THE BESHERT, ROSH HASHANAH TASHLICH SHABBAT TURTLE

THE BESHERT, ROSH HASHANAH TASHLICH SHABBAT TURTLE

2 Tishrei 5765 . Sept. 17, 2004

by Joy Krauthammer

This is a miracle story about a sweet turtle rescued on Tashlich following Rosh HaShanah services, just prior to Shabbat.

The magical morning began on second day Rosh HaShanah at the Temescal Canyon location of the Rosh HaShanah combined Jewish Spiritual Renewal service of B'nai Horin - Children of Freedom and Makom Ohr Shalom. Spiritual leaders included Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, Rabbi Stan Levy, Rabbi Debra Orenstein and Cantors Mark Bacharach and Monty Turner. Unexpected terrific guest leaders included cantorial soloist Craig Taubman, and a great surprise, sharing prayers and stories, Theodore Bikel, who was in deep loving Yiddishe embrace with his long-time dear friend, Reb Zalman.

Musicians included Rebbe Soul's Bruce Berger and flutist Richard Hardy. I had my timbrel to play in joy as the Torah was paraded in shul. Congregants included members from all the Renewal shuls. People had traveled far to come to this service. So many loving friends were present.

Following spiritually moving services, Tashlich on the Santa Monica beach with Rabbi Stan was an awesome experience, as it is every year. Toward the end of Tashlich I had gone looking for the beginning of the Sarah's Tent Tashlich ritual which I also participate in each year. It was supposedly being held in the same area as every year, but I never found it. That was beshert / meant to be.

After doing my own Tashlich ritual, I went back to rejoin B'nai Horin as I had heard that member and teacher, Rina Daly, was doing a later children's Shabbat program. I was talking to Ronit, another B'nai Horin member, as only a few of us were left on the beach after Tashlich. Suddenly I saw a few members huddle together and curious to see what I anticipated was an ocean find, I excused myself and ran to the water's edge.

Jony Goode (Rina's husband) was holding a turtle! Jony had found the turtle, about six inches of shell length, in the ocean. Karen Golden, a long time Sarah's Tent friend and renowned storyteller, quickly exclaimed that this was not an ocean turtle but a freshwater turtle. Jony had rescued the turtle from an unfriendly environment on Tashlich. This is a day of rescuing our souls from our sins.

We decided that maybe someone thought they were liberating the turtle by putting it into the ocean. We all became part of the rescue team. When Karen said the turtle was not in the right environment for him, I decided the turtle would be happier if he had a purification with healing water.

I took out my bottle of spring water and gently poured it over the turtle, beginning with its head. The turtle clearly liked the fresh water as s/he began to stretch out far it's head and all four legs. I think the turtle was really happy to have healthy water. S/he had been more hidden in its shell until given fresh water. The turtle was happy in Karen's hands Another friend, Charlotte Lynn, joined in with more bottled water. Turtle was loving it.

Karen's daughters, Hyla and her younger sister, looked on in glee as their mom was holding the newly found creature. While Karen held the turtle, I then began to pet the turtle's head with a single finger. I continued to stroke the head as the turtle looked at me with it's sweet grateful eyes. The turtle liked for me to stroke its head. I felt I had connected to the turtle's soul. It was a day for Tshuvah / returning to soul.

Karen pointed out the little red color by the eyes, being even more sure that this was not an ocean turtle. Karen said the turtle was underweight, and also that it's shell had been affected by the salt water. Karen exclaimed that she had three turtles in a pond at home and could care for this one. She said that there is even a monthly Friday turtle club. Karen's husband expressed concern for the other turtles in case the new swimmer joined them. I asked Jony for permission if Karen could be a foster mom for the turtle that he had rescued, until the time that Jony and Rina had a proper place to care for the turtle.

Purifying ourselves by throwing our sins into the ocean with proxy bread, and reading poetry on healing waters, by the healing water, we were able to purify our High Holiday turtle with pure spring water! Turtle was given a mikveh to be cleansed. This is a renewed turtle and happy to join community.

Rina began her Shabbat family program and the turtle was at its first (I am sure) Shabbat celebration. Abby sang songs and prayers on guitar as Rina led us into Shabbat with candle, challah and wine on the beach. I knew that I may be late for the evening Erev Shabbat service with Reb Zalman in the Valley at Makom Ohr Shalom, but I was enjoying this beach community Shabbat celebration and especially with the Shabbat Tashlich turtle.

Rina explained that the empty snail shells she had brought to share, were a metaphor for us humans allowing our souls to expand beyond the protective shell. Our Shabbat turtle is a maven on protecting himself in his shell, his makom / home.

I realized that, Beshert, I had missed the Sarah's Tent gathering so that I could participate in the Shabbat rescue of the Tashlich Turtle and help renew it's soul. "Return Again, Return Again, Return To The Land Of Your Soul." (song by Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach)

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MY ECHAD: Oneness

"ECHAD: the Wonder of Oneness"

My Echad-ness

- Joy Krauthammer

Oct. 2004

What a propitious wonderful time to write about my spiritual experience with Echad / Oneness because today is the 10th Yahrzeit of dear Reb Shlomo Carlebach, zt"l . Reb Shlomo was the earth's master of Echad-Oneness. In Shlomo's light I try to connect our world's holy sisters and brothers to be closer. As I was Shlomo's percussionist here in Los Angeles, I continue through this medium of music as a vessel for healing with "Sounds of Joy".

This week I had the opportunity to drum for Echad-Oneness and healing on a four feet wide, female top 'head', male bottom covered elk skin hand-made Indian drum. As one of the Wild Rose Drum Team players, I was chanting in a language with which I was not familiar. I did not know the English translation of the Indian chants, but I felt comfortable with the Native American Indian culture. This is probably because I am at home and with strength owning my own Jewish faith and authentic cultural traditions and that I did not feel threatened by being infused with another culture. On the contrary, I was so quietly ecstatic to be invited to join the ritual composed of six people seated around one large lovingly-made beautiful drum, and to keep the beat while consciously chanting for ourselves and others. The intention of the drumming is to celebrate the sacred unity of all life. With "Divine Light, Love and Power" flowing through us, we meditate locally to transform globally. A few dozen others were present at the Spiritual Unity Movement's sacred meditation and joined in encircling us drummers with chanting and dancing. Held at The Onion, an onion-shaped Universalist Church, which I fantasize is Noah's Ark because of its sanctuary's shape; window at the top of the high domed ceiling, and simplistic wooden panelling inside the womb-like inner sanctum.

Faithfully once a month for the Full Moon meditation, I go to the Onion. Candles are lit in honor of many religions. I lit a candle for Judaism the first time I celebrated at the Onion several months ago. At one of the last full moons I was asked to light the unclaimed remaining candle for the Muslim faith. Reverend Dana, facilitator, could see that I was uncomfortable with the invitation but I told her I would light the candle to bring light unto the Muslim faith; And I did for Echad-Oneness. I have learned in my own Judaism that one does not turn down an honor in the temple in honoring Torah. I would not turn down this honoring for Echad-Oneness. And we chanted peace, Ohm. I add Shalom.

Last week, playing the Crystal bowl, Tibetan singing bowls, bells and gongs, I chanted Ohm in Echad-Oneness with the students and teachers of yoga at the Out Back Yoga studio. Through my vessels, the Sounds of Joy brought on calming, peace, harmony, transcendancy, transformation and joy. Each participant came to their own Echad-Oneness within themselves and in community while chanting and receiving the vibratory reverberations resounding in their bodies--their spiritual vessels. This expansive global musical day, bursting with diversity, was part of the Third annual Daniel Pearl World Music Day celebrating what would have been Daniel's 41st birthday, and his ideals for the Oneness of humanity for all world cultures. My playing was dedicated to the vision of Daniel Pearl, zt"l, may his memory be a blessing.

Last night at the synagogue Valley Beth Shalom, I played drums and timbrels / tambourines for a Rosh Chodesh, Jewish women's universal New Moon celebration, celebrating the appearance of the new slim moon and marking the movement of the lunar calendar through the seasons and festivals of the year. The women sang and danced as we celebrated a day for honoring women throughout the world and from centuries ago.

We experienced a costumed, food feast Moroccan wedding (without the groom), a time for a marital covenant and Echad-Oneness in understanding ethnic traditions different from our own Jewish Ashkenazic traditions.

Echad-Oneness, is what we experience in G*d's Gan Eden / paradise, when we pray at B'nai Horin in community with our Rabbi Stan Levy. It is the soulful closeness, the devekut we share in coming close to The Source of All Blessings.

For fourteen years I have been a member at B'nai Horin, my first mamash, beloved heart-based community, where we share Shabbat in Echad-Oneness and blessings. We pray together as flowers dancing in G*d's Gan Eden as we share our Judaism with Torah in our hearts. A place filled with joy, love and light within a most caring community. This is where I first found Echad-Oneness in Judaism, dancing with G*d in the garden.

It is Echad-Oneness to hear birds singing as we pray, to see lemons hanging high in the tree where butterflies flit, to touch as I dance-- the grass with my bare feet, "a single blade", as Rebbe Nachman teaches us; to taste all of this, and then the food we share following prayer in community. This is chevre / community with Echad-Oneness where we come together to gather our hearts and souls, our neshamas soaring like the birds above. We do not wait until our aliyah to heaven, we soar now in Echad-Oneness.

I tingle inside, informing me that I am connecting vibrating alive energy with Source. I bring others with me in my joy and rhythm as Miriyahm the Prophetess with ribboned timbrel in hand, and with Psalm 150, to share the journey to Echad-Oneness. This is our Judaism, lifted freely, liberated out of our mitzrayims / narrow places of our ancestors and ourselves.

I feel as if I could explode with the inner joy bursting forth while touching with all my senses the gift of G*d on my plane here, as I function as an Earthwalker. Following smiling at the moon in all its phases (sometimes huge round orange), and the sparkling stars, I awaken early with the painted colors of G*d's sunrise and smell a blossom, a rose in the garden in which I pray singing "Modah Ani".

In my enchanted garden that I have co-created with G*d, I greet the single flower, "Hello G*d". She is beautiful and smiling. I eat the morsel of luscious sensual summer ripe purple fig, and I feel the sparks of Light entering my mouth and being digested. The sweetness of a fruit is a reflection of the sweetness of the Supernal Wisdom. Everything I see is but a reflection of that which is Above. I visualize G*d's creatures who have nurtured the seed, the grain in the ground, with the sun and the rain, to bring me the food I eat and I say brachot / blesSings every chance I get.

I radiate outward that I am one with the Holy One. With a Sukkot lulav pointed to six directions, I am the seventh (G*d's holiest number), holy as the Temple direction where I stand facing, from where I receive and give blesSings. I am exhilarated picking my own kosher heart-shaped etrog from a citron tree for Sukkot. I have created my Sukkah within a grapefruit tree (planted on Tu B'Shvat 25 years ago) in which now a wheelchair and guests can dwell.

In Echad-Oneness I am breathed, I am danced, I am drummed, I am played. I give thanks and I do mitzvot. As a vessel of G*d, I do Bikkur Cholim / visiting the sick. I help heal; I care inside for another, isolated, instead of my playing outside because I recognize that this is now the avodah / work, the service I do in being G*d's child. And I shed tears cleansed in my mikveh. Shechina blesses and embraces me in love.

Signing is a Dance of Joy

At Lev Eisha Shabbat services, I find the sign language inspirational in making significant for me each of the individual Hebrew prayer words that we are taught by Dov / Barry Geller. Dov sincerely embodies prayer; and with his spirit, heart, body and soul, he lovingly shares this gift. To reach out and pull in Light, embracing with hand and arm movements--my whole upper body torso, and understand the difference of darkness with other contrasting movements, moves me to a place of visceral understanding. To express more fully, calling out "Echad" and "HaShem" with my voice and body, feels so good. The signing is a dance of joy.

When Dov signs, teaching with English translations, mamash / truly I feel tingles running through my body, which means for me, that I am deeply spiritually connecting Echad-Oneness. This happenes when I watch Dov sign at synagogues' services also for B'nai Horin, Valley Beth Shalom, and Temple Solomon of the Deaf.

There is great unified grace in the body movements of the Lev Eisha women which I witness from my place for the last four years, by the bima / chapel podium and next to Rabbi Toba August, while I look out onto the congregation of women. Because I love to sign the prayers with Dov, it is a challenge for me as temple musician, to sign and to simultaneously drum at the same time. I miss a couple beats, but for me, the feeling of Echad-Oneness is deeper with community and the Source of All Blessings. Being a member of Lev Eisha fills me with ruach / spirit and joy as we pray, learn, dance, sing and share together in Echad-Oneness. Participating at all of my spiritual communities with chevre brings me to a place of Echad / Oneness and I am grateful for the dance of joy in connecting with holy sisters and brothers and the Holy One.

In purple love and blesSings,

JOY Krauthammer

Gila Rena Tzohara, Double Joy and Light

Temple musician

"Ivdu Et HaShem B'Simcha" -Psalm 100:2

Serve G*d with Joy

October 2004

I wrote the essay "My Echad-ness" on the occasion of Dov Geller's 60^th birthday.

Dov wrote his thoughts in his adult Bar Mitzvah book, "ECHAD: the Wonder of Oneness", and My Echad-ness thoughts are for Dov.

Happy Birthday blesSings to you, dear Dov, for Echad-Oneness, Torah, health, joy, and music in your ears and your heart and hands. Thank you with all my heart for being my friend.  

I am grateful to have first met Dov and his beloved, Wilda Spalding, over a decade ago.

And Dov, you are right, "G*d is great."

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