DOCSLIB.ORG

Syl W11 Nahman Seminar

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Syl W11 Nahman Seminar Nahman of Breslov, seminar F16, page 1 JS 467.001/Near East 476.001/Religion 47.001 Hasidism as Mysticism: The Radical Teachings of Nahman of Breslov Fall Term, 4-7 p.m., 2112 MLB Professor Elliot Ginsburg ([email protected] and [email protected]) Office: 3016 Thayer Bldg., 734.763-4670 Office hours: Thursday 12-1:30 p.m. and special Judaic Studies Office hours, t.b.a. The focus of this course is on Nahman of Breslov (1772-1810), one of the most celebrated masters of Jewish mysticism and Hasidism, whose radical writings —poised on the precipice of modernity— have attained the status of spiritual classics. (The roster of writers, theologians, and creative artists influenced by Nahman is legion.) The ongoing fascination with Nahman stems both from his singular (mercurial, multi-tiered, questing) personality and from the profound and uncompromising nature of his theological vision. In this class we will explore the existentialist Nahman confronting the absence of God (his Torah of the Void); the Messianic Nahman wrestling with depression and utopian grandeur; and the mystical Nahman, finding vivid manifestations of the divine in the realm of nature (in Forest and birds, the grasses of the field), in song and the outpouring of the heart, and in interpersonal dialogue and spiritual practices that deconstruct the ordinary self. Key themes will include: spiritual longing and the perpetual search for meaning; conflict and growth; exile and redemption; as well as the dialectic between sadness and joy; shatteredness and wholeness; madness and health; doubt and faith; complexity and simplicity. Students will probe Nahman’s creative rereading of the devotional life: including his theology of niggun (wordless song) and sacred dance. As Nahman continuously integrated his life-story into his thought, we will investigate the relationship between his agon-filled biography and his teachings. And finally we will consider his hermeneutical (interpretive) theory: a theory that celebrates continuous creativity — as Nahman’s quicksilver improvisations on sacred text bring to mind John Coltrane’s deep improvisations on a melody. Our raw materials are “simple”: selections from Nahman’s mystically inflected discourses; his accessible yet enigmatic Tales; as well as his haunting dream-texts. Together we will learn how to decode his work. As a kind of cultural detail, we will also explore the Breslov musical tradition. These texts and songs will be supplemented by secondary literature: drawn from the fields of historical, literary, and religious studies. While students may rely solely on English translations in this course, I will make available materials for those equipped to work in the Hebrew and Yiddish originals. Pre-requisites: It is strongly recommended that students have prior background/ coursework in Jewish Mysticism or other Jewish textual traditions, or have undertaken significant (university) study in other religious, contemplative or philosophical traditions. Requirements* include: 1. Regular attendance at, and participation in, seminar sessions. (Unexcused absences will result in the deduction of points from your grade. It is expected that students will make up work Nahman of Breslov, seminar F16, page 2 missed due to absence.) The aim of a seminar is to “think things through” out loud, to share thoughts, quandaries and insights; in our seminar an additional goal is to learn how to skillfully read Bratslaver/Breslover texts. The passive observer will not contribute very much to the total group experience. (Class participation will count for one-third of one’s grade.) Also be sure to keep up with the instructor’s postings on Canvas. 2. A short meditation/reflection on the weekly reading + posing one or two questions on the reading/ sources. Due each week by Monday at 10 p.m. (To be placed in a weekly forum.) 3. Two 3-5 page essays, to be submitted at roughly monthly intervals in the first 10 weeks of class (due Friday 4 p.m. October 14, and Friday November 11). These essays should be analytic in nature, and should reflect on some aspect of the 5 or so previous sessions. These essays will also be exchanged with one’s “study partners.” (Guidelines will be further explicated before the first assignment). 4. One oral presentation in class, to be chosen in conjunction with the instructor. Presenters will be invited to post materials in advance on the Canvas Website. Note: The two essays, along with the oral presentation, will collectively count for one- third of one’s grade.) 5. Havruta Study: Each student is expected to find one or two study partners. (This process will be explained.) The goal is to create relational models of learning and active, probing dialogue between students. 6. A research paper/project or critical essay, about 10-12 pages in length, for undergrads; 12-15 pages for graduate students. (For those working in the Hebrew/Yiddish original, this could involve a translation project.) This should be chosen in consultation with the instructor. Students are advised to begin work early in the semester; a research proposal (including topic, preliminary thesis, and working bibliography) is to be submitted to the Canvas dropbox by 5 p.m. Wednesday, November 23. A good draft of the final project is to be electronically submitted by 4 p.m. on Friday, December 9. Copies of the “completed” paper should be made available to your havruta at this time, so that we (the study-buddies and I) can read and critique each other’s work in the days preceding our final session. A revised version of the paper is due in your dropbox by Monday evening, December 19 at 10 p.m.. The final version will count for one-third of one’s grade. Be sure to bring current readings to class whenever possible. Required texts for purchase: (1) Nahman of Bratslav, The Tales (Band ed.) (2) Arthur Green, Tormented Master (3) Ora Wiskind-Elper, Tradition and Fantasy in the Tales of R. Nahman of Bratslav (4) Zvi Mark, Mysticism and Madness: The Religious Thought of Rabbi Nahman of Bratslav Recommended/Optional (5) David Sears, The Tree that Stands Beyond Space. (6) Nahman of Breslov, The Empty Chair: Finding Hope and Joy (Jewish Lights) (7) Aryeh Wineman, The Hasidic Parable (JPS). (8-9) Alternate translation of the Tales, in 2 vols. with commentary by Aryeh Kaplan.Vol. 1: The Lost Princess & Other Kabbalistic Tales Of Rebbe Nachman Of Breslov (Jewish Lights) Volume 2: The Seven Beggars & Other Kabbalistic Tales Of Rebbe Nachman Of Breslov (Jewish Lights). Nahman of Breslov, seminar F16, page 3 Also a digitized Hebrew edition of Liqqutei Moharan is available here; and a bilingual Hebrew- Yiddish version of Sippurei Ma’asiyot is available here. If you prefer Wikisources, try here! In addition there will be a weekly offering of selected texts of Breslov writings on our Canvas site. These will be drawn from translations of Liqqutei MoHoRaN, Sefer ha-Middot, Liqqutei Tefillot, Liqqutei Halakhot as well as some later Breslov works. (The translations will run from Breslov insiders to Aharon Appelfeld’s edition Leket (Anthology) to Martin Buber to the work of contemporary scholars.) Be sure to check Canvas for textual postings. Further study aids: In interpreting Nahman’s Tales it may also prove useful to consult different translations and commentaries. First, consider the assigned readings for this course; as well as Adin Steinsaltz’s Beggars and Prayers; and Buber’s Tales of Rabbi Nachman. Hebrew readers might be interested in the Bar-Ilan Responsa collection (via Mirlyn), in the Spertus Institute online E-library of Jewish sources, here, which contains the online Encyclopedia Judaica; the 62,434 volume (!) Otzar ha-Hokhmah; the DBS collection of classical Hebrew works, with a terrific selection of mystical sources; the Soncino Classics Collection which contains Hebrew and English versions of the Soncino Talmud, Soncino Midrash Rabbah, Soncino Zohar, and the Hebrew Bible. Some of these sources can be freely accessed online also: see sefaria and www.hebrewbooks.org for useful examples. The fullest list of Breslov related writings (from Nahman’s own works to scholarship to works inspired by Nahman) is David Assaf’s Bratslav: An Annotated Bibliography, which contains works in multiple languages including English. Key background texts (for those without significant background or in need of review) On Judaism: Michael Fishbane, Judaism: Revelation and Tradition; Michael Seltzer’s Jewish People, Jewish Thought; and David Biale, ed. Cultures of the Jews: A New History On History and Symbolism of Jewish Mysticism: E. Ginsburg, The Sabbath in the Classical Kabbalah (Introduction). A scanned copy will be placed on our Canvas site. Also consider A. Green, A Guide to the Zohar; or more popularly, his Ehyeh, Part One. On the History of Hasidism, see e.g., Gershon Hundert, Jews in Poland-Lithuania in the Eighteenth Century; Rachel Elior, The Mystical Origins of Hasidism; and on the spread of Hasidism, see Glenn Dynner, Men of Silk. All students should have a Hebrew Bible at hand (e.g., JPS bi-lingual or the The Jewish Study Bible, ed. by A. Berlin and M. Brettler), or that failing, access to online versions of the Hebrew Bible. A good bilingual version is Mechon Mamre, which although it uses the 1917 JPS translation, is still serviceable. ********************************************************* Weekly Structure: The weekly assignments come in three parts: Nahman of Breslov, seminar F16, page 4 (1) A Tale or similar narrative text. Prepare the Tale both on one’s own and in havruta. Some weeks, a particular havruta will be responsible for retelling/recasting a Tale. (You will occupy the “Storytelling Chair”) (2) Selected scholarly writings on a specific theme. (3) Another Breslov text, often a “greatest hit” usually taken from Nahman’s homiletical writings, such as Liqqutei Moharan. Some of the key work for these texts will be done right in class, helping the student to learn how to read these works.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Creation As Theodicy: in Defense of a Kabbalistic Approach to Evil
    Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers Volume 14 Issue 4 Article 6 10-1-1997 Creation as Theodicy: In Defense of a Kabbalistic Approach to Evil Robert Oakes Follow this and additional works at: https://place.asburyseminary.edu/faithandphilosophy Recommended Citation Oakes, Robert (1997) "Creation as Theodicy: In Defense of a Kabbalistic Approach to Evil," Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers: Vol. 14 : Iss. 4 , Article 6. DOI: 10.5840/faithphil199714441 Available at: https://place.asburyseminary.edu/faithandphilosophy/vol14/iss4/6 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at ePLACE: preserving, learning, and creative exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers by an authorized editor of ePLACE: preserving, learning, and creative exchange. CREATION AS THEODICY: IN DEFENSE OF A KABBALISTIC APPROACH TO EVIL Robert Oakes The doctrine of Tzimzum (or divine "withdrawal") occupies pride of place in the Jewish mystical tradition as a response to what is arguably the chief theo­ logical or metaphysical concern of that tradition: namely, how God's Infinity or Absolute Unlimitedness does not preclude the existence of a distinct domain of finite being. Alternatively, how can it be that God, by virtue of His Maximal Plenteousness, does not exhaust the whole of Reality? I attempt to show that, while a plausible argument - one that does not involve the idea of Tzimzum - can be mounted against this "pantheism" problem, the doctrine of Tzimzum has considerable force as the nucleus of a theodicy.
    [Show full text]
  • Below Are Recommendations of Non-Fiction Books of Jewish Content from a Small Group of People Involved in Jewish Engagement and Education
    Below are recommendations of non-fiction books of Jewish content from a small group of people involved in Jewish engagement and education. The authors of these books span most of the range of Jewish practice and ideology. The list may look extensive, but there is much more to choose from. Feel free to ask your friends, neighbors and clergy for recommendations. Ports of Entry: Introductory Jewish Books Shimon Apisdorf, Judaism in a Nutshell (series: Passover, Israel, G-D etc.) Thomas Cahill, The Gifts of the Jews Arthur Green, Judaism's 10 Best Ideas: A Guide for Seekers Esther Jundgreis, The Committed Life Kerry M. Olitzky, Introducing My Faith and My Community: The Jewish Outreach Institute Guide for the Christians in a Jewish Interfaith Relationship Dennis Prager and Joseph Telushkin, Nine Questions People Ask About Judaism Mayer Schiller, The Road Back Joseph Telushkin, Jewish Literacy Shmuel Waldman, Beyond A Reasonable Doubt American Jewish Experience Stephen Birmingham, “Our Crowd:” The Great Jewish Families of New York Arnold Eisen, The Chosen People in America Arnold Eisen & Steve Cohen , The Jew Within: Self, Family, and Community in America Eli N. Evans, Judah P. Benjamin: The Jewish Confederate Irving Howe, World of Our Fathers: The Journey of the East European Jews to America and the Life They Found and Made Michael Krasny, Let There Be Laughter: A Treasury of Great Jewish Humor And What It All Means Jonathan Sarna, American Judaism: A History Ron Wolfson, The Spirituality of Welcoming: How to Transform Your Congregation into
    [Show full text]
  • University of Southampton Research Repository Eprints Soton
    University of Southampton Research Repository ePrints Soton Copyright © and Moral Rights for this thesis are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder/s. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given e.g. AUTHOR (year of submission) "Full thesis title", University of Southampton, name of the University School or Department, PhD Thesis, pagination http://eprints.soton.ac.uk UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON FACULTY OF HUMANITIES English Department Hasidic Judaism in American Literature by Eva van Loenen Thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy December 2015 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON ABSTRACT FACULTY OF YOUR HUMANITIES English Department Thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy HASIDIC JUDAISM IN AMERICAN LITERATURE Eva Maria van Loenen This thesis brings together literary texts that portray Hasidic Judaism in Jewish-American literature, predominantly of the 20th and 21st centuries. Although other scholars may have studied Rabbi Nachman, I.B. Singer, Chaim Potok and Pearl Abraham individually, no one has combined their works and examined the depiction of Hasidism through the codes and conventions of different literary genres. Additionally, my research on Judy Brown and Frieda Vizel raises urgent questions about the gendered foundations of Hasidism that are largely elided in the earlier texts.
    [Show full text]
  • ZOHAR QUESTIONS – DANIEL MATT 1) How Did You First Become Drawn
    ZOHAR QUESTIONS – DANIEL MATT 1) How did you first become drawn to the mystical side of Judaism? My father, Hershel Matt, was a rabbi—a genuinely spiritual rabbi. He rarely used the word “mystical,” but I imbibed spirituality from him, from praying, singing, and studying with him. Largely because of him, I felt drawn to exploring the mystical dimension of Judaism. At Brandeis University I took courses in Jewish mysticism with Professor Alexander Altmann. Arthur Green, who was then a graduate student, taught an informal course in Hasidic texts. These courses inspired me to begin studying the Zohar, which I first undertook in Jerusalem at the Hebrew University during my junior year abroad in 1970. 2) How has the Zohar informed your life and what meaning can it have in our contemporary world—for Jews and other spiritual seekers? I see the Zohar as a celebration of the imagination. It shows how to discover radically new meaning in an ancient text. The Zohar, after all, is a commentary on the Torah, not an independent book. It challenges you to delve deeply into Scripture. Though it builds on all the previous layers of Jewish tradition, it also demonstrates a holy dissatisfaction with traditional formulations. Typically we read: “This verse has already been discussed, but…” It is that pregnant “but” that provides an opening for new discovery, for new possibilities of meaning. The Zohar has taught me to never stop questioning, to build on the past and to soar higher. Through its imaginative power, it has helped me cultivate a sense of wonder.
    [Show full text]
  • Interpreting Diagrams from the Sefer Yetsirah and Its Commentaries 1
    NOTES 1 Word and Image in Medieval Kabbalah: Interpreting Diagrams from the Sefer Yetsirah and Its Commentaries 1. The most notorious example of these practices is the popularizing work of Aryeh Kaplan. His critical editions of the SY and the Sefer ha Bahir are some of the most widely read in the field because they provide the texts in Hebrew and English with comprehensive and useful appendices. However, these works are deeply problematic because they dehistoricize the tradi- tion by adding later diagrams to earlier works. For example, in his edition of the SY he appends eighteenth-century diagrams to later versions of this tenth-century text. Popularizers of kabbalah such as Michael Berg of the Kabbalah Centre treat the Zohar as a second-century rabbinic tract without acknowledging textual evidence to the contrary. See his introduction to the Centre’s translation of the Zohar: P. S. Berg. The Essential Zohar. New York: Random House, 2002. 2. For a variety of reasons, kabbalistic works were transmitted in manuscript form long after other works, such as the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud, and their commentaries were widely available in print. This is true in large part because kabbalistic treatises were “private” works, transmitted from teacher to student. Kabbalistic manuscripts were also traditionally transmitted in manuscript form because of their provenance. The Maghreb and other parts of North Africa were important centers of later mystical activity, and print technology came quite late to these regions, with manuscript culture persisting well into the nineteenth, and even into the mid- twentieth century in some regions.
    [Show full text]
  • The Exalted Rebbe הצדיק הנשגב
    THE EXALTED REBBE הצדיק הנשגב YESHUA IN LIGHT OF THE CHASSIDIC CONCEPTS OF DEVEKUT AND TZADDIKISM הקדמה לרעיון הדבקות בחסידות ויחסו למשיחיות ישוע THE EXALTED REBBE AN INTRODUCTION TO THE CONCEPT OF DEVEKUT AND TZADDIKISM IN CHASIDIC THOUGHT TOBY JANICKI Jewish critics of Messianic Judaism and the New Testament will often raise the argument that the Hebrew Scriptures do not set a precedent for the concept of an intercessor who stands between God and man. In other words, the idea that we need Messiah Yeshua to be the one to lead us to the Father and intercede on our behalf is not biblical. These critics state that we can approach God on our own faith and merit with no need for anyone to be a go-between. In their minds such an idea is idolatrous and completely foreign to Judaism. However, the talmudic sages of Israel developed the idea of the need for an intercessor in the con- cept of the tzaddik (“righteous one”). They, along with the later Chasidic movement, found proof for the need for an intermediary in the Torah and the rest of the Scriptures. By examining the tzaddik within Judaism we can not only defend our faith in the Master but we can also better understand His role from a Torah perspective. THE TZADDIK A true .(צדק ,is derived from the Hebrew word for “righteousness” (tzedek (צדיק) The word tzaddik tzaddik is a sinless person. Tzaddik has the sense of “one whose conduct is found to be beyond re- proach by the divine Judge.”1 According to the New Testament, there is no such person, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”2 the only exception being Yeshua of Nazareth, who was “tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”3 From apostolic reckoning and the perspective of Messianic faith, Yeshua is the only true tzaddik.
    [Show full text]
  • A Journal of Jewish Responsibility
    saints. Read perceptively, the Talmud and Midrash Sh'ma state that over a million Jewish people were involved in meditative disciplines before the Common Era. a journal of Jewish responsibility But with the threat of dispersion into the foreign lands, the sages of the Second Commonwealth, and 21/416 SEPTEMBER 6,1991 the Great Assembly feared that the meditative practices would become corrupted and perverted by the masses in exile. With great wisdom they substi- tuted and standardized the prayer service and the Amidah (the "standing" prayers) in particular, as a discipline which would contain within it meditative secrets as well as maintain the unity of the Jewish people while in exile. Over time, the meditative A prayer in anticipation of negotiation practices became more hidden and available to fewer and fewer people. Just and Merciful One, Giver of Time, Lover of A Jewish Way We have Forgotten Israel and all Humankind, create out of the tohu vevohu of Middle East politics an enduring peace. There is evidence however that the greatest Jewish And then teach us all how to live with it so that non- thinkers were familiar with meditative practices. belligerence grows into neighborliness. We bless Louis Jacobs' book, Jewish Mystical Testimonies, You, Holy Presence, the Ultimate Peacemaker. contains personal accounts of meditative mystical experience by such pre-modern giants as Rabbi Meditation, the ultimate openness Joseph Karo, Rabbi Moshe Luzatto, Rabbi Dov Baer Mindy Ribner of Lubavitch, and the Vilna Gaon. Surprisingly, these sages were known primarily for their legalistic Meditation enjoys increasing popularity as a means teachings.
    [Show full text]
  • Extraterrestrial Life
    Extraterrestrial life Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan Space flight as a prelude to the messianic age? According to this article by the late Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan there is a connection. Do it make sense to you? Tell us your opinion in the comments. One of the unique aspects of Judaism is its far reaching universality. Not only does Judaism provide a lesson for every human being, its teachings extended to the very boundaries of the universe. It is an axi om of Judaism that the entire universe was created for the sake of man. In one place, the Talmud reckons that there are some [10 to the 18th power] stars in the observable universe, and explicitly states that they were all created for the sake of man. It g oes further to state that all the angels and spiritual worlds also only exist for this purpose. Of course, this immediately raises a question that many find quite difficult. How is it possible that man, living on a dust mote called planet Earth, should be the center of the universe? Our Sages realized the vast number of stars in the universe, and also realized that many of them were many orders of magnitude larger than the earth. (Maimonides - Foundations of Torah 3:8) ...It should be quite simple to unde rstand that size and quantity alone are meaningless to an infinite God. There is absolutely no question that the human brain is vastly more complex than the greatest galaxy, and furthermore, that it contains more information than the entire observable inan imate universe.
    [Show full text]
  • Are Head Coverings the New Black? Sheitels and the Religious-Secular Culture Wars in Twenty-First-Century America and Its Literature
    Skinazi, K. E. H. (2017). Are head coverings the new black? Sheitels and the religious-secular culture wars in twenty-first-century America and its literature. Open Library of Humanities, 3(2). https://doi.org/10.16995/olh.138 Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record License (if available): CC BY Link to published version (if available): 10.16995/olh.138 Link to publication record in Explore Bristol Research PDF-document This is the final published version of the article (version of record). It first appeared online via Open Library of Humanities at https://olh.openlibhums.org/articles/10.16995/olh.138/ . Please refer to any applicable terms of use of the publisher. University of Bristol - Explore Bristol Research General rights This document is made available in accordance with publisher policies. Please cite only the published version using the reference above. Full terms of use are available: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/red/research-policy/pure/user-guides/ebr-terms/ New Voices in Jewish-American Literature How to Cite: Skinazi, K E H 2017 Are Head Coverings the New Black? Sheitels and the Religious-Secular Culture Wars in Twenty-first-century America and its Literature. Open Library of Humanities, 3(2): 12, pp. 1–27, DOI: https://doi.org/10.16995/olh.138 Published: 08 November 2017 Peer Review: This article has been peer reviewed through the double-blind process of Open Library of Humanities, which is a journal published by the Open Library of Humanities. Copyright: © 2017 The Author(s). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
    [Show full text]
  • Radical Judaism: Rethinking God and Tradition, by Arthur Green. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2010
    Radical Judaism: Rethinking God and Tradition, by Arthur Green. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2010. 197 pp. $26.00. Arthur Green’s book is one of the most profound interpretations of the Jewish tradition that I have read in the last decade, and it is certainly the most radical. Green, currently rector of the Rabbinical School at Hebrew College in Massachusetts, has also served as president of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical School and as professor at the University of Pennsylvania and Brandeis University. For the last fifty years Green, one of the most significant Jewish theologians in America, has devoted his life to learning and teaching the classical Jewish sources, especially mystical and Hasidic sacred texts. This book is so rich in its use of major classical Jewish sources, including some of the most cryptic ones from the Jewish mystical tradition, and covers so many critical issues that in this short review I will focus only on his view of God, which to me seems to be the most controversial issue in this work and has serious implications for other core Jewish ideas. Green argues that at the heart and center of Judaism the one core idea which Jews must continue to teach to the world is the universalist vision of Simeon ben Azzai for whom the Torah’s most basic principle is that there is one God and that every human being is created in God’s image. In Green’s new vision of the Jewish tradition, this means that “Being is One, and each person is God’s unique image” (p.
    [Show full text]
  • The Absent Seventh Beggar
    1 This is a box structure outline of Nachman’s Tale of the Seven Beggars, a story composed of a series of nested stories. Since the tale remains incomplete, the nesting structure never works its way back to the outermost frame. Pearl Abraham, author “The Seventh Beggar”1 In the beginning of time, before the mountains were made. Before the sky split, passion sits. In peace and harmony. Creates the space for a new baby. We stay empty in the vision of the King for his dreams will manifest in we. Princes and Priests will come run and emerge as the surge flows like rain. To see, to see the day it come When the King will look into His Kingdom. And to my being and see hisself happy. Believe in me, I believe in we. This is the story of the seven beggars. Trying to get back on a eagle's feathers. Looking for a place to be born amongst the sons and daughters. Get back to you, get back to you. There was an ocean, there was a boat. It ran into the waves and rocks and it broke. From the debris, made the ocean and skies, overt deceit, lies. Ancient tongue. 1 For scholarly analysis of folk themes see Avidov Lipsker: (Jerusalem Studies in Jewish Folklore, 13-14 (1992), pp. 229-248) 2 So the great equal smile. You, you, me, we are the same. You, who remembers all the while, all the way back before the cord was cut? Before the leaves, before the trees, before the sea, and the black ocean breeze.
    [Show full text]
  • Work at Not Needing Approval from Anyone and You Will
    CHESHVAN “Work at not needing THEMES OF CHESVAN approval from anyone • Sifting through “the muck” • Putting faith in your efforts, and you will be free to believing they’ll blossom be who you really are.” • Following through on our intentions – Rebbe Nachman of Breslov1 • Grounding and breakthroughs 1. The homegirls At The Well would not put a teaching from a dude in our newsletter unless we knew he was a total righteous brother. Rebbe Nachman of Breslov is this guy. Known for merging the Jewish mystical elements with the ancient traditions in the Torah, the Rebbe invited us to speak to God as if we were talking to our best friend. So, in the spirit of this teaching, imagine if God really was just “one of us, on a bus, trying to make her way home.” 1 SPIRITUAL ENERGY OF CHESHVAN The cooler air and changing leaves inspire a natural turning ancestors returning from spiritual pilgrimages to visit their inwards right about now; the spirit of the Hebrew calendar Rebbes. Tishrei created the ultimate high, the moment of is in sync with this energy of introspection, but also some being closest to the Divine. When the pilgrimage was over spiritual hustle as well. The month of Cheshvan has a rolling and the people journeyed home, it was most likely a time up your sleeves and making good on all of last month’s hard of mourning and shock, a time of depression, or at least a spiritual work flavor to it. We just left Tishrei, the holiest little slumping, as they waded back into the “muck” of life.
    [Show full text]