Article about Wilderness Torah at jWeekly.com
To celebrate Shavuot, up all night on Mount Tam
Thursday, June 4, 2009 | by stacey palevsky
The sound of the shofar pierced the early morning air at 5:30 a.m. It was time to pray.
A group of tired but inspired people stood on Mount Tamalpias and sang morning prayers accompanied by an acoustic guitar. They had arrived in a small clearing just as the morning fog settled over the redwoods and surrounding hills.
Those 18 people had not yet slept. They had stayed up all night studying, singing and meditating as part of Shavuot on the Mountain, an all-night study session May 28 organized by Wilderness Torah, a new group based in the East Bay that seeks to connect Jewish ritual to nature.
About 75 people attended: Jews, converts, seekers, toddlers, children, young adults, seniors. Only one-fourth managed to stay up all night, as a majority went to sleep in their tents at various points of the night and woke up at 8 a.m. for a communal breakfast.
“We are building community through reinvigorating the earth-based traditions that have by and large been hidden from us,” said Zelig Golden, one of the three founders of Wilderness Torah.
Shavuot commemorates the day God gave Moses and the Israelites the Torah, and it is a Shavuot tradition to stay up studying all night. People often gather in homes or synagogues to do so.
But because the Israelites experienced the Torah revelation in the desert at the base of Mount Sinai, Wilderness Torah wanted its all-night study session to also be outside in the elements.
“Being outside brings an authenticity to Judaism,” said Joti Levy, a participant from Oakland.
The event began at about 8 p.m. at Alice Eastwood Group Campground with an evening service as the sun set. When the sky turned an inky black, the learning sessions began.
Classes, or offerings as they were known on Mount Tam, were diverse and ranged from the cerebral to the physical. Offerings included a discussion about counting the omer; a lesson in drumming to accompany songs and prayers; a session on Chassidic folk tales; silent meditation walks; and even 4 a.m. yoga because, well, “Have you ever done yoga at 4 a.m.?” joked Julie Wolk, another co-founder of Wilderness Torah.
Each offering aimed to promote growth, be it spiritual, communal or creative.
At midnight and after two workshop sessions, most of the participants got back together, now bundled in parkas and wool blankets. The air was cold and it was quiet, save for the crackle of the fire in the center of their circle.
Shulamit Wise Fairman, the music director at Kehilla Community Synagogue in Piedmont, chanted the Sinai story in Hebrew and English. Her sweet voice danced in the night air.
After that, Golden led a guided meditation while playing a hand drum and Aharon Wheels-Bolsta played a bansuri, an Indian bamboo flute with a soothing sound. When they finished, the group fell silent for a while, sitting and standing around the campfire. Then someone began to play a guitar, strumming so tenderly and softly that people closed their eyes, hugged their neighbor, swayed gently.
“The conditions were perfect for me to have a deep, reflective inner journey,” Fairman said. “I prefer to learn and pray and build community and do my own spiritual work in nature.”
In keeping with a natural approach, organizers of Shavuot on the Mountain didn’t set in stone a lineup of workshops. Instead, they asked participants for suggestions, and the night’s schedule emerged in the days leading up to the event.
“There is so much brilliance in the Bay Area, we trusted that people would volunteer great teachings,” Wolk said.
Rabbi Sydney Mintz of Congregation Emanu-El was one of many participants that volunteered to teach a class. At 9 p.m., about 25 people gathered around wooden picnic tables to hear her talk about the Israelites at Sinai and how similar (or not) they are to the Jews of today.
She passed out excerpts from the Torah, but before digging into the text (legible only by the glow of a votive candle or by the headlamps people wore) she asked, “What kind of Jew are you?”
The various answers: Connecting, determined, frustrated, yearning, thoughtful, singing, dancing, happy, earthy, alive, seeking, wandering, dynamic, evolving.
After everyone had answered the question, Mintz pointed out that no one described himself or herself as a “certain” Jew, that is, one who is certain about their religious beliefs and how to live a Jewish life.
“We must ask: Who is God? How do we define Judaism? If we didn’t ask these questions all of the time, we wouldn’t be an enduring community,” she said. “With a questioning heart and spirit, we’re able to still stand at Sinai.”
Spirituality even was inserted into breakfast preparation, when chef and participant Avishai Perlman led a meditation session before orchestrating the cracking of dozens of eggs and the sautéing of fresh chard, potatoes and carrots.
“It was an amazing experience to prepare food as the birds were waking up,” Perlman said.
Soon the scent of garlic and butter wafted into the dewy morning air. People emerged from their tents to gather for motzi and a final meal on the mountain. They sat around the campfire nibbling on fresh scrambled eggs and organic produce from local farmers.
“I hope this was not just a sleepless night,” Golden said during the closing ceremony, “but one that will bring a deeper wakefulness as well.”
For more information, contact Wilderness Torah at wildernesstorah@gmail.com.
More images for this story are available here: http://jweekly.com/gallery/jewish-life/
I really liked your post, it really added a great point of view on the matter. Thanks allot.
This is a really good read for me. Must admit that you are one of the coolest bloggers I ever saw. Thanks for posting this informative article.
Cool entry cheers, definitely consider a follow up post.
I am aware this is slightly off the topic at hand, but I would just like to find out, what you guys reckon about the general election in australia?
Hi, good day. Wonderful post. You have gained a new subscriber. Pleasee continue this great work and I look forward to more of your great blog posts.
We are looking for people interessted in testing the new IPhone. Go Here: http://bit.ly/aiUA6Y
Thanks for the great post.
buy viagra prescription online,buy viagra online at lowest price
buy viagra for less,buy viagra from an online pharmacy
Awesome post and must say it got my attention. I was browsing online and saw your site and am glad i found it.
I am quite new to the net and needed to read up on this subject. Thought it was a great blog very well written and informative. I will definitely be coming back to your blog to read more articles as i adored this one..
wormfarms are awesome, i like farming worms because i eat them later.
Superb webpage, I enjoy your subject matter and posts, I look over any working day.
Thank you. This is one of knowledge.
Hello! cadfdbc interesting cadfdbc site!
Very nice site! cheap viagra
Very nice site! [url=http://opxaiey.com/oyyrsry/2.html]cheap cialis[/url]
Very nice site! cheap cialis http://opxaiey.com/oyyrsry/4.html
Very nice site!
Keep up the amazing work!! I love how you wrote this and I also like the colors here on this site. did you create this yourself or did you outsource it to a coder??
Wow! Amazing.
Dude, please inform me that youre going to compose much more. I notice you havent composed one more blog site for a while (Im just catching up myself). Your website is just too critical being missed. Youve received so much to say, such knowledge about this subject it can be a shame to check out this website disappear. The world wide web requires you, man!
Post Bookmarked.
goodto see you make postings on this issue, I should bookmark this web site. Just keep up the good job.
This is a topic near to my heart thanks, found you through Bing.
What I love (and fear) most is that Ahmadinejad is like the President of Bizzaro America, throwing all of our nationalistic military rhetoric right back at our face, but so transparently threatening, that it makes me realize just how much we use threats to intimidate other countries. It’s a veritable neocon mash-up of statements and proclamations that reveal a dangerous and violent ideology. Wait, who am I talking about?
Appreciate your website becasue it is right to your point and not technological. I really like gadgets as well as anything at all tech related thats exactly why we posted here. will you be accomplishing a strong update soon as I’m sure intrigued in your subject. I will return before long and also sign up to your webblog. cheers.
I really like your site and i really appreciate the excellent quality content you are posting here for free for your online readers. Can you tell us which blog platform you are using?
I like your blog. Your writing is fresh.
Wonderful blog! I actually love how it’s easy on my eyes as well as the data are well written. I am wondering how I can be notified whenever a new post has been made. I have subscribed to your rss feed which ought to do the trick! Have a nice day!
Easily, the post is actually the greatest on this deserving topic. I agree with your conclusions and will thirstily look forward to your coming updates. . . . .
Hello, really like the look of your blog. Would you mind telling me what theme you are using? I’m new to this and I’d like to get mine looking anywhere near as cool as yours. Thanks a lot.
Hi, really love the design of your site. Would you be able to tell me what theme you are using? I’m new to this and I’m hoping to get mine looking anywhere near as cool as yours. Thanks a lot.
Small Business Must Use SEO and PPC to Survive http://bit.ly/c7HUf1
Hi – very good web site you have established. I enjoyed reading this posting. I did want to issue a comment to tell you that the design of this site is very aesthetically pleasing. I used to be a graphic designer, now I am a copy editor in chief for a marketing firm. I have always enjoyed playing with information processing systems and am attempting to learn code in my spare time (which there is never enough of lol).
I was just browsing for relevant blog posts for my project research and I happened to stumble upon yours. Thanks for the useful information!
I wish I had looked up more on this subject before reading this post.It is a really intriguing subject. Thankyou.
I wish I had read up more on this subject before reading this post.It is a really crazy matter. Thanks.
Hi, maybe this is a tiny bit off topic but anyway, I have been surfing around your blog and it seems great. I am creating a new blog and I’m pressured to make it seem great, and supply good writings. I have found allot on your site and can’t wait for added updates and will return.
I really liked your post, it really added a great view point on the topic. Thanks allot.
Good day, possibly this is a bit away from topic but anyhow, I have been browsing around your blog and it is interesting. I am making a new blog and I’m finding it hard to make it look good, and supply good posts. I have discovered a lot on your blog and can’t wait for new updates and will be back.
Searching for this for quite a while now – i suppose luck is far more progressive rather than google and yahoo…
I am really happy that I have found the blog. Bookmaking it!
This is really an interesting website!
I am very happy that I have found the blog. Bookmarked it!
Good article, Each and every and Just about every Stage is good Sufficient.Many thanks for sharing with us your wisdom.
Good blog! I genuinely love how it is easy on my eyes and also the facts are well written. I am wondering how I may be notified whenever a new post has been made. I have subscribed to your rss feed which should do the trick! Have a nice day!
If you’re still on the fence: grab your favorite earphones, head down to a Best Buy and ask to plug them into a Zune then an iPod and see which one sounds better to you, and which interface makes you smile more. Then you’ll know which is right for you.
Nice site and great text.
Really intriguing post. Got me realize I was entirely incorrectly about this content. I suppose one learns something different everyday. Mrs Right found her lesson! Good informative blog by the way. Appreciate your blog