It may be difficult to be kind and compassionate in the midst of uncertainty, injustice, racism, poverty, and severe climate crises across the planet. Yet each week we have Shabbat, our time for taking in all the experiences of the week and a time of consolidation and contemplation. Shabbat can be a day of mindfulness to appreciate the goodness in our lives and our amazing, beautiful world — a time to refresh, to recenter, and to reflect. Every week, we have the opportunity to cultivate a Shabbat of gratitude and kindness so we can face the world and respond with a wise heart of generosity and forgiveness.
We will use Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel’s book, The Sabbath, one of the most beautiful of all Jewish books, as our inspiration and as a gate to open the experience of Shabbat as a transformative journey, in which Shabbat can be a time to go from doing to being, as Heschel describes. We will explore how we can use Heschel’s ideas to bring greater meaning and depth to our modern, fast-paced lives.
Rabbi Dr. Rivkah (Roberta) Glick is a neurosurgeon, teacher, mother, wife, rabbi, and pursuer of peace. She began her career working with the poor and taking care of people with brain tumors and severe trauma on the west side of Chicago at Cook County and Mount Sinai Hospitals. Thirty years later, she took a sabbatical, in part to immerse herself more fully in the study of Jewish texts and meditation, here and in Israel. Today, she is a rabbi, an important stop on her spiritual path of connection to herself, to others, and to the Divine. Her aspiration is to bring kindness and compassion into the world.
Understanding Israel Issues
A Close Look at Prophets with Rabbi Andrea London
Shabbat as a Spiritual Practice, with Rabbi Dr. Rivkah (Roberta) Glick
