“God is everywhere. God is in a leaf!” exclaimed Dan, my new Breslov buddy. Last Thursday evening I was walking with a friend down Ben Yehuda in Jerusalem and we saw this happy Breslov guy standing next to his car decked out in quotes and stickers. On top of the car lay stacks of Breslov books that he was giving away as gifts to passersby. Something inside was pushing me to go say hello to this intriguing man. He was friendly and charismatic, telling us the story of how he found God later in life and came to be an observant Jew. His dedication to God and deep belief in serving God through an open heart was inspiring to me. When he said, “God is everywhere, even in a leaf,” it touched a nerve. It was a wonderful reminder that if we are to experience God’s presence, we must be open to the possibility. This man is so open to finding these moments of connection and he couldn’t wait to share his knowledge with us and teach us about his strong faith. He embodied Rebbe Nachman’s mantra that it is a great mitzvah to always be happy. Meeting Dan was a perfect chatimah (sealing) to the bike ride. He drove home the point that we can all strive to live our lives with joy, passion, open-heartedness and a thirst for connection to something bigger than ourselves.
Reflecting back on the 5-day bike ride, it was an opportunity to do exactly what Dan strives for in every day life- to experience spiritually elevated moments that connect us to something bigger. For Dan, that something is God, for others, it’s nature, relationship, music, art, prayer. Call it whatever you’d like, but we are all searching for something. We are all searching for meaning.
It’s very difficult to put into words how deeply meaningful this 5-day bike ride was for me. On many occasions throughout the journey, I was so overcome with emotion that my eyes welled with tears. Experiencing the beauty of the land of Israel in such a raw and organic way is an experience that I will treasure forever and one that I wish you will all have one day. The array of terrain we experienced was unbelievable; from sandy beaches to grassy fields, tree-filled forests to fruit groves, muddy swamps to water crossings, and paved cities to rocky paths. Becoming one with the bike and the road and the sweet sounds of nature is a spiritual experience in itself, and the relationships fostered and built with fellow-riders is truly a gift. We start on day one with a group of relative strangers and by the end of five days, we have built a kehila kedosha, a holy community, through sharing, supporting and encouraging one another.
This ride is a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual challenge. It wakes you up to possibilities that you could have never imagined. And at the end of the five days…you are transformed. You feel different. More alive. Open to new possibilities. You feel prayerful and hopeful. Inspired. You feel accomplished and proud that you rose to the challenge and you succeeded.
This incredible personal and communal growth happens in 5 days and the one unifying goal from the beginning is to support and celebrate the Reform Movement in Israel. Along the way, we visit Reform communities and hear from lay leaders and Rabbis about their exciting programs. I am thrilled to report that the Movement in Israel is thriving and growing and providing a much-needed spiritual outlet to Israelis who want a different type of connection to Judaism. These Israelis want an egalitarian experience in a country full of mostly Orthodox. There are 10 new Reform congregations in Israel in the last three years alone. And in a recent poll, 8% of Israelis identified themselves as Reform or Conservative. In essence, saying that they don’t religiously fit into the orthodox or secular worlds. This number is on the rise and its mostly unaffiliated Jews. Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism President, Gilad Kariv, says that Israeli society is in great need of progressive voices. Israel faces real challenges in regard to being a Jewish democratic state. It’s not only about an Israeli family having a Reform B’nai Mitzvah service (although this is happening too!). Israeli society is facing large issues- women in the army, social protests, the Jewish/Arab conflict, and conversion. There must be a strong liberal voice at the table. The growing Reform Movement in Israel is that voice and we must support them.
Riding4Reform is a yearly fundraiser. Unfortunately, the ride only had 23 participants this year; the lowest number in 9 years. At its best, the ride boasted about 60 participants. Next year is the 10th anniversary of the R4R. I invite you to come experience it with me! March 10-14, 2013. Tell your friends about the ride, pass along information or send them my way. Let’s help the IMPJ with marketing and PR and assure that 2013 will be full to capacity!
To my wonderful sponsors, I thank you for your donations and I hope you can tell from this blog what an amazing organization you have chosen to support. Your sponsorship means so much to me. Thank you.
When we reached our final destination Thursday afternoon, the Progressive congregation of Kehilat Mevasseret Zion, crowds of family and friends greeted us! Four spirited Kindergarten classes joyously sang and danced, waving their Israeli flags in the air. It was a festive and sweet crossing of the finish line. We had a lovely ceremony recognizing the accomplishments of the riders and honoring the leaders and organizers of the ride. One participant, Rabbi Mark Strauss-Cohn wove together a blessing of quotes that we all shared during our last night together.
“This ride has been far more than just 250km from the Carmel to Mevasseret. It has been about soup and sandwiches. It has been about personal challenges. It has been about Israel and its future. It has been about and for the IMPJ. This has been a ride of rocks and sand, of eshkoliyot and pomeliyot, shkeidim and ofanayim. We blessed God
for the fruit and the Creation that was all around us. We saw God in the setting sun by the Sea and in eyes of our fellow riders as we read the morning traveller's prayer. We faced tough moments every day but they pale in comparison to the challenges the 30 reform congregations here face on a regular basis.
We have learned what congregations like Beit Daniel and Bavat Ayin are doing to create meaningful Judaism for Israelis. We have been inspired and humbled by the work and creativity of Lotem, Tom, and Matan and their fellow Mechina participants who live in a Reform Jewish context to prepare not just for the Army, but for life.
We have learned that when you fall down, the best thing to do is to get back on the bike and ride. And when you are in the sand, lean back. And when your chain gets stuck, use your fingers to fix the problem, even though they will get greasy.
Avi taught us that Israel is the best place to ride but what most people don't realize is how difficult the Israeli terrain is. Though meant in the context of biking, if you look at that teaching in the context of developing Reform Judaism, Avi gave us a beautiful quote for inspiring us to work diligently with the Reform movement here. "Israel is the best place to ride but what most people don't realize is how difficult the Israeli terrain is." And when Arnon told us, "this is only for advanced riders," he said a mouthful. Whether we physically rode every kilometer, we are all advanced riders when it comes to promoting Progressive Judaism.
It has been remarkable that this many people of such a variety of skills made it so far. And we were able to accomplish what we did because Hadas told us, "It's a ride, not a race." And so we took care of one another. We can take pride in being part of a group that is so friendly, helpful, and considerate. We take pride in ourselves, whether we were from Team Canada or elsewhere in North America. We take pride in the accomplishments of the IMPJ, filled with hope from what we have learned and know that we are helping in some capacity.
With each meter and each climb, the love and support of our sponsors gave us encouragement and the ability to keep the pedals turning or our feet walking.
May we come to embrace the ascent as well as the descent and see the Divine in all we meet along the way. And when we think we have nothing left in us, just remember this ride, our friends we have made along the way, and recall what Rabbi Oded Mazor taught us in his drash: the light on the altar would never be extinguished as long as people gave it fire. The fire, light and warmth of Torah, of friendship, of Judaism is in our hands. May we use it wisely.”
Each time I browse through the book that Dan gave me, "The Garden of Emunah," I'll remember what he said about finding God in a leaf. This book is about being reminded to strengthen our emunah or faith, and by doing so, we can look forward to a happier, and more fulfilling life.
May we each find our own personal emunah and strive to be open to moments of connection.
A sweet and happy Pesach to you all. Chag Sameach!
With much love and gratitude,
Leslie
