Banner by Renée Fields 2 Created by the City Congregation Liturgy Committee, 2016–2017 Chair Carole Mehlman Text Ray Karni, Carole Mehlman, Mike Otterman, Susan Ryan, Alan Siege, Devera Witkin Music Gladys Foxe, Shirley Ranz Shabbat Programming Natalie Kramer, Sybil Maimin, Dahlia Remler, Marty Shore, Ben Sternhell Editors Marty Shore, Carol Sternhell Cover Design Melanie Brazil Funded by Ellen C. Weiman Layout and printing production by Sue and Dan Rapp Banner photography by Bill Waltzer, Waltzer Digital Printing by Bestype Imaging Additional thanks to Rabbi Peter Schweitzer and Dan Wyman, as well as to Jane Geller, Peter Mones, Pamela Rief, Rebecca Schwartz, Anne Shonbrun, and Barry Sinowitz Copyright © 2017 the City Congregation for Humanistic Judaism 3 Shabbat P.2 PTG MUSICAL SELECTION WELCOME I The past, present, and future are timelessly linked in the spinning circle of life. Our past was the seed that became the present. We can make it bloom in the future if we nurture it with love, respect, and understanding of the shared culture and heritage that we call life. Adapted from Steven S. Gordon We gather tonight, as Jews have long gathered, to create Shabbat. Let us pause from our everyday lives to make it a special time. Let us put aside the demands, expectations, and pace of our daily existence to celebrate Shabbat. Let the possibilities of this time together be embraced. Let every potential for wisdom, harmony, and joy be realized. Shabbat is a time for peace, contemplation, introspection, understanding, and hope. It is a time for love, laughter, and joy to be shared by all gathered here. Shabbat is a time for learning about the goodness of life, for reaffirming our identity and our beliefs. It is a time for having the courage to express the best within us. Let us grasp these moments and cherish them. Sbbat 4 II We gather on this Shabbat as a community of believers. We believe that Judaism is the entire experience of the Jewish people. We believe in the value of celebrating Jewish culture and identity. We believe that all those who choose to celebrate with us are part of our community. We believe that being together strengthens and enhances our Humanistic Jewish experience. May this Sabbath be a time of peace and rejuvenation. This is a time of transition. We move from our everyday week to the experience of Shabbat. We turn from the concerns of the outside world and become quiet and peaceful. We, at this moment, in this time, create a community of Humanistic Jewish believers. Let us pause and take note as we begin the journey of this Shabbat. Adapted from Rabbi Miriam Jerris Painting by Martina Shapiro 5 Painting by Tuuli Levit CANDLELIGHTING We renew ourselves for the week ahead. So that we will have strength for ourselves, our families, and our part in making the world a better place. We kindle the lights of Shabbat as symbols of human enlightenment and human compassion. To celebrate our coming together. To illuminate our lives and the warmth we find in our community. We remember the generations before us who lit candles as we do, and found beauty and serenity in their light. 6 Light the Candles Let us say together: Na’eh ha-or ba-o-lam Na’eh ha-or ba-a-dam Na’eh ha-or ba-Shabbat Nokeer et or ha-Shabbat How wonderful is the light in the world How wonderful is the light within humanity How wonderful is the light of Shabbat We cherish the light of Shabbat. Adapted from Machar Congregation, Washington, D.C. Blessing over the Candles Music by Mickie and Abe Mandel Na’eh ha-or ba-o-lam Na’eh ha-or ba-a-dam Na’eh ha-or ba-Shabbat Nokeer et or ha-Shabbat z 7 Ayfo Oree (Where Is My Light) Lyrics by Rabbi Sherwin Wine, Music by Abe Mandel Ay-fo-o-ree? O-ree-bee. Ay-fo-tik-va-tee? Tik-va-tee-bee. Ay-fo-ko-khee? Ko-khee-bee. V’-gam-bakh. V'-gam bakh. Where is my light? My light is in me. Where is my hope? My hope is in me. Where is my strength? My strength is in me. And in you. And in you. Painting by Jordana Klein 8 THE VALUES OF SECULAR HUMANISTIC JUDAISM I On Shabbat we celebrate and reaffirm our Jewish identity. A Jew is someone who identifies with the history, culture, and future of the Jewish people. We make connections to our past through our ancestors, and to our future by leading meaningful lives. We believe that Jewish identity is best preserved in a free, pluralistic environment that honors all cultures. We believe in the nobility of human fellowship and the joy of unity. The freedom and dignity of the Jewish people must go hand in hand with the freedom and dignity of every human being. Human beings possess the power and responsibility to shape their own lives independent of supernatural authority. Jewish history is a human saga, a testament to the significance of human power and human responsibility. We believe in the gift of human reason and the strength of human potential to shape our own lives. Adapted from the Society for Humanistic Judaism 9 II Judaism is far more than many people allow it to be. Some people view it very narrowly, seeing only its religious side. Others perceive it broadly, emphasizing its ethical outreach. Judaism is more than theology and moral rules. It is more than parochial faith and universal sentiments. It is the living culture of a living people. Judaism is family, love, and nurturing. Judaism is memory, roots, and pride. Judaism is music, dance, and humor. Everything that Jewish people, throughout the ages, did and yearned to do is Judaism. Judaism did not fall from heaven. It was not invented by a divine spokesman. It was created by the Jewish people. It was molded by Jewish experience. It was flavored by Jewish sadness and Jewish joy. Life is an evolution, a continuous flow of transformations. And so is culture. When circumstances change, people change. When people change, their laws and customs change. A healthy people welcomes change. It understands its history. It knows its own power. It leads the past into the future. Secular humanistic Jews affirm the power of people. We affirm the power of common sense and human reason. But above all, we strive for human dignity. Human dignity is Jewish dignity. Rabbi Sherwin Wine 10 MUSICAL SELECTION SHARING OF JOYS, CONCERNS, AND SORROWS Members and visitors are invited to share recent joys, accomplishments, concerns, observations, and sorrows. READINGS FOR INSPIRATION, CONTEMPLATION, AND DISCUSSION Community (Page 11) Courage (Page 12) Education (Page 14) Ethics (Page 15) Gratitude (Page 17) Hope (Page 19) Humor (Page 21) Justice (Page 24) Spirituality (Page 26) 11 COMMUNITY The person who tries to live alone will not succeed as a human being. His heart withers if it does not answer another heart. His mind shrinks away if he hears only the echoes of his own thoughts and finds no other inspiration. Pearl S. Buck The challenge of social justice is to evoke a sense of community that we need to make our nation a better place, just as we make it a safer place. Marian Wright Edelman Whatever community organization, whether it’s a women’s organization, or fighting for racial justice … you will get satisfaction out of doing something to give back to the community that you never get in any other way. Ruth Bader Ginsburg In our hectic, fast-paced, consumer-driven society, it’s common to feel overwhelmed, isolated, and alone…. The sense of belonging we feel when we make the time to take an active role in our communities can give us a deeper sense of meaning and purpose. Robert Alan Silverstein Rabbi Hillel said, “Do not separate yourself from the community.” Pirke Avot 2:5 12 COURAGE One isn’t necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest. Maya Angelou The best way out is always through. Robert Frost The greatest test of courage on the earth is to bear defeat without losing heart. R. G. Ingersoll It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to your enemies, but a great deal more to stand up to your friends. Dumbledore [J. K. Rowling] Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen. Winston Churchill If I turned around every time somebody called me a faggot, I’d be walking backward—and I don’t want to walk backward. Harvey Milk He who loses wealth loses much; he who loses a friend loses more; but he that loses his courage loses all. Miguel de Cervantes Out of your vulnerabilities will come your strength. Sigmund Freud It is easier to live through someone else than to complete yourself. The freedom to lead and plan your own life is frightening if you have never faced it before. It is frightening when a woman finally realizes that there is no answer to the question “who am I” except the voice inside herself. Betty Friedan 13 He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life. Muhammad Ali We will not win our rights by staying quietly in our closets. Harvey Milk The risk of a wrong decision is preferable to the terror of indecision.