Posted on August 1, 2017
Years ago, I created an experience for us to engage in physical activity, utilize our minds, and engage our spirit as a way of enhancing Shabbat. Body, Mind, & Spirit Shabbat has become a beloved part of our Temple Beth David Saturday morning Shabbat celebration for the last three years. We have walked through El Dorado park, Bolsa Chica Wetlands, Talbert Nature preserve, and Seal Beach. We have hiked in Peter’s Canyon, Santiago Oaks, Laguna Coast Wilderness, and Monrovia. A few of us biked along the San Gabriel Riverway. And we have done Tai chi, yoga, kayaking, art
decolage, stretched, and sketched. What a creative way to celebrate Shabbat! What I love the most is that we get to know each other, share a laugh, and leave feeling recharged and rejuvenated.
Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote, “The meaning of the Sabbath is to celebrate time rather than space. Six days a week we live under the tyranny of things of space; on the Sabbath we try to become attuned to holiness in time. It is a day on which we are called upon to share in what is eternal in time, to turn from the results of creation to the mystery of creation; from the world of creation to the creation of the world.”
We are continuing our Body, Mind, & Spirit Shabbat experience this upcoming year! On Saturday, August 19, we will meet at 9:00 a.m. at the Temple for a breakfast of bagels, lox, fruit, hard boiled eggs, and coffee. The cost is $6.00. If you are in your twenties or thirties and you RSVP in advance to me, I will pay for your breakfast.
At 9:30 a.m., we will split between two groups. Some of us will go once again to El Dorado park for a walk with the Matalons and the rest of us will walk through the sand at Seal Beach. We invite you to join us!