Gleanings

In all cases, whoever the transcriber, the shape and content of these materials reflect both the enduring and developing values of our community. The role of "spirituality" and the form it should take have been frequent topics of discussion, and each such discussion has shaped the content of these materials. This booklet is very much a communal product, and is only possible because of the incredibly open and accepting environment that the members of Kahal B'raira create at every one of our meetings. Our search for our shared and individual Jewish identities is a joyful one, because our congregation itself is a place of joy.
 
 

This is the religious observance I desire; to loosen all the fetters of wickedness, to untie the cords of lawlessness.
To let the oppressed go free, to break every yoke.
It is to share bread with the hungry and to take the wretched poor into our home.
When you see the naked, clothe them. Do not turn away from people in need.
As we came out of our mother's womb, so must we depart at last, naked as we came. We can take nothing of our wealth to carry away with us.
When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the corners of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest.
You shall not pick your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger.
Then shall your light break forth like the dawn. 

The moon sheds her light like a robe
She moves into the darkness.
The darkness where it is still quiet
It's there she finds rest.
A space to renew.
A place to come home to.
It's there she washes her weary feet drawn from the tides' warm evening waters.
It's there she sings love songs to the stars
Which echo in, and nourish her soul.
In the dark she returns to herself once more.
So we return to ourselves once again
We become children inside and celebrate and laugh
And refresh our souls
And feel our light within
Flicker, and rise, and dance.
And so we ready
To leave the world at the door,
To make a special place for our selves
To let down that which separates us,
A space of renewal.
So we who cherish life can emerge as the moon,
Bearing our light, our torch
To better repair our world.
To make a space for us.

It is wisdom calling Understanding raising her voice
She takes her stand at the topmost heights By the wayside, at the crossroads Near the gates at the city entrance;
Accept her discipline rather than silver Knowledge rather than choice gold For wisdom is better than rubies No goods can equal it.
Honored is the one who meditates on wisdom And who reasons intelligently
Whoever reflects on the ways of wisdom Will also pursue its secrets
Pursue wisdom like a hunter And lie in wait on its paths. Finding wisdom is sweeter than honey, And its inheritance sweeter than the honeycomb
Those who taste of it will hunger for more And those who drink of it will thirst for more.
We honor the judges of the earliest time, who gave our people counsel.
We seek righteousness in judgment, and the removal of sorrow and groaning from all peoples.
We honor and seek discerning knowledge, and understanding. 

How beautiful is the work of our hands. How wonderful is the bread of the earth.
How glorious are those who bring forth bread from the earth.
As the fingers of the challah intertwine, So too we join hands in our common humanity, Sharing the fruits of our labor.
We cherish all that has been created through human effort.
We celebrate the accomplishments of yesterday and today, Anticipating the possibilities of tomorrow.
Of all our efforts, of all our accomplishments, We cherish most those reflecting the best we are capable of being We seek peace, goodness and blessing, graciousness, Lovingkindness, and compassion for ourselves, And for all the children of Israel.
Whoever lives without blame, and does what is right, And whose heart acknowledges the truth The person who acts thus shall never be shaken.
It is not our obligation to complete the task of creating a better world But neither are we free to desist from it. 

Each of us comes to this congregation with different needs
Some hearts are full of gratitude and joy; They are eager to confront the day, To make the world more fair
And we rejoice with them
Some hearts ache with sorrow; Disappointments weigh heavily upon them,
May our presence and sympathy bring them comfort
Some hearts are embittered; They have sought answers in vain; Life has lost its meaning and value
May the knowledge that we too are searching give them courage to believe that not all is emptiness.
Each of us has come to this place For friendship, for understanding, And for warmth
All of us know despair and exaltation; all have moments of weakness and times of strength; all sing songs of sorrow and of love.
In our common need and striving we gain strength from one another. We are one in search of life's meaning. 

Again we come to that time which bids us lay aside the burden of care and the anxiety of the daily task.
In the struggle for the mastery over things material, we often forget the purpose of our life. We become enslaved, fettered by new wants, oppressed by new burdens.
Blessed are those who delight in the way things are, and keep their hearts open, day and night.
They are like trees planted near flowing rivers, which bear fruit when they are ready.
Each day is constructed anew in the flow of time, like a raft on a broad and wild river.
Alone, we fear the arrows of ill fortune that fly by day, and the pestilence that stalks by night.
In the darkness we light a candle of hope. In pain we light a candle of forgiveness.
In loneliness we light a candle of warmth. In gratitude we light a candle of thanks.
Our separate lights become one, that we may flourish in its glow. 

We gather, as Jews have always gathered, to create precious moments.
Let us take pause from our everyday lives to create a special time.
Let us put aside the fear, anger, turmoil, trials, dissonance, demands, expectations and pace of our daily existence.
Let the possibilities of this moment be not lost. Let every potential for wisdom, harmony and elation be realized. This is a time for an expression of the best in us and all that we can share. A time for peace, for contemplation, for introspection, for understanding and for hope.
It is a time for love, laughter and joy to be shared by family and friends. For giving and getting. For sharing and caring. For learning about the goodness of life, for reaffirming our faith and our beliefs.
Our lives are as fragile and delicate as dancing flames. Yet our quest for life rivals the intensity of those same lights. Let us endeavor to appreciate the potential of these sacred moments.
May we all be blessed with life and love, joy and happiness, companionship, community and peace.
Let us acknowledge our continual need for the spiritual nourishment that we call hope.
May this nourishment satisfy us and renew us.
May we be sustained so that we may work for a better life and a better world for ourselves and generations yet to come.
Let us be grateful for what we have, what we can share and for the way we live.
And let us all say Amen. 

In the stillness of the night, when the outer darkness enters the soul; in the press of the crowd, when we walk alone though yearning for companionship; and when in agony we are bystanders to our own confusion, we look for hope and peace.
We do not ask for a life of ease, for happiness without alloy. Instead, we ask to learn to be uncomplaining and unafraid. In our darkness, we yearn for the light, and in our loneliness we discover the many spirits akin to our own.
We seek strength to face life with hope and courage, that even from its discords and conflicts we may draw blessing, as we learn to exult in heights gained after the toil of climbing.
Let our darkness be dispelled by love, that we may rise above fear and failure, our steps sustained by faith.
Let me not separate myself from the true strength of my community: the experience and wisdom of old people, the hopes of the young, and the examples of care and courage which sustain me.
May we lie down this night in peace, and rise up to life renewed. And let a time come when morning will bring no word of war or famine or anguish, a time of happiness, of contentment and rest.

I am a Jew because the word of Israel is the oldest and newest.
To be a Jew demands of me no abdication of the mind.
I am a Jew because at every time of despair, the Jew hopes.
To be a Jew requires of me all the devotion of my heart.
I am a Jew because, for us, the world is not complete: we are completing it..
For Jews, humanity is not created; we are creating it.
I am a Jew because we place humanity and its unity above the nations.

Behold, the Torah. It contains the story of our people. It is the root of our ethic; forsake it not.
It is a tree of life to those who hold it fast, and all who cling to it find happiness. Its ways are ways of pleasantness, and all its paths are peace.
Set these words, which we speak of this day, upon your heart.
Teach them faithfully to your children; speak of them in your home and on your way, when you lie down and when you rise up.
Bind them as a sign upon your hand; let them be symbols before your eyes; inscribe them on the doorposts of your house, and on your gates
In a world torn by violence and pain, a world far from wholeness and peace, a world waiting still to be redeemed, we will find courage.
May our vision never fade; let us continue to work for the day when the nations will be one and at peace.
Let there be love and understanding among us; let peace and friendship be our shelter from life's storms'

Hear, oh Israel, our people are one,
Humanity is one.

The contemplation of death should plant within the soul elevation and peace. Above all, it should make us see things in their true light. For all things which seem foolish in the light of death are really foolish in themselves.
To be annoyed because someone has slighted us or has been somewhat more successful in social distinctions, pulled himself somehow one rung higher up the ladder than ourselves -- how ridiculous all this seems when we couple it with the thought of death!
To pass each day simply and solely in the eager pursuit of money or fame, this also seems like living with shadows when one might take one's part with realities. Surely when death is at hand we should desire to say, "I have contributed my grain to the great store of the eternal. I have borne my part in the struggle for goodness."
And let no man or woman suppose that the smallest social act of goodness is wasted for society at large. All our help, whatever it be, is needed; and though we know not the manner, the fruit of every faithful service nourishes humanity.
Let the true and noble worlds of a great teacher ring in conclusion upon our ears: "The growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life and rest in unvisited tombs."
The departed whom we now remember still live on earth in the acts of goodness they performed and in the hearts of those who cherish their memory. May the beauty of their life abide among us as a loving benediction.

We seek peace, the most precious gift, and the will to proclaim its message to all the peoples of the earth.
May our country become a stronghold of peace, and its advocate among the nations.
May contentment reign within its borders, health and happiness within its homes.
May love and goodness hallow every home and every heart.

Our life is fulfilled by what we become, not by what we were at birth.
Endowment and heritage mean much Š and then again, nothing. The essential thing is what we make of them.
Days are scrolls; write on them what you want to be remembered. You cannot say to the Angel of Death: I wish to arrange my affairs before I die.
Existence will remain meaningless until I penetrate it with active love, and in this way discover its meaning for myself.
We need light when gloom darkens our home. We need fortitude and courage when pain and loss assail us.
Who among us has not passed through trials and bereavements? Some bear fresh wounds in their hearts, and feel most keenly the kinship of sorrow. Others, whose days of mourning are more remote, still recall the comfort that sympathy brought to their sorrowing hearts.
All things pass, all that lives must die. All that we prize is but lent to us; and the time comes when we must surrender it.
We are travelers on the same road that leads to the same end.

May the love we shared
With those who came before us
Help us find the courage,
To make our lives a blessing,
And let us say, Amen

Mi shebeirach imoteinu
M'kor hbracha l'avoteinu

Bless those in need of healing
With rufuh shleima,
The renewal of body,
The renewal of spirit
And let us say, Amen. 

In the rising of the sun and in its going down,
We will remember them.
In the blowing of the wind and in the chill of winter,
We will remember them.

In the opening of buds and in the rebirth of spring,
We will remember them
In the blueness of the sky and in the warmth of summer,
We will remember them.

In the rustling of leaves and in the beauty of autumn,
We will remember them.
In the beginning of the year and when it ends,
We will remember them

When we are weary and in need of strength,
We will remember them.
When we are lost and sick at heart,
We will remember them.

When we have joys we yearn to share, we will remember them.
So long as we live, they too shall live,
For they are now a part of us
And we will remember