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What is Jewish Renewal_

R. Lynn Gottlieb, Nahalat Shalom, Albuquerque, NM

Renewal is a spiritual obligation in Judaism. We praise the renewing energies of creation each day in our morning prayers with the words, "Each day YHVH renews the act of creation." This is the heart of our positive attitude toward human nature. We honor and strive for the power of renewal within our own hearts and minds, so that we can be open to the mystery of creation.

The power to renew is called TESHUVAH in Jewish tradition, and it is the ritual prayer practice associated with Rosh HaShannah and Yom Kippur--even though it is a state of mindfulness which we strive for on a daily basis.

Martin Buber, a writer and religious thinker deeply influenced by the spirituality of Hasidism, wrote that the heart of Jewish religiosity is "a striving meant to precede a renewal of the forms of both faith and life." Jewish renewal is the desire to experience and know and then, to follow the soul's inner urge for wholeness and joy.

This inner striving for authenticity, for living close to our 'true' self, places us on a spiritual journey all our lives. We can be asleep or awake on the journey. We can come to obstacles in fear or with a heart of courage. But we are all on this mysterious life's journey which calls us to be awake before we die.

Jewish culture and tradition has preserved this practice of renewing the forms of life and faith for over three thousand years. Every generation has been called upon by our ancestors to write a timely Torah. A Torah which both preserves that which is precious, and renews the whole with the values we hold most dear. What does it mean to develop a heart of compassion in the year 5757_ This is a question asked by those who practice 'Jewish Renewal' Torah. Over the long years of our life as a people, we have accumulated wisdom about community, ceremony, religious practice, prayer, and being a MENSCH. We have learned, for instance, to measure a society's compassion by the condition of the most vulnerable members of that society.

We have learned that cultivating the capacity for being truly alive is a daily practice. We have learned the magic of narratives to awaken questions in our lives Jewish renewal is the 'be here now' obligation: To consecrate life in the moment.

Nahalat Shalom is a Jewish Renewal Community because we are born from our desire to renew the forms of our Jewish faith and life so as to be able to draw closer to the heart of Jewish spirituality. Nahalat Shalom is a Jewish Renewal Community because we affirm a collaborative and open-ended atmosphere based on tolerance, love of diversity, and mutual respect. Members choose this, not just as nice language, but as a crucial mitzvah of our community life. This mitzvah consecrates us as a loving community.
 

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