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Holy Places, Holy Times. 

In a span of less than 50 days since Yom Kippur earlier this fall, with your support, we have built a beautiful outdoor amphitheater at CBE.  This is worthy of a celebration!  And thanks to new CBE member Russell Weisfield, I was reminded on the Yom Kippur afternoon hike that there is an Ethiopian Jewish Holiday celebrated 50 days after Yom Kippur.  The holiday is called Sigd, which means prostration, an expression of devotion and acceptance.  Sigd also invokes the living memory of Moses’ first encounter with God’s voice while standing atop a mountain before a burning bush, receiving and accepting the call to return to Egypt and free the Hebrew slaves.  For many reasons beyond the coincidence of timing (and its proximity to my 52^nd birthday), we elected to link the dedication and naming of our new amphitheater with Sigd.  There will be two distinct, yet interconnected celebrations on Friday, November 5 and Saturday, November 5-6, 2021, Shabbat Toledot.  And this is just the beginning of the innovations and inspirational connections we are weaving at CBE.

Sacred Words, Soulfull Music.  

“The stone the builders [habonim] rejected will become the cornerstone [of the new sanctuary].”(Psalm 118:22)  I first learned these words from a Bob Marley song.  Later, I encountered them in the writings of Jewish feminists of the late 20^th Century.  The verse gives eloquent expression to both the pain of exclusion as well as a hopeful vision for a sacred space rebuilt on a stronger foundation, one that offers a place of prominence to those previously marginalized -- a lost tribe, an excluded sex, a formerly enslaved people, an oppressed minority, an ignored generation, etc.  The verse inspired the reggae music service, the first one we did at CBE and each subsequent one, including the upcoming Gospel [or ‘Jospel,’ Jewish gospel] Weekend collaboration with Zion Temple Church, with two services scheduled for 7:30 PM Friday November 19 at CBE and 10 AM Sunday November 21 at ZTB.  With these events we hope to deepen the connections and collaborations with our sisters and brothers in the black community.

Strings and Visions. 

The recitation of the Shema is a prayerful declaration of divine unity that functions as a cornerstone for the call to love with all our heart and soul.  When preparing to recite these words, it is customary to gather into one hand the fringes on the four corners of one’s prayershawl (tallit).  Corners.  Fringes gathered into the center, the heart.  The visual image of this practice illustrates my hope for our new amphitheater – that it become a place where those on the fringes can take center stage, where ‘those rejected become the chief corner stone,’ where new alliances are be built, where great music and artistic expressions are revealed and illuminate like bush that burns without being consumed.. 

Bridging Ashkenazi and Ethiopian Jewish traditions.  Hosting the broader community for a celebration of cultural diversity and ‘World Music’ in our new amphitheater.  Partnering with a Zion Temple Church in Denver to create some ‘good news’ in racial relations and interfaith collaborations.  (And on January 10, bringing multiple faith communities of Evergreen together in collective American Day of Atonement.)  These are just some of the ways we are building community at CBE.  When the work of building a house is complete, the work of making a home begins.  Now that the hard work of building an amphitheater has come to (its first phase of) fruition, we can redirect our efforts to the work of deepening and expanding our community.  “Build it, and they will come.”  (Film, Field of Dreams, 1989)  Now that it’s built, let’s come together to name it and make the most of this opportunity to fill it with joyful communal sights, sounds, and spirit.

Rabbi Jamie