Passover is no regular dinner party. There is reclining and dipping and tasting and drinking-- in all, there are 14 parts of the meal. Yet, there is only one main command we are supposed to uphold: to experience the story k’ilu/as if we ourselves had gone through the experience of the Exodus personally. This is why the seder includes our tasting of the maror/bitter herb and the four cups of wine/grape juice. The retelling of the story is to be a tactile experience. One that we remember.

The story is so important that the Torah continues to repeat, and repeat again, 36 times, some form of the phrase "you should not oppress the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt." Remembrance of the Exodus and the theme of redemption is featured in every Jewish prayer service and every gathering. And, not only is it the kernel of our sense of gratitude, but the story of the Israelites' journey from oppression to freedom is meant to inspire us to work for the liberation of every human being on the face of the planet.

My favorite Haggadah reading emphasizes this point by listing a litany of injustices we must actively work to dismantle to bring about freedom for all of humanity:

"Although it is the Pharaoh of old who is the tyrant of the Haggadah,

it is not he alone of whom we speak tonight.

We speak this evening of other tyrants and other tyrannies as well.

We speak: Of the tyranny of poverty and the tyranny of privation,

Of the tyranny of wealth, and the tyranny of war,

Of the tyranny of power and the tyranny of despair,

Of the tyranny of disease and the tyranny of time,

Of the tyranny of ignorance and the tyranny of color.

To all these tyrannies do we address ourselves this evening.

Passover brands them all as abominations in the sight of God."

- Rabbi Alfred J. Kolatch, The Family Seder

On Passover, we consider how we can show gratitude for the ways we have each experienced personal redemption. Perhaps the best way to show gratitude for having been personally liberated from narrow places, is to find greater resolve to band together to affirm freedoms for all. 

Join us as we retell the story through food and song THIS Sunday night for our all faiths, all-ages Open Door Passover Seder. Details HERE. All are welcome!

Together, we’re #keepingitsacred...

Rabbi Heather Miller, 

Founder, Keeping It Sacred

OPEN DOOR PASSOVER SEDER

We have an amazing opportunity to join Rabbi Heather Miller and Grammy WINNING Artist Joanie Leeds for a welcoming musical Open Door Passover Seder-- all faiths and ages welcome! Learn and celebrate key parts of the seder in a joyful, inclusive environment. No experience necessary. Bring your friends. 

On Joanie Leeds: "The powerful and truthful messaging by the singer-songwriter reminds listeners to be bold, be true and to stay united."

PROPHETIC VOICES: RENEWING AND REIMAGINING HAFTARAH

Rabbi Miller is featured twice in this forthcoming commentary on the lectionary of Prophetic readings known as the Haftarah Readings published by the Reform Movement's publishing house, The CCAR Press. You may Pre-Order the work HERE. 

CCAR CONVENTION 2021

This week, the professional Reform rabbinical association known as the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) convention continued online. Rabbi Miller participated in much learning and community building with 500+ rabbinic colleagues across the world. The conference ended with an inspiring by the talented Rabbi Shai Held on the intricacies of the first chapter of Genesis. In essence, our sole task in Judaism is to affirm the dignity of every human being on the face of the planet.

SHOWCASING OUR INTERFAITH WORK

Please head over to our Interfaith Dialogue webpage to view, among so much other valuable content, two recent sermons that Rabbi Miller delivered:

-for All Saints Church in Pasadena, "Answering Ayeka? with Hineini!" and

-for Neighborhood Community Church in Laguna Beach, "Fear Wisely"

Both churches are comprised of wonderfully inclusive members with visionary leaders; and both churches are co-sponsoring our Open Door Passover Seder, so we will have the opportunity to gather together this Sunday as well! 

A BIT ABOUT... PASSOVER

In this Episode of "A Bit About...", Rabbi Miller describes some of the key ideas of the holiday of Passover in a way that is accessible, relevant, and empowering. Check it out, HERE.

COUNTING OF THE OMER ON SOCIAL MEDIA

It is Jewish tradition to count for 49 days beginning on the second night of Passover (this year, 3/28). This counting of seven weeks of seven days each is called the Counting of the Omer. Practically speaking, it fulfills the biblical command in Leviticus 23:15-16 which says that we should count seven weeks when you bring the sheaf offering.

But spiritually, there is so much depth because the counting culminates in the holiday of Shavuot, which celebrates being given the Torah on Mt. Sinai. So, this special time of the year marks the transformation the Israelites made from enslaved individuals, to a unified people.

Jewish mystics called kabbalists further considered their understanding of the Divine, and the seven lower qualities they attributed to God. They then considered what it would be like to cross these seven lower qualities with one another and they ended up with a combination of two qualities per day of the Omer. 

For the past three years, Rabbi Miller has written reflections for each of these days. And, this counting of the omer will be back by popular demand this year-- on social media. So, check Rabbi Miller's @hearabbi account on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/hearabbi/ or Rabbi Miller's personal Facebook page at facebook.com/rabbiheathermiller to read the reflections. And, please comment, question, like, and share!

WOMEN'S RABBINIC NETWORK CELEBRATES 50 YEARS

Rabbi Miller proudly serves on the Executive Board of the Women's Rabbinic Network. This year, 2021, marks 50 years since the ordination of Rabbi Sally Priesand, the first woman rabbi in the American Reform Movement, and wow will we celebrate! The convention (held every two years) is reserved for the 700+ Reform women rabbis around the world in the WRN membership, but the Jubilee 50th Year Celebration will be open to the public. It will be held Sunday, June 6 at 2:30pm PT/ 5:30pm ET. If you'd like to attend, you may pre-register here. 

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."

We will begin Session 2 begins on 4/11! 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/2pm ET.

Currently, we are 86 members strong from 20 different states and 4 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:

"Yesterday's class was superb!! I remain impressed by so many things that you do! You are able to keep us on track, share (some of) your knowledge with us, make all sorts of connections to the Jewish and secular worlds, and meet each of us where we are! Kudos to you!!"

"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.

Why is the democratization of Talmud Study so important? View Rabbi Miller's lecture (delivered to Temple Israel of South Africa) HERE.

SIYYUM TALMUD TRACTATE PESACHIM!

TOMORROW! 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. 

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HUC CONNECT

Join us as we learn from Sara J. Bloomfield, Director, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum on Thursday, April 15 at noon PT/ 3pm ET. How will Holocaust history and memory be sustained and transmitted in perpetuity? Learn about the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s impact in preserving the evidence, educating diverse audiences, fighting antisemitism, and preventing genocide, as we honor Sara J. Bloomfield with HUC’s highest humanitarian award, the Roger E. Joseph Prize. Special discussion to follow. No experience necessary. All are welcome! Register at: huc.edu/HUCConnect and to get the link to the discussion afterwards, be sure to cite Keeping It Sacred as the Synagogue/Organization.  

JEWS OF COLOR

Tuesday, May 11 at 3pm PT/ 6pm ET, join Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, Central Synagogue, New York City, Bruce Phillips, Ph.D. Professor of Sociology & Jewish Communal Service, HUC/Los Angeles, Andrew Rehfeld, Ph.D., HUC President, Moderator-- when the Torah first calls us a People, coming out of Egypt, we are described as an erev rav, a “mixed multitude.” It’s time to refute the definition of Jews as a race – which has been used to justify antisemitism, violence, and even genocide – and adopt a definition of covenant as the foundation of Jewish peoplehood, one that embraces Jews of color and celebrates diversity and inclusion. Special discussion to follow. No experience necessary. All are welcome! Register at: huc.edu/HUCConnect and to get the link to the discussion afterwards, be sure to cite Keeping It Sacred as the Synagogue/Organization.

CHAGALL AND THE BIBLE

Tuesday, June 8 at 12pm PT/ 3pm ET, Enjoy this Guest Lecture by Jean Bloch Rosensaft, Director, Dr. Bernard Heller Museum, HUC-JIR/New York. Marc Chagall was profoundly inspired by the Bible throughout his career, producing biblical works in a broad array of mediums, including paintings, etchings, sculptures, mosaics, tapestries, stained-glass windows, ceramics, and stage set designs. Discover how memories of his youth in Bitebsk, his 1931 visit to Palestine, the Russian Revolution, the Holocaust, his personal religiosity, and his admiration for the old masters informed his imagination to create uniquely modern visual interpretations of the core text of the Jewish people. Special discussion to follow. No experience necessary. All are welcome! Register at: huc.edu/HUCConnect and to get the link to the discussion afterwards, be sure to cite Keeping It Sacred as the Synagogue/Organization.

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.

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. 

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.  

THIS SUNDAY, 3/28: OPEN DOOR PASSOVER SEDER

3/28 at 1pm PT/4pm ET, we have an amazing opportunity to join Rabbi Heather Miller and Grammy WINNING Artist Joanie Leeds for a welcoming musical Open Door Passover Seder-- all faiths and ages welcome! Learn and celebrate key parts of the seder in a joyful, inclusive environment. No experience necessary. Bring your friends. Register at: bitly.com/KITSRSVP

2021: ACCESS JUDAISM: ADULT EDUCATION CLASSES SESSION 2!

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

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 important 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!

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HEBREW UNION COLLEGE: CONNECT

4/15 Reflections on the Significance of Holocaust Memory

Join us as we learn from Sara J. Bloomfield, Director, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum on Thursday, April 15 at noon PT/ 3pm ET. How will Holocaust history and memory be sustained and transmitted in perpetuity? Learn about the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s impact in preserving the evidence, educating diverse audiences, fighting antisemitism, and preventing genocide, as we honor Sara J. Bloomfield with HUC’s highest humanitarian award, the Roger E. Joseph Prize. Special discussion to follow. No experience necessary. All are welcome! Register at: huc.edu/HUCConnect and to get the link to the discussion afterwards, be sure to cite Keeping It Sacred as the Synagogue/Organization.

5/11 Jews of Color

Tuesday, May 11 at 3pm PT/ 6pm ET, join Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, Central Synagogue, New York City, Bruce Phillips, Ph.D. Professor of Sociology & Jewish Communal Service, HUC/Los Angeles, Andrew Rehfeld, Ph.D., HUC President, Moderator-- when the Torah first calls us a People, coming out of Egypt, we are described as an erev rav, a “mixed multitude.” It’s time to refute the definition of Jews as a race – which has been used to justify antisemitism, violence, and even genocide – and adopt a definition of covenant as the foundation of Jewish peoplehood, one that embraces Jews of color and celebrates diversity and inclusion. Special discussion to follow. No experience necessary. All are welcome! Register at: huc.edu/HUCConnect and to get the link to the discussion afterwards, be sure to cite Keeping It Sacred as the Synagogue/Organization.

6/8 Chagall and the Bible

Tuesday, June 8 at 3pm PT/ 6pm ET, Enjoy this Guest Lecture by Jean Bloch Rosensaft, Director, Dr. Bernard Heller Museum, HUC-JIR/New York. Marc Chagall was profoundly inspired by the Bible throughout his career, producing biblical works in a broad array of mediums, including paintings, etchings, sculptures, mosaics, tapestries, stained-glass windows, ceramics, and stage set designs. Discover how memories of his youth in Bitebsk, his 1931 visit to Palestine, the Russian Revolution, the Holocaust, his personal religiosity, and his admiration for the old masters informed his imagination to create uniquely modern visual interpretations of the core text of the Jewish people. Special discussion to follow. No experience necessary. All are welcome! Register at: huc.edu/HUCConnect and to get the link to the discussion afterwards, be sure to cite Keeping It Sacred as the Synagogue/Organization.

6/6 WRN JUBILEE CELEBRATION

Sunday, June 6 at 2:30pm PT/ 5:30pm ET, Join the Women's Rabbinic Network and Rabbi Miller, who proudly serves on the Executive Board, to celebrate 50 years of women in the rabbinate! This part of the biannual convention, usually reserved for the 700+ Reform women rabbis around the world in the WRN membership, will be open to the public to enjoy. It will be held Sunday, June 6 at 2:30pm PT/ 5:30pm ET. If you'd like to attend, you may register here. 

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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