Jewish tradition places the New Year in the autumn and the parallel time of day would best fit sunset.  And that is when the new day is reckoned on the Jewish calendar—it starts at sunset, toward evening.  In Western countries, such as America, we start the new day at midnight and the corresponding season is winter, which fits as well—the darkest (coldest time of day and year).

The Kabbalah, that innovative spiritual path in Judaism has always looked at midnight as a special time.  There is a Kabalistic custom to awaken at midnight and engage in prayer, meditation, and Torah study. Whether to rectify one’s own soul, or for sake of the rectification of the world at large, it is taught that this custom greatly amplifies one’s access to the “inner light” of consciousness.  Perhaps when it is darkest we can see light most clearly.

So we find in the Zohar text: Come and see, when a person rises at midnight to engage in Torah, the Holy Blessed One, focuses on him, as we have learned – for it is written: “You, who dwells in the gardens, friends listen attentively to your voice; let Me hear!” (Song of Songs 8:13) Those who stand in the house of God in the nights–these are the ones who are called God’s servants. It is they who are worthy of blessing and their blessing is a blessing!

So as you stay up till midnight,t on the midnight of the year, and frolic, drink a toast, kiss a loved one or wonder where another year went, set aside a moment,  sit a moment aside and reflect on your New Year, the one that occurs at midnight, in the depths of winter.

David

Click on the Annual Report Image to the left for a .pdf of the Annual Report

I am very pleased to share with you an electronic version of Kabbalah Experience’s first annual report; a milestone that represents our maturing as an organization.  I want you all to know that our Board of Directors and staff work hard behind the scenes to insure that we are responsive to your feedback as we grow Kabbalah Experience.  We are eager to create a greater sense of community this coming year and to that end will add new events that bring people together.  Please look at the report.  I encourage you to get involved.  One thing you will notice in coming events is our Tu B’Shevat Seder which we will be co-hosting with Hebrew Educational Alliance and Temple Sinai. The date is Wednesday January 19^th 6:45-8:15 pm. While the holiday of Tu B’Shevat goes back to Talmudic times, the Seder in an innovation of the Kabbalists.  We will therefore be eating nuts, fruit and other delectable produce from the ground to delve into our relationship with food and spiritual selves.

We will also be highlighting our involvement with Grant Family Farms, a local Colorado Community Supported Agriculture which all three of our organizations have enrolled in this past year.  To be a member of a CSA is a commitment to pick up your weekly deliveries June-December, wash the vegetables and figure out sometimes what they are and how to prepare them.  But that is part of the adventure.  Grant Farms is also committed to eggs that are produced from chickens that are more than ‘cage free’ they are not cooped up.  If you want to find out more before the Seder go online to www.grantfarms.com.

David Sanders

What is Life is a documentary by Denver native and now Harvard professor, Dr. Howard Weiner.  The debut of his film was at Hebrew Educational Alliance this past Saturday night and drew as Rabbi Dollin quipped, a High Holiday size crowd.  Five hundred people came to hear the answers to such questions as What is soul?  Is there a God? Is there destiny?  How does one attain meaning in life?  The respondents to Dr. Weiner’s interview style questions are an eclectic cross section of people he came across in Boston, Israel and at parties he was at over the past six years.  Some are scientists and academicians, some religious leaders, but all the respondents were unknown to me, a wonderful conglomerate of the ‘everyman’ on the street responding to the challenging questions of What is Life?

Although HEA was promoting the film, I first found out about it at the Bagel Deli, owned by Howard’s sister Rhoda.  It was my first time frequenting this Hampden landmark and along with my purchased bagel I was told about the premier of What is Life.  After viewing the film, I would reiterate an oft stated remark made in Kabbalah class—the questions are always more powerful than the answers.  I would also have suggested to the filmmaker that he could have saved some time and expense by setting up his camera in his sister’s deli and asking the patrons here in Denver the same questions or perhaps just film what transpires there to have an appreciation of What Life is.  In my brief stay at the Bagel Deli I saw people enjoying the food, discussing politics, raising questions about Jewish intolerance, connecting with people unseen, arranging golf games, etc.   In the final analysis what our life is, is not only about the big questions, as Dr. Weiner is exploring, but about the small details of our connecting with each other and living life.  This might sound a bit strange coming from me, a person who is always contemplating the questions of this film, but I do mean what I say when I say that we learn most about who we are by seeing the details of the life we (choose) live—the fears and joys we experience, the professions, work or passions we pursue, the cars we drive, the charities we donate to, the foods we eat, all these details reflect who we “do” as human beings; and we then can become aware of who we want to be.

If you bump into anyone who went to the film, let them know that at Kabbalah Experience we grapple with the big questions.  We also look at how to get pragmatic about our spirituality and not just think, What is Life, rather how to live it.