There is a very popular book called The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman that helps couples determine what their love language is-- that is, what displays of love they need from a partner. According to the study guide, they are Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Acts of Service, Physical Touch, and Receiving Gifts. With Valentine's Day this past weekend, this got me thinking: What is the Love Language of God, at least according to Jewish tradition?

First, it may be a surprise (but totally understandable, no?) to learn that God loves the smell of BBQ. Okay, well, technically, God loves the smell of the sacrifices to God, which back in the ancient world were animal sacrifices over fire. Today, we no longer sacrifice animals, but we have put, in their place, prayers of the heart. So, it stands to reason that God loves our prayers, our words of affection, if you will. 

Second, God never requires us to love God, only to show love for God by loving our fellow human beings. Leviticus 19:18 states the famous Golden Rule: Love your fellow as yourself: I am the LORD. This reminds us that if we want to show God love, we should love one another. Afterall, we are each God's creations, no?

Finally, Jewish tradition teaches us that love with God is a two-way street. First, in the prayer service (in the prayer called Ahavah Rabah/Great Love), we learn God's love was so great, we were given the precious gift of Torah. And we return, we learn from the prayer service (through the prayer called the Ve'ahavta/And You Shall Love) that God understands we love this gift when God sees us studying the Torah, speaking it while we walk on our way, when we rise up and when we lie down, and by passing it on to the future generations.

Through these texts, we learn that God loves our prayers & rituals, our justice work and love of humanity, and our study. Precisely what we do at Keeping It Sacred. And, what a delight it is to express love like this! 

Together, we’re #keepingitsacred...

Rabbi Heather Miller, 

Founder, Keeping It Sacred

RETHINKING LEADERHIP FOR GENDER EQUITY

This past week, Rabbi Miller participated in the Rethinking Leadership for Gender Equity workshop put on by The Jewish Education Project and The Safety Respect Equity Network. She, and the other participants examined leadership through the lenses of gender and equity. The group met for three 90-minute sessions over a few weeks. The structure included:

Session 1: Power facilitated by Fran Sepler

Session 2: Communication and Negotiation facilitated by Professor Andrea Schneider

Session 3: Strategizing for a Different Future facilitated by Dr. Elana Stein Hain and Rabbi Mary L. Zamore who is the Executive Director of the Women’s Rabbinic Network, on whose board Rabbi Miller serves.

We are thrilled to share some of the many incredible resources from these sessions HERE: https://educator.jewishedproject.org/content/rethinking-leadership-gender-equity.

Please use them and benefit from them!

COMMITMENT TO INTERFAITH UNDERSTANDING

Rabbi Miller has continued to engage in the work of interfaith organizing. This week alone, in her new capacity as the Vice President of the Interfaith Council of Greater Rancho Santa Margarita, she has been planning experiences for interfaith encounters and dialogue together with the board.

She also served as the Jewish voice on the Bishop's Program Group on Ecumenical and Interfaith Life. The group opened with a reading of an excerpt from Amanda Gorman's poem "The Hill We Climb." Immediately, we recognized that we share the struggle up the hill-- together. One of the hills we climb and work against is the status quo that would keep us isolated in our respective parochial corners of the earth. We are committed to helping one another up the hill toward the glory of camaraderie at the summit. 

IMAGINING ESTHER: PARTNER PROGRAM WITH HUC CONNECT

Tuesday, February 23, 10am PT/1pm ET, Join us for Imagining Esther: The Splendid Illustrated Esther Scrolls in the HUC Collection. This will be a Guest Lecture by Sharon Liberman Mintz, Curator of Jewish Art, The Library of The Jewish Theological Seminary; Senior Consultant/Judaica Sotheby's New York.

Explore the history and art of Esther scrolls created and used for the celebration of Purim, which often feature a cycle of elaborate and fascinating illustrations and the interplay of text and images. While the format of the scroll was maintained for this biblical book, for centuries the artists of these scrolls readily adopted the predominant aesthetic traditions into their decoration, reflecting a rich variety of artistic styles along with the continuity of the scribal traditions. 

Following this program, please join members of the KITS community for a special post-lecture discussion with Rabbi Miller. Please register through HUC Connect at: 

huc.edu/HUCConnect

ACCESS JUDAISM CLASSES

Please join Rabbi Miller and a beautiful collection of people who are exploring Jewish learning through the inaugural experience of the Keeping It Sacred Signature Program: Access Judaism. Join for one class, one session, or all remaining classes!

Participants have shared:

"It was such a great group. It was an amazing start to my day. Looking forward to next week."

"It was a pleasure to study with you today. Reading and listening to others' views and understanding of God brings into light my perception of God."

"It was a wonderful class and it seems like it can only get better as we share and learn more about each other." 

"It’s exhilarating."

Our next session is: Jewish Intermarriage: A History

Moses was not the only one who married someone who was not Jewish. Learn about the history of this practice and how it is viewed today. Learn from Rabbi Miller who is the product of an intermarriage, has a HUGE interfaith family, and who wrote her thesis on the decision on intermarriage in the 1844 Rabbinical Convention in Germany. This history is FASCINATING. No experience necessary. All are welcome.

Full class lineup personally designed by Rabbi Miller. Classes are FREE and have a suggested contribution of $25/class, or $180/session. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

The next program is THIS Sunday, 2/14 at 10am PT/ 1pm ET. To register, please go to: keepingitsacred.com/upcoming-1

HEALING CIRCLE & TALMUD TEXT STUDY EVERY THURSDAY

Ever want to jump into a conversation with the rabbinic sages of old? Now you can! Join us as we study a page of Talmud every day, adding our perspectives and the relevance to our own lives as we go along. 

The more varied the participants the deeper the conversations. Thursdays 11am PT.

Currently, we are 85 members strong from 17 different states and 3 countries!

We are:

People interested in becoming Jewish

Members of various Jewish denominations

Clergy

Lay leaders

Retired people

People who are not Jewish

We are in our 20s to 80s, and we are everywhere on the spectrum of gender.

Build community affirming of one another’s journey in the sea of Talmud with us! Benefit from the wisdom of Jewish tradition!

What people say:

"Talmud study has opened a window to that world for me. I love the anthropology and sociology of it all."

"The minority opinions may someday count as much as the majority opinions. It reminds us that things change the Halacha changes and we change each year that we read it."

"We have the opportunity to compare the Halacha we are practicing today with the one they were writing and studying in the Talmud... It has been very interesting how things have evolved how we keep the tradition in our own way."

"I feel very close to this amazing group and I'm grateful to Rabbi Miller for conducting it."

AND just prior to our Talmud Study, we hold space for check-ins and healing prayers for loved ones in need, including ourselves. 

To join and of these gatherings, please send Rabbi Miller an email or DM on Facebook to be added to the closed, secret Facebook group and/or the weekly text study group. And look for us on Instagram daily HERE.

SIYYUM TALMUD TRACTATE PESACHIM!

On March 23, at 10am PT/1pm ET, those around the world who have been studying a page of Talmud each day (known as the Daf Yomi) will all celebrate the end of Tractate Pesachim. We, at Keeping It Sacred, will host a special celebration. Grab your party hat or other celebratory hat, and register to gather together over zoom. Register HERE. 

UPCOMING EVENTS:

iCal USER? 

If you use iCal and would like the complete Keeping It Sacred calendar added to your calendar, click the link at the bottom of the page HERE. This way you won't miss an opportunity to connect via our LIVE activities. 

EVERY DAY

Please enjoy our 7-episode web series and podcast: People Keeping It Sacred on YouTube HERE or on your favorite podcast player (like: Spotify  Google Podcasts, Apple + Podcasts, RadioPublic, Breaker, and PocketCasts). To learn more about Jewish holidays, check out our "A bit about... the holidays" HERE. 

ONGOING: SPIRITUAL COUNSELING

Rabbi Miller is available for 1-on-1 spiritual counseling; pay what you can. Topics are based upon the participant and can include your personal theological understanding of coronavirus, spiritually making space for others in your home, the spirituality of isolation and finding your way back to sacred connection. For more information, click HERE.

EVERY THURSDAY: PRAYER CIRCLE

Join us as we gather Thursdays for a Prayer Circle. Lift up names of those who are ill, and join together for support and community. All are welcome. 10:30am PST/ 1:30pm EST/ 3:30pm Brazil time, 6:30pm London-time. Register for this program HERE. 

EVERY THURSDAY: KEEPING IT SACRED-DAF YOMI GROUP MEET-UP

Our Facebook group will host our next virtual meetup via zoom. For the link to attend this meeting Thursdays 11am PST, 2pm EST, 4pm Brazil time, 7pm London time. Register for this program HERE.  

TUESDAY, 2/23: IMAGINING ESTHER

Tuesday, February 23, 10am PT/1pm ET, Join us for Imagining Esther: The Splendid Illustrated Esther Scrolls in the HUC Collection. This will be a Guest Lecture by Sharon Liberman Mintz, Curator of Jewish Art, The Library of The Jewish Theological Seminary; Senior Consultant/Judaica Sotheby's New York. Following this national program, please join members of the KITS community for a special post-lecture discussion with Rabbi Miller. Please register through HUC Connect at: 

huc.edu/HUCConnect

TUESDAY, 3/23: TALMUD TRACTATE PESACHIM SIYYUM PARTY!

3/23 at 10am PT/1pm ET, those around the world who have been studying a page of Talmud each day known as the Daf Yomi will all celebrate the end of Tractate Pesachim. We, at Keeping It Sacred, will host our own celebration. Grab your party hat or other celebratory hat, and register to gather together over zoom. Register HERE. 

2021: ACCESS JUDAISM: ADULT EDUCATION CLASSES

Please save the dates for accessible, relevant, and empowering Jewish learning! Classes will be held at 10am PT/1pm ET via zoom. No experience necessary. All are welcome! Register here: keepingitsacred.com/upcoming-1

REMAINING Session 1 dates are:

2/21 Jewish Intermarriage: A History

Moses was not the only one who married someone who was not Jewish. Learn about the history of this practice and how it is viewed today. Learn from Rabbi Miller who is the product of an intermarriage, has a HUGE interfaith family, and who wrote her thesis on the decision on intermarriage in the 1844 Rabbinical Convention in Germany. This history is FASCINATING.

2/28 The Righteous Economic Vision of the Rabbis

What would the rabbis think about capitalism, wealth, and poverty? Lending on interest? Paying workers? How might they think about the world we live in today? Come explore 2,000 year old texts and find your righteous rabbinic muse. 

3/7 The Kabbalistic Non-Binary God

Were you taught that God was a guy in the sky with a beard? Where did this image come from? What does the bible say? And how did the Kabbalists understand God as non-binary? Discover Divine gender-fluidity. 

Session 2 dates are:

4/11 The Intelligent Design of the Prayerbook

Stand up. Sit back down. Skip 23 pages ahead. Go back. What is with the prayer service? You might be surprised to know there is actually a brilliant order to the service. In just one hour, get a sense of the intelligent design of services, and open up a new way to understand Jewish spiritual practice. 

4/18 Reform Renovations of the Prayerbook

Home renovation shows feature flippers stripping old, outdated homes down to the bare bones only to rework them into beautiful sanctuaries of living. This is essentially what the Reform Rabbis of the early 19th century did to the prayerbook. Learn how they did it thoughtfully, and about the improtant practice of updating ritual that continues today.

4/25 Rituals as Markers of Transition

Jewish ritual is meant to mark significant life transitions. See how Jewish lifecycle provide structure for living with sanctity. Learn also about contemporary rituals, like those for getting a COVID-19 vaccination, infertility, gender transitions, going into remission from cancer, and more. 

5/2 The Characteristics of a Good Jew

What are the characteristics of a good Jew? Learn about the Mussar movement and get an understanding of the spiritual legacy of mussar. Learn insights on humility, generosity and truth. Find inspiration to cultivate these qualities in your own life. 

5/9 Slam Poetry in the Golden Age

Medieval Spain birthed a Golden Age for the Jews. And, out of this era came a diverse array of poetry that is relevant today. From highly structured sacred praises of the Divine, to short quips about old age, to involved love poetry. Join us as we explore this vibrant literature.

5/16 Bad Theology: Terrible Explanations of Why the Righteous Suffer

Why do bad things happen to good people? We don't know. But we do know a bad explanation when we hear it. Join this class to begin to heal from spiritually corrosive explanations of your suffering, to learn how to best support a suffering loved one, and how to draw boundaries when someone shares an unhelpful word.

5/23 Siblings or Cousins?: Jews and Christians in the First Century

Did Christianity spring forth from Judaism? Or did contemporary Judaism and Christianity emerge together? Learn the roots of both and you decide: Siblings or Cousins or parent/child? We'll make proto-rabbinic Judaism fun and accessible! 

5/30 Before You Die Consider these Rabbinic Thoughts

What are the most important things to think about in life? What will we be held accountable for later? How can we live the best life possible? Learn from the wisdom that was shaped over millenia in the Jewish tradition. 

Please see keepingitsacred.com/accessjudaism and register for, one class, one session, or the whole program HERE. These classes are free with suggested donation of $25/class, $180/session, $300 for the entire program; no one will be turned away for lack of funds. All are welcome!

THANK YOU!

You are a cherished member of this community and we love to hear from you-- what questions do you have? Reach out to rabbimiller@keepingitsacred.com or via phone at 818-312-8388 anytime to let us know what you’re finding meaningful, inspiring and what you’d like to see.

Together, we're #keepingitsacred...

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Thank you for #keepingitsacred...