Rest to Return

Episode 3: Rhythm of Rest

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Rest to Return is a podcast for a restless world. Kohenet Keshira haLev Fife is your host. This series is rooted in Shabbat, an ancient Jewish practice that teaches us how to belong to time. Here, rest is a sacred rhythm woven into who we are. We continue by gathering around a single question: How do we know when to work and when to rest?

  1. I learned about spiralinear time from Kohenet Sara Esther Richards who wrote her Masters Thesis, Spiralinear Time: Religious Calendar Formation, Momentum, and Change within a Dynamic Time Structure, on the topic.
  2. We learn about the shmitta in Exodus 23:10-11
  3. Here is a photo of us at the beginning of our first shmitta year; this was taken in Kyoto, Japan in January 2009.
  4. The Jonathan Sacks quote, “Shabbat is the day we stand still and let all our blessings catch up with us.” comes from his book, Radical Then, Radical Now.
  5. The words to Lecha Dodi by Shlomo Alkabetz can be found here. “Shamor” (keep/guard) and “zachor” (remember) are in verse 2.
  6. The 39 melachot can be found in the Mishnah (Shabbat 7:2).
  7. If you want to find out whose land you’re on, https://native-land.ca/ is an excellent resource.
  8. You can find out how the moon is cycling in your particular location here.

    9. Check out the Rest to Return webpage for photos, info about the Rest to Return retreat, and more!

    If Rest to Return has evoked something in you, if these episodes have helped you slow down, breathe a little deeper, or reconnect with what matters most, you might be interested in Rest to Return: A High Holiday Deceleration Retreat, which I'll be co-hosting this September. Nestled amidst New England beauty, 25 Jewish leaders - some Jewish professionals, some people who are Jewish and leaders - will gather for a retreat centered around rest as a form of teshuvah, returning to ourselves. Through creativity, reflection, and connection, we'll immerse in slowness and spaciousness as a way to prepare ourselves for 5787. If you're a Jewish leader and you've been longing for something like this, check out www.keshirahalev.com/sacredpause to learn more and express interest before July 10.

    This episode is brought to you by the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. Rest to Return exists because we believe slowing down is a spiritual act. IJS believes that too. For over two decades, IJS has been helping people go deeper, through Jewish mindfulness meditation, contemplative prayer, sacred text study, and embodied practice. Their offerings range from online courses and silent retreats to immersive cohort programs for seekers of all experience levels, clergy, and spiritual leaders who are ready to live and lead from a more grounded place. Kohenet Keshira haLev Fife is part of IJS’s core faculty, and the wisdom you'll hear in this series is very much in that spirit. If this podcast is stirring something in you, IJS is a place to go further. Explore their programs, and more ways to learn and practice with Keshira, at jewishspirituality.org, including:

    • View the latest offerings from IJS in our program catalog
    • Join Keshira and others on retreat this August: Returning Anew
    • Learn more about Shevet, IJS's community for younger adults (20s-30s)
    • IJS has several online free practices with Keshira and our other faculty including our live Daily Sit, our weekly Shevet Sit for younger adults (under 40), and monthly Affinity Sits for Jews of Color, LGBTQ+, and individuals with disabilities. Click here for more information.
    • Join our mailing list to be notified about our upcoming fall courses, including Keshira's Earth, Moon, Mindfulness year-long class.
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      Rest to ReturnBy Judaism Unbound