Singing ‘Lekha Dodi’: Shabbat as ‘Tikkun Olam’
December 3, 2023
On Shabbat, we look beyond the veil of the “upside-down world” and see the deeper reality of the One.
Rabbi Jeremy Schwartz has been spiritual leader of Temple Bnai Israel in Willimantic, CT since 2000. He is a graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (1997). His wide range of teaching interests includes particular emphases on mussar (ethical self-improvement), for which he’s received training from The Mussar Institute; Jewish liturgy; modern Hebrew poetry; and the theology of tikkun olam (world-repair).
On Shabbat, we look beyond the veil of the “upside-down world” and see the deeper reality of the One.
I find the meanings I’m going to discuss here sufficiently compelling that were I to have a child with a penis, I would circumcise him/them, in spite of the important arguments on the other side.
At Sinai, all of Israel directs their hearts to one place — one Makom.
Torah, or more broadly, Jewish civilization, is a tool of awareness. It keeps us awake to the world around us and demands that we respond with holy consciousness.
Values-based decision-making is a process deeply grounded in Torah and Jewish modalities of conversation and choices.
Serving as central organization of the Reconstructionist movement
Training the next generation of groundbreaking rabbis
Modeling respectful conversations on pressing Jewish issues
Curating original, Jewish rituals, and convening Jewish creatives
