Observing the Sabbath Day

(Image courtesy of cartoonstock.com)

On Saturday night, as I was feeling tired from a 7-mile run through the woods and suffering from a sinus headache, I became upset that I was spending an absurd amount of pointless time on the internet.

I'm a news junkie so news sites, blogs, and Facebook feeds are my Kryptonite. I decided there was a solution. Unplug.

On Saturday night at 6:30pm I signed off from my Gmail account and my Facebook account, I closed down the windows telling me about the latest happenings in the world, and I shut down my computer. For the next 24 hours I did not check into the virtual world. Instead, I spent connecting with the real world and it was splendid.

I spent quality time with my wife watching a scary movie on the couch, I read some of The Hole in our Gospel, went to church, and ended up going to the Queens Zoo with some friends from church.

Although none of these stand out as extaordinary examples of things I would do on a weekend, what did stand out was the lack of negativity and useless "noise" created by my time online. The 24 hour period seemed brighter, less chaotic, and filled with hope. I felt more connected to the world around me. Imagine that - feeling more connected by disconnecting.

This must become regular practice for me. I will observe my own true Sabbath every weekend. And, yes, even in New York City one can "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy."

Pagan Victory

In other news, openly pagan Daniel Halloran won a NYC Council seat in the 19th Council District in Northern Queens. As interesting as it is that a pagan could win a city council seat, I think the fact that a non-billionaire Republican won an election in NYC is even more amazing.

Feeling Renewed

Last Friday, I had the pleasure of joining a friend of mine for services at Romemu, a Synagogue/community on the Upper West Side that is affiliated with the Jewish Renewal Movement.

Prior to a few weeks ago I had never heard of the Renewal movement, so I was intrigued when I was first told about it. I did a little research and my first impression was that these guys sounded like really really hippie Jews. But, I figured it'd be a fun place to check out.

First, a little background. Renewal isn't its own separate denomination, but according to their website they are "a worldwide, transdenominational movement grounded in Judaism's prophetic and mystical traditions" that "seeks to bring creativity, relevance, joy, and an all embracing awareness to spiritual practice." It apparently tries to infuse Jewish practice with Kabbalistic and Hasidic theory along with meditation, dance, chant, and mysticism.

Romemu also draws from eastern spiritualism. David Ingber, their Rabbi, "spent 10 years studying other sacred traditions in the healing arts including Yoga, Shiatsu, Pilates, Gyrotonics, Kung Fu, and Chen school Tai Chi" and tries to bring these into Jewish practice.

I'm going to be totally honest and say I don't have much of an idea of what most of that means.

But I can say Romemu's Friday night services are a lot more interesting than most. To get an idea of what it's like, think folk music festival where the songs are in Hebrew and a bunch of people get so overcome with emotion they hug the person next to them. It was fun. After the service there was a potluck dinner (remember to bring kosher food if you go) and after the meal, the Rabbi led an interesting discussion on the weekly Torah portion.

The crowd was as hippie as expected, but in a good way. Everyone was friendly and the place felt far more welcoming than most synagogues. It's definitely a place that you can go to by yourself and still feel comfortable.

All in all, it was a good time. If you are looking for a somewhat unconventional Jewish experience you should check it out.

One last thought. If you read the Rabbi's bio, he is a certified Astrologer. Who certifies Astrologers?