Words as vessels
It is Friday here in the Eastern Time Zone of the United States which means that this creature of habit (hopefully not always attachment) has been listening to this week’s podcast of On Being with host Krista Tippett . Her conversation this week is with Rabbi Amicai Lau-Lavie who is the spiritual leader of Lab/Shul, a “pop-up, everybody-friendly, artist-driven, God-optional” synagogue in New York City. The Term pop-up refers to the fact that they do not have a permanent location and, thus, meet in various venues in New York City.
The terms used to identify this synagogue led by a duly ordained conservative Rabbi is both inclusive and exclusive meaning it attracts those who may not feel as if they fit well into a traditional synagogue or other religious organization and exclusive in that it may not attract many of those who fit into more traditional religious organizations.
As usual, I urge the reader of this blog to listen to or read the transcript of the podcast.
For whatever reason, the stories and traditions of the Jewish religious have repeatedly come to my attention the past couple of weeks. Again, and again I am reminded that I come from a particular heritage of stories which have been passed down and retold for many generations. Everyone is a descendant of stories meant to both ground one in the here and now and propel one forward in one’s search for meaning and connection. The vessels for these stories are often words which may be comprised of sound, dance/vibrations, touch or a drawing/painting.
Many have said that we are our stories – the stories we inherit and which, when retold by us, become new as we add the layer of us.
There is the danger, of course, that we make the vessels of words the story which then, of course, creates an us-them closed vessel. Even the words used to describe the synagogue led by Rabbi Lau-Lavie are in danger of pushing away. The phrase every-body friendly will seem to some so inclusive as to be incapable of holding any of the ancient or current stories. After all, we can read in the Old Testament about the tribes or people of Israel as God’s chosen people. We can think of the holocaust or other attempts to enclose these people in a vessel of Jewishness which has often been seen as a threat to those who were not Jewish.
Once we have created a vessel it is easy to blame the vessel for one’s own human shortcomings.
Lab/Shul is an attempt to expand the “we” beyond the confines of any particular vessel although it originates out of the rich lineage into which Rabbi Lau-Lavie was born. It is this tradition of the “I am” – Elohim that the ever expanding “we” can be nurtured. During his conversation with Mrs. Tippett Rabi Lau-Lavie suggest that “we are starving for the sacred”. It is out of the richness of his heritage and his openness to a growing understanding and appreciation for the “I am” that the ever expanding “we” can, I believe, emerge.
I have often written about the power of words. Words so often limit and contain one in an isolated, lonely, us-them, defensive space. Male implies not female. Conservative in various cultures can imply limited or open. Republican in the United States implies not Democrat or not libertarian or not socialist. Wife implies not husband. Rainbow implies not dark. American often implies those who live in the United States. Democracy implies the lack of class distinctions and yet …. Jewish implies not Christian or not Muslim or …
The vessel of words can often mark those like us deserving of the title of sacred or they can mark those who are not like us or not deserving of the title of sacred.
It is interesting to me that the word “we” seems much more inclusive that the word “us”. I think of the word “we” sitting in the center of this giant water lily which unfolds to lay nearly flat thus opening all the petals to form walkways. I think of the word “us” as contained in a steel vessel with a very tiny hole at the top which is easily guarded so that “them” are not allowed entry and “us” cannot escape.
Today I resolve to be more mindful of the words I use which are barriers to the “we” which is “everybody-friendly, artist-driven, God-optional”.
Written July 14, 2017
It is Friday here in the Eastern Time Zone of the United States which means that this creature of habit (hopefully not always attachment) has been listening to this week’s podcast of On Being with host Krista Tippett . Her conversation this week is with Rabbi Amicai Lau-Lavie who is the spiritual leader of Lab/Shul, a “pop-up, everybody-friendly, artist-driven, God-optional” synagogue in New York City. The Term pop-up refers to the fact that they do not have a permanent location and, thus, meet in various venues in New York City.
The terms used to identify this synagogue led by a duly ordained conservative Rabbi is both inclusive and exclusive meaning it attracts those who may not feel as if they fit well into a traditional synagogue or other religious organization and exclusive in that it may not attract many of those who fit into more traditional religious organizations.
As usual, I urge the reader of this blog to listen to or read the transcript of the podcast.
For whatever reason, the stories and traditions of the Jewish religious have repeatedly come to my attention the past couple of weeks. Again, and again I am reminded that I come from a particular heritage of stories which have been passed down and retold for many generations. Everyone is a descendant of stories meant to both ground one in the here and now and propel one forward in one’s search for meaning and connection. The vessels for these stories are often words which may be comprised of sound, dance/vibrations, touch or a drawing/painting.
Many have said that we are our stories – the stories we inherit and which, when retold by us, become new as we add the layer of us.
There is the danger, of course, that we make the vessels of words the story which then, of course, creates an us-them closed vessel. Even the words used to describe the synagogue led by Rabbi Lau-Lavie are in danger of pushing away. The phrase every-body friendly will seem to some so inclusive as to be incapable of holding any of the ancient or current stories. After all, we can read in the Old Testament about the tribes or people of Israel as God’s chosen people. We can think of the holocaust or other attempts to enclose these people in a vessel of Jewishness which has often been seen as a threat to those who were not Jewish.
Once we have created a vessel it is easy to blame the vessel for one’s own human shortcomings.
Lab/Shul is an attempt to expand the “we” beyond the confines of any particular vessel although it originates out of the rich lineage into which Rabbi Lau-Lavie was born. It is this tradition of the “I am” – Elohim that the ever expanding “we” can be nurtured. During his conversation with Mrs. Tippett Rabi Lau-Lavie suggest that “we are starving for the sacred”. It is out of the richness of his heritage and his openness to a growing understanding and appreciation for the “I am” that the ever expanding “we” can, I believe, emerge.
I have often written about the power of words. Words so often limit and contain one in an isolated, lonely, us-them, defensive space. Male implies not female. Conservative in various cultures can imply limited or open. Republican in the United States implies not Democrat or not libertarian or not socialist. Wife implies not husband. Rainbow implies not dark. American often implies those who live in the United States. Democracy implies the lack of class distinctions and yet …. Jewish implies not Christian or not Muslim or …
The vessel of words can often mark those like us deserving of the title of sacred or they can mark those who are not like us or not deserving of the title of sacred.
It is interesting to me that the word “we” seems much more inclusive that the word “us”. I think of the word “we” sitting in the center of this giant water lily which unfolds to lay nearly flat thus opening all the petals to form walkways. I think of the word “us” as contained in a steel vessel with a very tiny hole at the top which is easily guarded so that “them” are not allowed entry and “us” cannot escape.
Today I resolve to be more mindful of the words I use which are barriers to the “we” which is “everybody-friendly, artist-driven, God-optional”.
Written July 14, 2017
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