Reflections from 2012 Seder

Ruach Elohim, the spirit/wind of God, was very present on Friday night, shaking our tents and making us aware of the power of nature. It felt good to be alive when the morning came -- as if we had all been bathed in a mikvah of holy air.

If the outing had ended right then, dayenu - it would have been enough.

The storm, however, brought the village together and helped us to renew our connection to the seasons, our Hebrew tribal origins, and the annual rebirth of freedom.

New decorations brightened the inside of our Miskon - tent. Our matzah was cooked over the open fire from organic kamut grains that we ground ourselves. Music bounced off the rock walls embracing the community as we went so high with our prayers and so deep into the teachings of Pesach.

Good friends. Good food. Good God. 

Dayenu.

Passover 2012 - Important - Read All

Dear 2012 Passover Villagers,

If you are receiving this via email space has been reserved for you and your party at this year’s Passover Village retreat. We are now full with a wait-list so, if you haven’t sent in your contribution, be sure to do so (or make other arrangements) by April 1st. We cannot guarantee your space otherwise.

Maps & Directions are being sent to attendees only for privacy.

Following are very important items. PLEASE READ ALL BELOW:

* VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED!

* CARPOOLING

* YOU ARE INVITED to bring Offerings of Ornamentations

* AGREEMENTS

* SCHEDULE

* WHAT TO BRING - PLEASE REVIEW CAREFULLY!

* SEDER PORTIONS

VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED!

· * help transporting any gear to site and back (mileage reimbursed if needed)

· * Seder plate organizer (reimbursed, contact Marc)

· * wine coordinator (reimbursed, contact Larry)

· * parking coordinator

CARPOOLING

Parking at the campsite is limited. We strongly encourage carpooling; let us know if you can offer or need a ride.

After unloading your gear, you may be asked to move your vehicle to an off-site location. We will have to work together to get you back to camp, and then to pick up your vehicle at the end of the weekend. We may have to pack up on Sunday in shifts.

YOU ARE INVITED THIS YEAR, with no obligation,

to bring Offerings of Ornamentations of beauty and symbolism

Every year we decorate the tent/Mishkon to imbue it with specialness and invoke Holiness therein. We again intend to do just that, with a special emphasis on this process, because our study focus this year is Community Building. We are drawing on a powerful example of community working together from:

Exodus 25:5-8 “And this is the offering which you shall take of them: gold, and silver, and brass, and blue and purple and scarlet and fine linen and goats’ hair; and rams skins dyed red and sealskins and acacia-wood: oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense, onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod and for the breast plate. And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them.”

And if you are not inspired no blame, no shame. We all have various talents and inclinations to offer, if it be only good attention and participation! These can be a loaner of something precious just for the weekend, or a gift given to Passover Village to use year after year. Because, it says:

Exodus 35:22-29 “The men and women, the leaders, all of willing heart brought for the work that HaShem had commanded through Moses...”

Exodus 35:5 “…everyone whose heart motivates him shall bring it…”

Exodus 35:10 “…every wise-hearted person among you shall come…”

From this year’s Kavanah at http://tinyurl.com/7emvuld:

“This was not conscripted labor, this was not a command but an instruction. Only those whose heart was moved by wisdom, chochma, would come….. the heart contains all the wisdom of Torah (or vice versa?). These are the people that would come to build the Tabernacle.”

The Torah also implies a limitation, and so we will, of necessity, have to sort out what to use and how. If so inspired, bring what works for you, knowing we may not be able to use it all.

Exodus 36 “the people are bringing more than enough . . .”

Consider, as you envision bringing your offerings:

Floor space: We want to keep the Mishkon space uncluttered so that we may dance and move around unhindered, so: items that take up floor space are not a good idea unless they can be used outside, perhaps adorning one of the Meditation Walk stations.

Good ideas: Things that are small or can be hung

Things that can be easily packed and carried

Things that can be placed on an altar and/or exposed to the elements.

(don’t bring priceless or irreplaceable items you are not preprared to lose!)

SOME SUGGESTIONS: Don’t take these too literally: Be Inspired !!

Fabrics and ropes of all colors and especially blue, purple, scarlet, green

Stones: jasper, amethyst, onyx, emerald, diamond, turquoise, sapphire, ruby topaz , agate

Sacred Metals: gold, silver, copper, brass,

Scented oils and incenses, animal skins, tapestries

Symbols: angels, eagles, Ox/water buffalo, Lion, serpent, olive tree, antelope/deer, ram- Egypt, Sun, Moon, Ship, Military items, Wolf, humans, mandrakes.

Candlesticks, bottles, vases, bowls, trays, Chalice/Cups, ???, ???, ???

AGREEMENTS

Be sure to read these agreements so that we all understand what to expect from each other:

We agree to respect and care for ourselves, each other, the community and the land. To safeguard the freedom and sanctity of time and space in the Passover Village, the Leadership Council has endeavored to balance the needs of individuals with those of the community. To that end, the following updates are effective with Passover Village 2012. By registering for this retreat, attendees also agree to the following:

Photography and Recordings:

Please:

· * When we are gathered In Community with a common focus or, "In Session," put away cameras and recording devices.

· * When we are not gathered as a focused community – for example, having lunch, talking with others, etc., – photos and recording are allowed within bounds of respect, privacy and permission: Be discrete, non-intrusive, and respectful of all participants when taking any photographs or recording; some may prefer not to be photographed or recorded at all.

· * Do not publish photos or recordings in public media

* If unsure about a photo or recording, do not take or publish it.

Personal Displays and Self Promotion:

In the spirit of a retreat, so that we might leave behind the things of the day to day world, please do not bring personal displays or promotional items into community areas.

SCHEDULE Arrive anytime after Wed Noon or Thu but by no later than Fri 7 am to set up camp & join opening circle Fri at 9 am

Thursday:
Arrival by dinner, informal campfire gathering

Friday

9:00 10:30 Tent raising


10:30 12:00 Council: Connecting Community


12:00 1:00 Lunch


1:00 3:00 “Mishkan-ing”: Tent decoration and other set-up

Tent decoration: inside, courtyard

Baking matzah

Preparing Maror and Haroset

3:00 5:00 Free time - encourage visit to Meditation Walk

5:00 6:30 Community Shabbat Dinner


7:00 9:00 Council: Kadesh & Kabbalat Shabbat

Saturday

7:00 9:00 Breakfast


9:00 10:30 Council: Urhatz -Karpas -Yahatz

(Washing – Green Plants – Split Matzah)

10:30 11:30 Maggid


11:30 1:00 Lunch


1:00 2:00 Maggid (con’t)


2:00 5:00 Break


5:00 5:30 Tent Entry

5:30 6:30 Rachtzah, Motzi-Matzah, Maror, Korech

(Second washing, motzi-matzah, bitter herb, Hillel’s sandwich)

6:30 8:00 Shulchan Orech (Meal)

8:00 9:30 Tzafun (Afikomen)

Barech (Blessings after meal; Elijah’s Cup)

Hallel (Songs of Praise) 


Sunday 


7:00 9:00 Breakfast and personal pack-up

9:00 11:00 Nirtzah: Closing Circle


11:00 12:00 Take down community tent

12:00 Departure: N’siyah Tovah!

WHAT TO BRING PLEASE REVIEW CAREFULLY!

Individual Needs:

Recommended items for each person (adults and children)

• Water and bottle (suggest 1 gallon per person per day for drinking and cooking, plus more

for washing; nearest tap water is 1 mile from site en route to camp)

• Tent (rainfly and groundcloth if required)

• Sleeping bag and pad

• Flashlight and extra batteries

• Clothes layered for warm/cold, wet/dry/windy conditions (gloves, hat, thermals, etc.)

• Hiking boots or sturdy shoes

• Hat with wide brim for shade/protection from sun

• Umbrella or poncho for (rain or shade)

• Pocket knife

• Personal “medicine” (necessary prescriptions plus any spirit needs)

• Personal hygiene items (incl. biodegradable soap or Campsuds!)

• Sunscreen!

• Large towel(s)

• Firewood (minimum 1 bundle per person)

• Camp chair, carpet, or pillows to sit on. Space around the perimeter of our tent is limited; try to avoid wide chairs or that have flaring arms or legs. We encourage you to bring rugs or pillows so you can sit close to the earth and recline.

Per Family or Household – for individual/family meals and prep

• Cooler and ice

• Camp stove and fuel

• Pots, pans and cooking utensils

• Dinnerware: Plate, Bowl, Cup, Utensils (reusable please, no paper)

• Cloth napkin

• Food and Drink: Friday Shabbat dinner and Saturday Night Seder dinner are catered. Bring all other food and drink for yourself and household. Sharing is encouraged.

• Please leave bread and bread products (“Chametz”) at home. Bring matzo instead!

Optional and Encouraged

• Sunshower (water heated by sun)

• Drums, shofarot, and other musical instruments

• Brightly colored cloth, etc. to decorate camp and tent

• Your own Haggadah, Teachings about Pesach, Shabbat, and Nature

• Candles or lantern. (Flames should be in glass or metal container to resist tipping or contact with combustibles.)

• Songs, stories, poems

We have a special request of all who will be attending this year who are of willing heart: bring an offering that will be used to decorate our Mishkan tent, the dwelling place for Spirit that we create each year together. See more above or in Kavanah.

Important

• There are some restrictions on use of these campsites including vehicle length. If you are planning to arrive in a long RV, bus or truck, contact National Park Service for limits and any restrictions.

• Car pooling is strongly encouraged, parking in camp is limited.

• Make arrangements for family pets to be cared for at home (not in camp)

SEDER PORTIONS

The following portions of our seder ritual are still available for anyone who would like to lead them. If you haven’t ever done this, it is a great opportunity to explore more deeply the meaning of the particular ritual, and teach your community through your leadership. If you would like to lead or co-lead any portion, please contact Marc at weigensb@usc.edu to get more info.

Seder Portions still available to lead

1. Maggid
 (1.5-2 hrs total time): choose to lead all of Maggid, or any individual portion listed below.

a. Avadim Hayinu – Sandra/musical people?

b. The 4 Questions

c. The 4 Children

d. The 10 Plagues – Rob

e. Dayenu – Sandra/musical people?

f. B’chol Dor V’dor (in each generation)

g. Second cup of wine

h. 3 Symbols

i. Other parts of Maggid from traditional seder, if you feel a connection to them and want to add them

2 Motzi-Matzah (10-15 min) (includes making matzah in afternoon)

3. Tzafun (10-15 min) – afikomen/hiddenness

4. Barech (10-15 min) - Blessings after meal - ? Sandra/musical people?

Other needs for our ritual events:

1. Wine Keeper. We need someone to bring wine for the seder, usually ~10 bottles and ~2 bottles of grape juice for kids/non-wine drinkers. Also plastic cups (though we encourage everyone to use real cups). As the Wine Keeper, you will also help organize getting the bottles opened and pouring the wine at each of the 4 cups during the seder ritual.

2. Someone to be in charge of organizing the seder plate. For this you need to either bring and prepare, or coordinate the bringing and preparation of the following:

a. Charoset. Need someone to volunteer to make and bring the charoset for the seder

b. Lamb shanks – anywhere from 1-4

c. Matzah – ~8 boxes for the seder ritual

d. Hard boiled eggs

e. Bowls of salt water

f. Other seder plate staples: orange, romaine or green onions, parsley, horseradish root

Which portion would you like to lead? How else can you contribute to the Passover Village?

Any questions, updates, etc., call or write ASAP.

As always, for complete information and to SUBSCRIBE to the blog, please visit http://passovervillage.blogspot.com/

Looking forward to being together!

Dan

c 310-396-0706

Carpool and Parking - Update

Parking at the campsite is limited. We encourage carpooling; let us know if you can offer or need a ride. 

After unloading your gear, you may be asked to move your vehicle to an off-site location. We will have to work together to get you back to camp, and then to pick up your vehicle at the end of the weekend. We may have to pack up on Sunday in shifts.

Kavanah 2012: Building Sacred Community

Each year, the Village creates a Kavanah, an intention, to help guide our Passover Village. Here is one from a few years ago.
 
Shalom Chaverim,

It’s that time again . . . time to start thinking about our upcoming 17^th annual Passover Village retreat. This year we will again be returning to Joshua Tree, where the rocky amphitheater of the land is calling us to another year of earth-based ritual, prayer, camping, and being together.

Once again, our community remembers that Pesach is a time to renew our connections with our ancestors as we explore our ancient roots in ritual fashion. We are instructed to tell the story of the communal Exodus from Egypt as if we ourselves had gone out from that “narrow place” over 3000 years ago. It is a time to reflect on the meaning of slavery and freedom, oppression and transcendence, repression and growth. We celebrate what it means to be a people dedicated to service of Hashem/Elohim, and renew our connection with the story and the people with whom it all began.

In addition to these general themes of Passover, our community seeks to explore the connection to our people’s past as an indigenous people. That is to say, what does it mean to be a Hebrew - an Ivri, a boundary crosser - one of the Children of Israel, an indigenous, tribal, aboriginal people who lived day to day connected intimately to the land and to nature? This was our initial motivation way back in 1995 for holding seder on the land, in the desert, much as our ancestors must have experienced it.

 
Each year we establish our Passover Village for an extended weekend, where we enjoy each others’ presence and spirits in a cooperative, and heart-felt endeavor. Our vision is to create a place in which we all dwell together as Brothers and Sisters, in which each Soul is fully seen, recognized, and acknowledged: creating a lattice of contribution in which each person serves a different role, a vital role in the community, aligned as much as possible to his/her core self.

Kavanah

Every year we also add a bit of additional kavanah (spiritual intention) to our weekend, to help us explore more deeply our tribal history together. This year, our spiritual intention will be “Building Sacred Community”. To fulfill this kavanah we invoke the words of our great sage of the first century BCE, Hillel the Elder:

• If I am not for myself, who am I? Im ayn ani li, mi li?
• If I am only for myself, what am I? U’c’sheh’ani l’atzmi, ma ani?
• If not now, when? V’ im lo achshahv, aymatay?

Hillel’s words speak directly to the need to balance the needs and desires of the individual with those of the community. These are words by which to build sacred community. This year our intention is to gain insight into what our tradition teaches us about building conscious community through the exploration of our people’s early journeys through the Sinai wilderness after leaving Egypt:

• How did we acquire community consciousness?
• What served as the common focal point of the community?
• How did we delegate duties and responsibilities?
• How did we find the proper balance between community and personal pursuits?
• What processes did we use to resolve conflicts?

These are just some of the possible teachings that might flow from a study of the nascent days of the Hebrew nation. We hope that learning the lessons of the formation of B’nai Yisrael (Children of Israel) may guide our efforts at building heartfelt community in our current, chaotic times. In our Western “culture of the individual”, can we remember what it is like to bathe in community consciousness? We look forward to what we will discover together at Joshua Tree under the sun and moon of the month of Nissan, through our prayers, discussions, songs, rituals, and general interactions as modern-day builders of community in the wilderness.

A very special request this year:

Following the lead of our ancestors in the wilderness of Sinai, who were just getting their bearings on what to do to create the foundation of the Hebrew community, we have a special request of all who will be attending this year who are of willing heart: bring an offering that will be used to decorate our Mishkan tent, the dwelling place for Spirit that we create each year together. This request stems from the following verses:

Exodus 35:5: everyone of willing heart shall bring it (materials to build the Tabernacle)

Exodus 35:10: . . . every wise-hearted person among you shall come

As in the days of Moses, we ask you to bring – if your heart so moves you - any of the following: items of gold, silver, copper; fabrics of purple, scarlet, and turquoise cloth, white linen . . . and any other items of beauty that can be used to decorate our community tent and surrounding spaces, or that can be used in ceremony.

From our Torah study this year:

The materials required to construct the Mishkan – gold, silver, copper, fabrics of turquoise, purple, and scarlet – are at the same time royally ornate and yet very mundane. These are materials that were known, that the people had with them, having left Egypt with gifts of jewelry and gold and all sorts of implements. Copper, a mineral symbolizing passion, was used to fashion mirrors. The scarlet was no doubt an earthy red dye. This was to be a tent for a chieftain, no ordinary tent. Still it was not magical and miraculous, but was to be built of known stuff, not beyond the grasp of common folk, of stuff they already had. This is in line with our overall tradition: elevate the worldly around you to its spiritual level. The people would turn this tent made of small bits of precious yet worldly items, into a sanctuary, which would continuously recreate the experience of Mt Sinai, where HaShem would constantly dwell and dialogue with us. Ma Tovu Ohalecha Yaakov Mishkanotecha Yisrael . . . . (how wonderful are your tents, Jacob, your dwelling places, Israel . . . )

We are indeed a fortunate People to have so much of our ancient history written and available to us in our sacred texts. Gratitude to the scribes!

As we gather this year among the stone beings of Joshua Tree, among the memories that we have built over the preceding 16 years, we will celebrate the freedom that we hold so dear, and again learn from one another what it means to be a community connected to the earth, to our ancestors, to Spirit, and to the best within each of us and each of our fellow human beings.

Please feel free to E-mail with any questions, comments, etc. If you want to read over the notes from our studies this past year on the topic of building sacred community, visit our blog at http//passovervillage.blogspot.com.

Shalom U’L’hitraot – see you in Joshua Tree!

Marc

Save a seat at our seder table

Spring is rapidly approaching. Soon it will be Purim and then Passover will be upon us.  We look forward to greeting friends, both returning Villagers and newcomers.

Passover Moon

Passover begins on a full moon. This year, however, we begin our seder at the end of Passover week, and will be camping under a waning moon. In the desert, it will still be bright and wonderful.

The size of our community is limited. This is to protect the fragile desert landscape and to allow to allow us to get to know each participant. We especially encourage young adults and families with children to join us this year.

Look at the START HERE section of this blog to learn more about our gathering. Several new policies have been advanced; be sure to read them.

We look forward to renewing our liberation with you.