Newsletter December 14, 2020 Together, we're #keepingitsacred... |
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Hanukkah commemorates a dark time when, in the year 165 BCE, Vespasian and the the Assyrians conquered and defiled the Temple in Jerusalem. Judah, son of the high priest, Matthias, just couldn't stomach seeing statues of Greek Gods erected in the sacred site. A fire of justice burned in the pit of his stomach. He shared that fire with his brothers, the Maccabees. And they shared it with Judith. And together they all inspired the Hasmonean revolt and defeated the entire Assyrian army. Their quest for religious freedom and re-establishing the sanctity of their holy site, was fueled by hope in a time of seeming hopelessness. Their belief in miracles caused a real miracle to occur. And, their actions, we are told, were further rewarded with the miracle of the only ritually fit vial of oil, that was supposed to only last one day, to last for eight days- precisely the length of time needed for the ritual of rededicating a Temple. What this teaches us is to have faith and hope through dark times. To work for the world you wish to see. To spread inspiration and believe in miracles. Last night, during our Shine Your Light Hanukkah Celebration (which you can view by clicking the image above), we were led in joyful song by the talented Jeffrey Silverstein, and we remembered the importance of keeping the flame of hope burning. We also reflected on the importance of that flame, and sharing it with others. We shared what brings us light in a dark world: close friends, family, children in our lives, photographs of happy times. Then, we rededicated ourselves to the work of: joy, compassion, kindness, charity, working for diversity, equity and justice. As if each inspiration was not enough on its own, the sum total is utterly overwhelming. To think about each of us working towards bringing these awe-some values into our own corners of the world, is utterly inspiring. As the lights of our Hanukkiah continues to grow, so, too, may our inspiration. Together, we're #keepingitsacred... Rabbi Heather Miller, Founder, Keeping It Sacred |
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On Hanukkah, we are encouraged to publicize the miracles in our lives. Many thanks to Diana Yin for publicizing the miracle of warm, inclusive community over Facebook. Your likes, posts and referrals are appreciated! |
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A BIT ABOUT... THE HOLIDAYS |
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For more information about Hanukkah, check out our FRESH, NEW "A bit about... Hanukkah" episode HERE. Other holidays are explained by Rabbi Miller, too! Check out the full complement. |
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JEWISH FEDERATION AND FAMILY SERVICES OC |
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Keeping It Sacred, Heritage Pointe, and the Irvine Hebrew Day School partnered together to welcome in Hanukkah with a first night candle lighting video viewed by over 600 people across Orange County, CA. We uplifted the 500-year-old wisdom from Rabbi Bachya Ibn Pakuda of Spain-- "Even a little bit of light dispels a lot of darkness." May we all keep bringing the light! View the video HERE. |
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HOMELESS REMEMBRANCE: THE LONGEST NIGHT |
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Sunday, 12/21 at 7pm PT/10pm ET, join us as we observe The Longest Night with our friends at Women Drivers and the Interfaith Council of Greater Rancho Santa Margarita. It is the Winter Solstice, literally the longest night of the year, and appropriately, we remember all those who have died on the streets. This particular observance will mark those who died in Orange County this year. Rabbi Miller will offer up the Mourner's Kaddish during this service. To register, please email Rabbi Miller at rabbimiller@keepingitsacred.com. |
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TWO CHRISTMAS EVE INVITATIONS |
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In the spirit of interfaith appreciation, The Very Reverend Keith Yamamoto has invited Rabbi Heather Miller to participate in the St. Mark's Episcopal Parish of Upland Christmas Eve services. They will be broadcast December 24 at 5pm PT and again at 10:30pm PT on their Facebook Live page and on their YouTube channel. All are welcome. AND, in the spirit of interfaith appreciation, The Very Rev. Mike Kinman has invited Rabbi Miller to participate in the All Saints Church of Pasadena Christmas Eve services. They will be broadcast December 24 at 8pm and again at 11pm on their YouTube channel at HERE. All are welcome. Last year's service can be found HERE. |
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Keeping It Sacred is proud to participate in actions with Jews for Black Lives. We are dedicated to uplifting the value of Black lives which have been denigrated through hundreds of years of racism in the United States and abroad. Friday, Jews for Black Lives read a statement penned by Rabbi Miller encouraging leaders to recognize and heed the wisdom of those in the movement. To get involved, please contact rabbimiller@keepingitsacred.com. |
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Please save the dates for our upcoming two-session adult learning program called Access Judaism. Full class lineup personally designed by Rabbi Miller. Classes have a suggested donation of $25 per class, or $180 per session. Please email rabbimiller@keepingitsacred.com to RSVP. |
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Happy new week! The reflection called "Miracles," on this week's Torah Portion Miketz, Genesis 41:1-44:17, can be found HERE: |
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BOOK GROUP: THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE FUNDED |
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Rabbi Miller has joined with several faith leader colleagues to discuss the book: The Revolution Will Not Be Funded by INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence. Please email rabbimiller@keepingitsacred.com to join the Facebook Group discussing the topic of the Non-Profit industrial complex. |
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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 91 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." To join, 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. |
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UPCOMING EVENTS: EVERY DAY Please enjoy our 7-episode web series and podcast: People Keeping It Sacred on YouTube HERE or at: Or on your favorite podcast players (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. Please request a meeting by contacting her at rabbimiller@keepingitsacred.com. 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. Contact rabbimiller@keepingitsacred.com to request the link and password. 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, please contact Rabbi Miller directly at rabbimiller@keepingitsacred.com. MONDAY, 12/21: THE LONGEST NIGHT Sunday, 12/21 at 7pm PT/10pm ET, join us as we observe The Longest Night. It is the Winter Solstice, literally the longest night of the year, and appropriately, we remember all those who have died on the streets. This particular observance will mark those who died in Orange County this year. To register, please email Rabbi Miller at rabbimiller@keepingitsacred.com. THURSDAY, 12/24: ST. MARK'S EPISCOPAL CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICES Thursday, 12/24, Keeping It Sacred has been invited to enjoy St. Mark's Episcopal Church Christmas Eve services as an expression of interfaith outreach and love. Rabbi Miller will offer a reading from the Tanakh in Hebrew as she helps her friend, The Very Rev. Keith Yamamoto and his parish celebrate their holy day. This event will be made available live on the church's Facebook and YouTube channels at 5pm PT and 10:30pm PT. No registration required. THURSDAY, 12/24: ALL SAINTS CHURCH PASADENA CHRISTMAS EVE Thursday, 12/24 at 8pm, in the spirit of interfaith appreciation, The Very Rev. Mike Kinman has invited Rabbi Miller to participate in the All Saints Church of Pasadena Christmas Eve services. They will be broadcast December 24 at 8pm and again at 11pm on their YouTube channel at HERE. All are welcome. Last year's service can be found 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. Session 1 dates are: 1/17 Personal Inventory of Belief, 1/24 Radical Responsibility for the World, 1/31 Demystifying Denominational Differences, 2/7 The Flavors of the Holy Books, 2/14 One for Every Mood: The Jewish Holidays, 2/21 Jewish Intermarriage: A History, 2/28 The Righteous Economic Vision of the Rabbis, and 3/7 The Kabbalistic Non-Binary God. Session 2 dates are: 4/11 The Intelligent Design of the Prayerbook, 4/18 Reform Renovations of the Prayerbook, 4/25 Rituals as Markers of Transition, 5/2 The Characteristics of a Good Jew, 5/9 Slam Poetry in the Golden Age, 5/16 Bad Theology: Terrible Explanations of Why the Righteous Suffer, 5/23 Siblings or Cousins?: Jews and Christians in the First Century, and 5/30 Before You Die Consider these Rabbinic Thoughts. Please see keepingitsacred.com/accessjudaism or email Rabbi Miller if you're interested in these courses at rabbimiller@keepingitsacred.com. 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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If you’d like to make sure that this kind of quality programming by Keeping It Sacred continues, please consider making a donation via: PayPal using the link here Venmo username: @keepingitsacred, or Check may be made out to Keeping It Sacred and mailed to: 27068 La Paz Rd. #781, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656 Thank you for #keepingitsacred... |
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