Ḥoni's Circle

In this week’s Shemini Atzeret replay episode of Honi's Circle we study the Prayer for Rain, Geshem, and a supplemental piyyut (liturgical poem) by Ruth Gan Kagan that adds Miriam to the list of ancestors whose merit we call upon to be given rain for a blessing. We talk about how this ancient prayer points to the fact that humans have always understood that water is a powerful force on which our lives depend, and in the times of floods, droughts, forest fires and hurricanes, having this prayer as an elevated part of our liturgy can be an inspiration to work on issues contributing to this change in our climate. Follow along with the source sheet here: https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/521685

In this week’s Sukkot replay episode of Honi's Circle we read a section from Nehemiah about the Jewish people returning from Babylon and celebrating their first Sukkot, according to the text, in centuries. We talk about the value of tying new rituals back to old traditions, Sukkot as a holiday that connects us to the nature around us, and needing diversity in both our ecosystems and the people that are part of the climate movement. Follow along with the source sheet here: www.sefaria.org/sheets/518541

In this week’s pre-Yom Kippur replay episode of Honi’s Circle we study the book of Jonah, 3:6-4:4, where Jonah goes to Nineveh to proclaim the city’s destruction if they don’t repent, the city repents and is not destroyed, and Jonah gets mad. We discuss Nineveh’s amazing turnaround and what we might implement in our own lives to be able to change our own community’s habits and practices that contribute to climate change. We also discuss Jonah’s inability to forgive and how that reflects on our own ability to accept back into the fold entities that have in the past contributed to climate change, but now want to fight against it. Follow along with the source sheet here: www.sefaria.org/sheets/518540

In this week’s special Elul episode, we study a text from Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah on Repentance that explores the shofar’s role as a spiritual wake-up call. We discuss how the shofar calls us to set aside our normal preoccupations with vanities and focus on what is most important in life. We see a powerful parallel in the moments of clarity within the climate movement—often sparked by climate disasters—that serve as clarion calls for us to focus on the big picture and take meaningful action.

Follow along with the source sheet here: http://www.sefaria.org/sheets/667761

In this week’s episode we are on plague number two of our Ten Plagues series with the plague of frogs. We talk about how the plague of frogs can be seen in the light of air pollution, since the smell of the frogs is specifically described. We talk about how involving a strong motivation like fear of disease (frogs everywhere including places involving preparing and consuming food, or air pollution causing asthma and heart disease) can be a strong motivator for change. We also talk about how climate change involves the extinction of many species and how amphibians are at a heightened risk, so in the modern era we are suffering the plague of no frogs. We end with an encouragement to seek out ecosystem restoration projects. 
Follow along with the source sheet here: http://sefaria.org/sheets/642211

In this week’s episode we kick off our Ten Plagues series with the first plague, the plague of blood, seeing how changing water availability (which climate change fundamentally does), has a cascading effect on ecosystems and agriculture. We also see the speed of human ingenuity and thus climate resilience as the Egyptians start to build wells and create our own midrash about Israelite cultural knowledge of well-building being shared in this difficult time. Follow along with the source sheet here: http://sefaria.org/sheets/642209

In this week’s episode we study another excerpt from Maasechet Taanit about Rav Hunah and how he would buy all the leftover vegetables from the farmer’s market on Friday afternoon and throw them in the river. This sparks a discussion about food waste, what methods we have on a large, medium, and personal scale to address food waste, including innovative selling of imperfect produce, donating food to food banks, buying only what we need, and composting and preserving. We also talk about the anxiety of not having enough food, wanting to treat food respectfully, and being aware of the food insecurity of others. Follow along with the source sheet here: http://sefaria.org/sheets/642200

In this week’s episode we look at an excerpt from Maasechet Taanit about Rav Hunah and how he would ride around in his golden carriage identifying walls that were in danger of falling, notifying the owners, and requiring the walls to be repaired, either with the owner’s money or Rav Hunah’s (if the owner couldn’t afford repairs). We talk about how this story shows an early rabbinical form of regulating buildings, but also incentivizing their upgrades, and how building weatherization and energy efficiency are two ways we can act to slow climate change. We also talk about getting into climate action in one’s middle age, giving charity in a way that also fights climate change, and the importance of imagination in environmentalism. Follow along with the source sheet here: http://sefaria.org/sheets/642199

In this week’s episode (third installment in the Shmita series with guest Avi) we study another text from Mishna Sheviit talking about how Shmita, an exemplar of a traditional Jewish attitude towards the land, is also a remittance of all loans. How does a respect for the autonomy and sacredness of the land interact with our economic system? We discuss land as collateral, conflicts between helping the poor and protecting the environment, and instituting our own personal and communal commitments to the environment during the Shmita year. Follow along with the source sheet here: https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/615576

In this week’s special Shavuot episode of Honi’s Circle, we study a text from Leviticus and one from Ruth—first, in Leviticus, the commandment in the Torah to set aside a corner of your field for the poor to glean from; second, the story in Ruth, seeing gleaning in action. We speak about how Shavuot is a holiday of recommitment to the Torah, embodying loving-kindness and a system of laws that ask the community to sustain those without resources, and how developing a system to recommit to fighting climate change can keep us in action for years to come. Follow along with the source sheet here: www.sefaria.org/sheets/642207