Notices by Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg (theradr@mstdn.social)

Hag Urim Sameach! Happy Hanukah! Happy Boxing Day! Happy (almost) Kwanzaa! (1/)

It’s that dark and oh-so-chilly time of year when so many cultures and communities look to rituals, holy times, and celebrations
to light up the night.

As Kohenet April Baskin reminds us, even the smallest amount of light - produced by even the smallest action - can transform an experience. (2/)

In a moment of darkness – in an experience we have in our mind, or in an exchange we're having – just as we can light a single match, just flick it, we can add some friction, put a little bit of effort in, and light appears.

If you're in a dark room, just simply lighting one match before you even light the candle shifts the whole dynamic. You go from largely not being able to be aware of your surroundings, if you're a seeing person, to being able to see so much more.

Kohenet April Baskin (3/)

What are your personal, family, or cultural traditions during this season?

What ways do you create light when it's darkest? (4/)

To get the full piece go to the link in my bio or to https://LifeIsASacredText.com to subscribe.

And here’s your reminder that Life is a Sacred Text subscriptions are on a special through the rest of the month!

Go ahead and gift your loved one - and/or yourself - community and learning! (5/5)

The Book of Judith is a fan favorite. After all, who doesn't love a feisty heroine, a sharp blade, a multipurpose snack bag, and a happy ending? Over the years, poets, from Old English knightly epics to feminist, queer, anticolonial celebrations and blades of precision, have retold the story of Judith. https://lifeisasacredtext.com/judithart/ (1/)

There’s a verse in Torah where Miriam and Aaron make a fuss about Moses’ "Kushite wife."

In our antiblack culture, it’s often assumed that they’re saying something about race.

But— that takes a lot of things out of context.

Like-- geography, and culture, and politics, and family relationships, and the assumptions they may have held.

So what else could be going on?

Read and share:

https://www.lifeisasacredtext.com/kushite/

So. Time that a rabbi said it, so I'll be that guy:

The Divine-Authorized Conquest Of The Holy Land is a horrendous, toxic narrative that's been used to justify untold atrocities, including now.

AND it never happened.

Looking at what likely DID happen may actually be critical at this moment.

Read and share:

https://www.lifeisasacredtext.com/conquest/ 🌱

I have such issues with Christians who call other Christians "not real Christians" b/c they're harmful--it's gaslighting to the victims of Christianity's brutal history.

Here's what engaging w/harmful branches of a tradition can look like, from Rabbi Dr. Haviva Ner-David. 1/x

Reminder: despite white people loving to quote the line from “I Have a Dream” abt individualistic things (judging people), most of the speech was abt systemic racism, incl things that continue to harm now—police violence, housing injustice,voter suppression, insufficient change.