The Aquarian Minyan
Minyan & Community Newsletter
June 9, 2022
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Add Our Google Calendar to your Gmail Calendar! CLICK HERE
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A Special Message from
Rabbi Jonathan
D'rishat Shalom Minyan Members and Community!
I've returned from two amazing journeys in the last month. One was in Israel, which included visiting the borders, museums, a Leonard Cohen concert in Hebrew a briefing with Prime Minister Bennett, sessions on security with a variety of military brass and teachers, tours of two major archeological sites, and Shabbat near the Old City.
Reconnecting with the Holy Land was of tremendous value and importance to me. It felt like following my spiritual umbilical cord back to the House of Shekhinah and to Yerurshalayim.
Haval, Alas, when I returned I brought back the Corona Virus with me and have been recovering from it for two weeks....Grateful to the Holy One for healing and today I swam ten laps. So happy to be back from the strange journey of the COVID 19..
A word of thanks: I am grateful to our little team that has managed the transition so well in the post Lorelai era. By the Grace of Shekhinah we now have Jennifer, Elizheva and Zoe helping out in our challenging but not chaotic era. We are getting things done, learning the "back story"...and keeping the Yeshivah up and operating, as well as other great educational programs as well . Thank you Ami! Thank you Barry and Miriam! Thank you Council!
We will have many opportunities for you all to get involved with educational programing beyond the Yeshivah and complimentary to it as outlined by Julie in her recent missive. Look for great things ahead in education. Be in touch with me. I want to also thank our Shomeret Julie and our Shomeret Shoshanah for stepping up and keeping the ball rolling. We have indeed survived the departure of Lorelai (may she be eternally blessed to resurrecting the Minyan and establishing our digital life! ) We are alive, and what is this aliveness? Is it not the Holy Blessed One working through us!
So do not despair in these painful, tough, often traumatizing times... We will survive and flourish and the Minyan will continue to grow.. with God's help and with all of you.
Blessed be and b'ezrat HaShem we will see our country healed.
with Gratitude to the Source
Rabbi Jonathan
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Minyan and Community
Events and Announcements
All Times Pacific Times
6/10: Kabbalat Shabbat
6/11: Shabbat Shacharit & Torah Service
Parshat Naso נשא
Join us
as we join our ancestors
as they journey in the desert
Community Programs
6/12 & 6/26: Embracing and Leading T’fila / Prayer with Ami Goodman Register HERE
First Thursdays Rabbi’s Tisch
with Jonathan Seidel
7pm - 8:30pm Pacific Time
Next Date: July 7
Engage, learn, and connect with Rabbi Jonathan Seidel during these First Thursdays gatherings. Ask questions, become informed, enjoy being challenged, learn something new! Drop-in, no registration required.
The Aquarian Minyan Yeshiva
Adult Education Classes
MONDAYS
Prayerbook Hebrew with Elizheva Hurvich
Mondays 9:30am Pacific time Register HERE
TUESDAYS
Mantra, Meditation, and Monism; Hinduism and Jewish Spirituality
Compared with Rabbi Prof. Alan Brill
Tuesdays June 7 - July 12
12 Noon Pacific time
Wednesdays
Jewish Poetry with rabbi Mark Elber
FRIDAYS
"Untying Our Tangles with Jewish Yin Yoga" with Jennifer "Ganya' Warren
Fridays at 12 Noon
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SHABBAT WITH THE AQUARIAN MINYAN |
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Kabbalat Shabbat
Friday June 10
at 7pm Pacific Time
Join Us For
Kabbalat Shabbat
at this link:
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Shabbat Shacharit
and
Torah Service
Saturday June 11
10am PST
This week:
Parshat Naso נשֹא
10am Pacific time
at this link:
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Download our Digitized Siddurim!
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RUACH SHALOM
רוּחַ שָלוֹם
"Peace begins
with me”
- Thich Naht Hahn
Mondays, 6:30pm PST
The Aquarian Minyan’s Ruach Shalom Project invites you to participate in a journey of personal refinement to become ever more effective instruments for promoting peace, healing, and wholeness in our lives, our communities, and in the world. We will gather each Monday at 6:30pm Pacific time, beginning March 21, embarking on this journey together over 13 weeks.
Ruach Shalom is the spirit of peacefulness which is both the origin and continued actualization of shalom/shalem/wholeness. It is by cultivating Ruach Shalom in our lives that we become transformed ourselves, thus becoming the agents of transformation that the world urgently needs.
The Ruach Shalom gatherings will be facilitated by Baal Bracha “Old Root” Barry Barkan, Miriam Stampfer, Rabbi Jonathan Seidel, and Lorelai Kude. Our weekly meetings are open to those who aspire to create paths of spiritual awareness for a universal Jewish Renewal practice so we can grow more whole and evolve beyond our current crises – beginning with ourselves, leading to our communities, and ultimately to pressing societal issues such as climate change, xenophobia and hardening of our differences - and lighten our way to Tikkun Olam.
In our Gatherings, the Ruach Shalom Project will seek to manifest what Reb Zalman z”l called “The Fourth Turning of Hasidism” . Contemporary meaning will be ascribed to the three Foundational Mastery Paths of Judaism to bring us into alignment with Ruach Shalom, Spirit of Wholeness and Peace:
The Path of Tefila, Opening to Spirit
The Path of Teshuva, Refining Ourselves
The Path of Tzedaka, Transformative Action
We welcome everyone open to personal and communal transformation to join these gatherings!
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Friday Morning Prayer Circle with Rabbi Diane Elliot
8:30am - 9:15am Pacific time
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6/12: Sunday Night Minyan Sharing, facilitated by Marty Potrop
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Embracing and Leading
T’fila/Prayer
With Ami Goodman
NEXT SESSION:
Upcoming June Dates: Sunday 6/12 & 6/26
AT 11AM PST
In this twice monthly one-hour workshop journey, we will take a deep dive into Friday evening and Shabbat morning t’fila through a probing of the individual prayers and their connections to form the entire service, including Friday evening’s Kabbalat Shabbat, Ma’ariv, and Shabbat morning’s Birkhot Hashachar, Pesukei D’Zimra, Shacharit, Torah service, and closing prayers. We’ll review the meaning of the prayers, Renewal interpretations, why they appear where they do in the context of the service, learn the musical motif foundation for the services, and have a great time reviewing traditional and learning newly renewed melodies and interpretations of the prayers. The aim is to achieve a full embrace with the prayers and the service in the Reb Zalman “renewal “ tradition, and being able to share the love with the community as facilitators of the service.. With our hearts, minds, and souls, “leading” a service will be a great and renewable joy!
We will cover discreet short components of the Matbeah HaTefillah each week. Prayers and sources will be presented in transliterated Hebrew emphasizing the Sephardic pronunciation as well as the Hebrew text. Recordings of the material for practice will also be provided. Having a favorite Siddur of your own would be helpful. Being able to carry a tune will be important.
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First Thursdays Rabbi’s Tisch
with Jonathan Seidel
7pm - 8:30pm Pacific Time
At this Zoom link:
2022 Dates: July 7, August 4, September 1, October 6, November 3, Dec 1
Engage, learn, and connect with Rabbi Jonathan Seidel during these First Thursdays gatherings. Ask questions, become informed, enjoy being challenged, learn something new! Drop-in, no registration required.
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What am I Saying and What am I Praying? Prayerbook Hebrew with Elizheva Hurvich
NEW Date and Time!
Mondays 9:30AM Pacific Time ending August 15, 2022
Using the text Prayerbook Hebrew the Easy Way (https://www.ekspublishing.com/prayer-hebrew), we will dive into deepening our understanding of Hebrew and of the siddur. The class is designed for people who can already read and decode the letters. (If you are still working on this, contact Elizheva at [email protected] to discuss how to make this class work!) Although we will only meet once a week formally, students can also do self-paced study and will have opportunities to "practice" by joining in tefillah regularly. Each class will include a little Torah study as well.
Elizheva Hurvich is a Bay Area native who grew up attending Kol Shofar and Shabbos Shul with the Rock n' Roll Rabbis, Joseph and Nathan Siegel.
Led by her love for authentic and juicy Jewish life, she has lived in and studied with Reconstructionist, Renewal and progressive Jewish communities in Israel, Philadelphia and New York. She comes to the Minyan as an Aleph Rabbinical Student after many years of serving as Jewish educator. She delights in making tallitot and other fabric arts, as well as singing, teaching and playing. Elizheva lives in Oakland with Bob, Max, and Chewy the wonderdog.
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Mantra, Meditation, and Monism; Hinduism and Jewish Spirituality
Compared with Rabbi Prof. Alan Brill
Tuesdays June 7 - July 12
12 Noon Pacific time
Join us in a fascinating exploration of Hindu spirituality from a
Jewish perspective. exploring such topics as Godliness, Worship,
Monism, Cosmology, Meditation and Mantra, Yogic philosophy and practice, Karma-Kanda and the Nature of the Self, among others.
More than simply viewing Hinduism through a Jewish lens, this class
is a truly exciting adventure in a comparative exercise that allows
us to clarify our own personal values and sharpen our future studies
of both traditions as well as contribute to the cultivation of our own
spiritual paths.
Reading his paperback book Rabbi on the Ganges: A Jewish Hindu
Encounter concurrently with the class will provide a richer experience
Rabbi Prof Alan Brill is the Coooperman/Ross Endowed Chair in honor of Sr. Rose Theringfor Jewish-Christian Studies at Seton Hall University in NJ and the author of several books including Judaism and Other Religions and Judaism and World Religions, as well as the excellent introduction to the topic of this class, Rabbi on the Ganges: A Jewish Hindu Encounter.
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JEWISH POETRY
WITH RABBI MARK ELBER
WEDNESDAYS JUNE 8 - 22 AT 12 NOON
Ours is a culture that loves the word. Jewish poetry can transport us to a higher spiritual plane. Hear and discuss poems by Allen Ginsberg, Yehuda Amichai, Avraham Sutzkever, Dan Pagis, Yona Wallach, Dahlia Ravikovitch, Gerald Stern, Adrienne Rich, and others that elevate the mundane and articulate the Jewish experience with language that virtually sings.
Mark Elber, rabbi of Temple Beth El, in Fall River, MA, has an MFA in Poetry from Warren Wilson College, is a prize-winning poet, songwriter, and author of "The Sacred Now: Cultivating Jewish Spiritual Consciousness" and "The Everything Kabbalah Book.”
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"Untying Our Tangles with Jewish Yin Yoga" with Jennifer "Ganya' Warren
FRIDAYS
12 Noon
Class Recordings Archived HERE
Let's sail gently towards Shabbat consciousness together with a weekly meditative Jewish Yin practice. Each week will be an hour of gentle stretching and twists, with a focus on mindful breathing and listening to the body's subtle cues. It will involve mostly floor work and will make use of bolsters and other props to create a safe and supportive practice. No props? No problem. Existing items such as couch cushions, bedspreads and towels can be pressed into service and make excellent props and yoga mat substitutes. The proper use of these aids to practice will be demonstrated by the teacher at various points during each class. This will be a less structured, ongoing class with the balance weighted more towards embodied aspects of yoga and visual instruction rather than discussion. All experience levels are welcome.
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SUPPORT OUR SEFER TORAH REPAIR FUND!
Our beloved "Devorah" Sefer Torah is in a fragile state and requires repair. We can't really use it without risking further damage. A professional Sofer specializing in Torah repairs has given us an estimate of between $2000 - $4000 to repair the Torah and make it usable again. We currently have received just over $500 in directed donations to our Sefer Torah Repair Fund, of some $700 in pledges, which means we need to raise $3300 to repair the "Devorah" Torah.
We are VERY GRATEFUL for those who have donated to repair our Sefer Torah so far, including: Eric Bergman, Debby and Barry Barkan, Rabbi Diane Elliot, Daniel Tov Howard, Lorelai Kude, Jake Birnberg, Allan Kaplan, and Bob Jaffe!
To donate CLICK HERE and indicate the Torah Repair Fund in the drop-down menu, or send a check to: The Aquarian Minyan, POB 7224, Berkeley CA 94707, and indicate "Torah Repair" on the memo line or in an enclosed note.
IT'S A MITZVAH!!!
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To Celebrate:
A Loved One, A Special Occasion, A Simcha
To Remember:
A Departed Beloved, A Significant Event
In Honor of
a Special Celebration or Remembrance
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Blessings and continued healing prayers for:
Abigail Grafton, Eric Bergman, Julia Gilden, Dovid Shlomo ben Chaya Yocheved, Alter Shoresh Benzion Moshe haCohen ben Shoshana v'Shmuel (Barry Old Root Barkan), Devora Rut bat Hannah v'Shmuel (Debby Barkan), Elly Faden, Joan Schwartz, Renee Benmeleh, Neshama Shendel bat Karpel Shira (Nancy Lieberman), Charles Falk (Tzadik ben Moshe v'Leah), Jim DeMatteo , Minucha Gleich Colburn, Skye Pelicrow, Linda Elyad, Rabbi Michael Lerner Ha Rav Mee-cha-el ben Yosef Chayeem veh Beylah, Marty Hauser, , Susan Duhan Felix, Yishai ben Chaya Yocheved (Jesse Kude), , Moshe Pesach ben Chanya Leah (Moiseh Geller), , Ken Ravin, Menachem Chayim Dov Ber haLavi Shima Ronya bat Kohen (Marty Potrop), Sarah Leah Mazeltov bat Fayga Manja, Hanna Cohen, Karen Roekard, Barbara Zilber, Julie Sherman, Jyl Cohen (Chaya Yehudit Bat Chana v'Chaim), , Rachel Malka bas Sloiva (Dr. Rae Fishman), Karen Broder, Elizabeth Hirshfeld, Ariel Lenchner, Helen Annik Chiera, daughter of Elizabeth Hirshfeld, Shulamit Koenig, Suzanne Lingo, Paula Conrad, R. Leah bat Esther v Eliezer, and Aryeh Trupin.
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Continued Blessings for Consolation and Comfort to those in our community mourning departed loved ones:
Ilona Sturm on the loss of her father, Susie Kisber on the loss of her friend and former partner, Raffie Cohn. The Leeder Family & Dr. Rae Fishman on the loss of Sandy Leeder, Judy Vida on the loss of her brother, Ted Silverberg, Stephanie Brown & Jim DeMatteo on the loss of Jim's son Carmen, Beth M. Horowitz on the loss of her mother Shuey (Shirley) Horowitz, Lea Delson on the loss of her beloved aunt, Ann Tukey Harrison, and relative Sidney Leon Delson (first cousin of her father), Jawxillion Loeb on the loss of his father Jerry, Debbie Barkan on the loss of her stepmother Ruchel bat Shoshana v'Yisrael, The family of Chetana Yehudit Karel Michaan, the family and friends of Cantor Richard Kaplan, , Eliyahu Klein on the loss of his father, Rabbi Tsvi Aryeh Klein, The family and loved ones of Mikel Moishe Estrin, AnMarie Rodgers on the loss of her wife Jewlia Eisenberg, Marcia Brooks on the loss of her niece Shelley Stevens, Dan Howard on the loss of his mother Eleanor, Ann Ben-Shalom on the loss of her mother Mary, Rob Bonem on the loss of his mother Vera, Benji and Deepa on the loss of Malka Brandzel, The family of Dale Boland on the loss of their mother, followed shortly thereafter by the loss of their father Gary Boland, Rose-Anne Donner on the loss of her husband David Colt, Ron Feldman on the loss of his mother, and those who have lost loved ones within the last weeks, months and year.
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If you would like us to include your news or event please send the information to [email protected] by 1 PM on the Monday prior to the coming issue.
Visit us on the web at
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