07/10/2024
The new moon this month marks the beginning of a new month in the Jewish calendar, Tammuz. The 17th of Tammuz, just after the full moon in a couple of weeks, marks the beginning of a time of year called "Bein HaMetzarim" a bit of a "between a rock and a hard place" sort of expression. It counts the days leading up to Tisha b'Av, which is the Jewish Day of Mourning. This year, it feels like everyday is a Jewish day of mourning as we continue to watch Netanyahu and his sympathizers weaponize ancestral trauma and Jewish texts to enact a genocide on the Palestinian people.
I have to admit that I've grown weary these last weeks. I became physically ill a number of times, which of course was both a symptom of and a cause for further disengagement. A number of times I found that connecting to my grief - often in a wash of sobs, suddenly soaking the soil beneath me - helped me slough off total stagnancy and despair. In the aftermath of the waves of wailing I would find a renewed sense of presence and aliveness that I hadn't felt in days or even weeks (or whenever I last allowed myself to fully grieve)....
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Read the rest of my most newsletter at the link below. And check out some of the upcoming gatherings etc. where I'll be song leading in the comments.
https://mailchi.mp/7af6f65afcb0/july-2024
