A Sabbatical Begins

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Many of you read much of what I write. You may read my weekly emails, or my monthly HaKol newsletter article. You may read my blog, which I am planning to update. 

Today is July 1, 2024. It is the first day of my new contract and the first day of the new fiscal year. I have served as rabbi and spiritual leader for 12 years at Congregation Kneseth Israel and together we have continued to maintain and build a congregation. A fiercely independent Jewish congregation. One that has bult connections throughout the Fox River Valley, Chicagoland and the wider world. And while I love, absolutely love what I do. I can’t imagine doing anything else and I am grateful to be serving. 

However, it hasn’t always been easy. Like Jews everywhere we argue, we kvetch, we lose sight over what might be really important. This past year we even argued over the use of the world argue. Is debate a better word? 

This new contract grants a month’s sabbatical. So today, this July 1, I am starting something I have never done before. Here is what I wrote to the congregation, expanded just slightly: 

Happy Summer. It has certainly been hot. Happy 4th of July. I look forward to celebrating it every year. It was the holiday of importance in my home growing up, partly because my mother’s birthday was the 6th (It would have been 100 years this year) and my father’s was the 7th. It involved parades, fireworks, food, flags, jazz music and up North Lake Michigan sunsets. The year I lived in Israel I will never forget on a kibbutz a Scottish volunteer playing America the Beautiful on the bagpipes for the American volunteers.  

This year July will look a little different at CKI. I will be on the first part of my sabbatical from July1 until July 18. What is a sabbatical, you might ask? It is time given to a clergy person or an academic often after 7 years for rest, renewal and spiritual growth. It is a concept that is Biblically mandated as the sh’mita year. Every seven years the land was to lie fallow and rest.  

It is part of the natural cycle and rhythm. Six days we work and the seventh is the Sabbath to be refreshed, v’yinafash, re-souled if you will. Even G-d need to v’yinafash according to Exodus and the song we sing on Shabbat, “V’shamru” Shabbat is a sign of the covenant for all times, from generation to generation. Six years we work the land and let it rest in the seventh. After the 49th year, seven times seven the 50th year is proclaimed as a Jubilee year, where all the those enslaved were set free. “Proclaim liberty throughout the land” which we just read Memorial Day Weekend from Leviticus is on the liberty bell.  

In the Shmita year, debts are to be forgiven, agricultural lands to lie fallow, private land holdings to become open to the commons, and staples such as food storage and perennial harvests to be freely redistributed and accessible to all. It is a pretty radical way to organize society. We’ve done a lot of studying of these texts particularly in the last shmita year in Israel. Hazon used to have a great source book for this. It is now available here: https://adamah.org/resource/updated-shmita-sourcebook/  

A sabbatical today looks a little different. It is not a vacation, although there are elements that overlap. What I want to do in this first part is:  

  • Finishing writing the book, Trip Notes 
  • Writing a piece for AJR on the Yamim Nora’im and October 7 
  • Finishing my class on “G-d is Here” 
  • Painting something for Fox Valley Hands of Hope 
  • Restorative activities: 
    • Reconnecting with Simon 
    • Sleeping 
    • Reading 
    • Finding Sunsets and Sunrises 
    • Hiking 
    • Learning to dance 

But part of the beauty of a sabbatical is not having any plans on any specific day. So, while I tried to plan, the specific plans are not entirely clear, although I will keep Josh apprised. 

Why now? Because it has been 12 years since we began our relationship together. This is the beginning of my 5th contract at CKI. During this time, together, we have weathered a global pandemic, the ongoing tragedy and aftermath of October 7th, and a couple of serious health challenges, both for Simon and me. Having this brief respite should help set up the fall, Torah School and all the High Holy Days well. 

There are seven kinds of rest.
1. Physical rest
2. Mental rest
3. Emotional rest
4. Sensory rest
5. Creative rest
6. Social rest
7. Spiritual rest 

People actually need all seven to feel fully renewed and rejuvenated. I actually do pretty well on the physical rest. I woke up really early, even for me. I think I am excited to try something new. I get up without an alarm. My body, despite the health challenges, seems to do what I need it to do.  

So yes, I caught that first sunrise. On my brief walk to see the sunrise, I found myself singing Modah Ani, “I thank you G-d”, that would be the spiritual piece. There are other spiritual disciplines I want to explore this month. The class on G-d is Here and more challah baking fit that bucket. The book, Morning, Noon and Night, Poetry in the Language of Jewish Time will help me reclaim mincha. Some of the other categories will be harder. How chained to email and social media will I be? Time will tell. But I am excited!