Topic: Hakhel Blog

Hakhel

Hakhel Newsletter: November 2022

Dear Hakhel Communities, In this week’s parsha, we read the famous story of two brothers, Jacob and the elder Esau, sons of Isaac. Jacob convinces Esau to sell him his birthright in exchange for a pot of lentil stew, and under advisement from his mother, Rebecca, he tricks his father into believing that he is Esau by dressing in furs in order to resemble his hairy brother, thus gaining his father’s blessing for his firstborn. Strife in families – never mind in communities! – rings quite realistically, from historically until the present day. We all have many types of people in our communities, from hunters and scholars, to mothers and fathers, and a whole range of emotions, from jealousy and rivalry to hate, loyalty and love, are present at any given moment. How do you accommodate the needs of such a parade of humanity in your own community? How do you solve conflicts that arise in the community, from minor grievances to those frightful moments where, as Esau did after this incident, members want to kill (figuratively and literally) each other? The fact that these familiar and complicated community issues are discussed in the Torah may offer us a sense […]

Continue Reading
Hakhel

Hakhel Newsletter: October 2022

Dear Hakhel Communities, I hope you had a wonderful chagim season filled with beautiful community, spiritual moments, and important new beginnings on a personal and collective level. Speaking of new beginnings, Simchat Torah marks the start of reading the Torah anew, and we continue this week with the story of the righteous Noah (Noach) and the ark he built to prepare for a global flood. As community leaders we can likely relate to Noach, who spends a copious amount of time (120 years, according to Rabbinic tradition!) preparing for this big event, when he was to make two of every kind of animal in existence feel at home. This in fact proved to be a taxing task, as during the entire year spent in the ark during the flood, Midrash relates that Noach and his sons were sorely overworked, spending all their time feeding the animals according to each one’s personal specifications. It seems Noach’s conscientious efforts paid off, as after the flood, God made a covenant with Noach and his descendants, symbolized by a rainbow. A midrash relates that during those long 120 years of preparation, God designed Noach’s ark-building as a strange project that would attract attention – […]

Continue Reading
Hakhel

Hakhel Newsletter: September 2022

Dear Hakhel Communities, We have now entered the month of Elul – a time of introspection, where we review our deeds and our spiritual state this year and prepare for the upcoming “Days of Awe” of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. What has your community achieved this year? What is its spiritual state currently? Where do you hope to take your community in the next year? Elul is the time for teshuva (“returning” to G-d; repentance), for self-improvement, for thinking about one’s relationship with oneself, one’s family, community, and G-d. There are many Jewish conceptions of teshuva, how the concept of “returning” is relevant to us and plays itself out cosmically in our world. The mystic Rabbi Isaac Luria connected teshuva with tikkun olam, healing the world, since through teshuva and spiritual healing, Jews can improve and perfect G-d’s work. Teshuva is a process that only begins during the High Holidays. The real work will carry us through the coming year (at least!). We hope you and your communities are currently busy planning a meaningful High Holiday experience. If you are looking for resources, please check out Hakhel’s Resource Library, and if you would like to consult and think together, […]

Continue Reading
Hakhel

Hakhel Newsletter: July 2022

Dear Hakhel Communities, While it may be extremely hot in your part of the world, or extremely cold if you’re in a different part, Hakhel has remained in motion this past month. Some recent highlights include OLAM’s release of a report on Jewish organizational work in Ukraine, in which Hakhel is featured, as well as our participation in the International Communal Studies Association (ICSA) conference in Skanderborg, Denmark (see more on both below). At the same time, we as Hakhel Intentional Communities are synced inextricably with the Jewish calendar, it should be noted that we are currently in the Three Weeks, an annual Jewish mourning period, with Tisha B’Av coming soon (it’s Sunday, August 7). We mourn many disasters that befell our People, most prominently the destruction of the Temple. This terrible event is traditionally attributed to sinat chinam (baseless hatred) between Jews. How can we work as intentional communities on the baseless hatred that currently fills our polarized world and replace it with trust, security and a sense of love of fellow Jews and humankind? Nigel Savage, former CEO of Hazon, shared with me recently some implications of Tisha B’Av for the environmental movement, which I feel are relevant […]

Continue Reading
Hakhel

Hakhel Newsletter: June 2022

Dear Hakhel Communities, It’s hard to believe that it was a month ago that Hakhel community leaders gathered together in Israel for our Trip & Summit! We toured Israeli intentional communities for in-depth learning; and gathered at the Summit to learn and dialogue together, celebrate Shabbat and discuss Israel-Diaspora relations, and build connections with one another. Following these experiences, we took practical tools and insights about community-building back to our home communities. Some of these are summarized in this newsletter for the benefit of all, including those who weren’t able to join us in Israel. The 5 Pillars of Hakhel which were addressed during the Summit and which will continue to be Hakhel’s focus areas are: Community Development and Building Leadership Development Jewish Life and Literacy Israel Connection JOFEE (Jewish Outdoor, Food, Farming & Environmental Experiences) According to the exit survey following the Summit, the overall experience was quite popular, with a rating of 5/5 by 63% of respondents and 4/5 by 30%. 53% responded 5/5 that they will utilize what they gained, and 36% responded 4/5. In other feedback, we heard that we shared very relevant tools and practices to take back; that it was great to have real […]

Continue Reading
Hakhel

Hakhel Newsletter: April 2022

Dear Hakhel Communities, We wish you all, your families, and your communities, a Chag Pesach Sameach! Passover is the holiday of freedom. We tend to think of ourselves as free people living in free societies, at least most of us. And yet, global events which are totally beyond our control have direct and intimate impact on our lives: the Covid pandemic, the war in Ukraine, Climate Change and more. How are we to maintain our own freedom, and the freedom of those around us, with so many constraints imposed on us?  Well, building strong and resilient communities is obviously one step in the right direction. This Passover, we invite all of us in the Hakhel network to think: In what ways can we utilize our communities to narrow uncertainty and broaden autonomous choice? We wanted to share with you a text written by Nir Geva, Machon Kehilot – Hakhel Europe, which relates to the story of immigration, refugees, and the journey in the story of the Exodus, and tells it through the challenges of today’s world and the hope for better days. And you shall tell your son and your daughter… That sometimes people Take the wandering stick in their […]

Continue Reading
Hakhel

Hakhel Newsletter March 2022

Dear Hakhel Communities, I hope you and your community celebrated a very happy Purim! We are now in the lull between Purim and Pesach (always shorter than you think!), but that doesn’t mean there’s an end to the work to be done.  One thing that should be top of your to-do list is signing up for the Hakhel Israel Trip and Summit, taking place from May 9-15 in Israel. We may be fewer, due to the war in Europe, but we are strong as communities and as a network, and we are here to carve out the next phase of this work in person together even in hard times.  Please sign up and have your community members sign up. Registration ends on March 31. See below for more details. Our own efforts have been focused on supporting our communities in Ukraine at this terrible time – through sending Hakhel delegations and thousands of dollars of medical supplies and food. Read on below for more info about these efforts and how you can help. In this week’s parsha, Shemini, we see a lot of divine activity – a fire issues from G-d to consume offerings on the altar, G-d’s presence comes […]

Continue Reading
jakir headshot

How We Can Help Our Partners in Ukraine

Friends, We have watched, horrified, as Putin’s Russia has invaded Ukraine, causing bloodshed, destruction, and hundreds of thousands of innocent people fleeing. What you may not know is that Hazon operates a global Jewish intentional community network called Hakhel that includes communities in Ukraine. For the past five years, the Hakhel network has engaged leaders and innovative communities doing great things in Ukraine, in all major cities: Kiev, Harkov, Lvov, Odessa, and Dnepro. They were there before this crisis and they will outlast it, doing amazing things in Jewish education, community building, culture and social activism. Friday morning, our Hakhel Director, Aharon Ariel Lavi, organized a call for the Hakhel network to hear directly from these Ukrainian Jewish leaders. You can watch the entire meeting here. If you read Hebrew, you might also like this piece on yNet, Israel’s largest news website, covering our efforts. If you would like to get involved and stay informed, please register here. These action items emerged from that call: Supporting Refugees: A delegation is going tomorrow to Kishinyev, Moldova, to support the local Rabbi in attending over 500 refugees, 200 of whom are children. We expect to receive more requests for delegations. Hakhel communities […]

Continue Reading

Hakhel Newsletter February 2022

Dear Hakhel Communities, What makes the world holy, and how can we increase the holiness of the world together? In this week’s Torah portion, T’tzaveh, the Israelites learn about how to organize a community with Torah at the center, in a way that truly elevates the mundane to the holy. For instance, the brilliant priestly garments – with precious stones and metals donated by the community – and the rite of priestly consecration are described, as well as the garb of the High Priest, complete with Stones of Remembrance bearing the names of the 12 Tribes for his shoulders. It is clear from these instructions that we live in an interconnected ecosystem, where resources, people, and places can be given sacred meaning and influence one another through channels of mutual obligation and responsibility. In today’s context where we face environmental destruction and human suffering, how can we apply these lessons to repair our world and allow it to flourish? February 20 is the World Day of Social Justice (as referenced in the graphic above). We hope you find inspiration to take this opportunity for your community to engage in social justice projects locally or globally, or even simply to have […]

Continue Reading
Hakhel

Hakhel Newsletter January 2022

Dear Hakhel Communities, This week’s Torah portion, Beshalach, is the scene of many incredible miracles that have captured the imagination of countless generations: the splitting of the Red Sea to allow the Israelites to escape Egypt; the manna that rained down from Heaven to provide them with sustenance in the desert, with a double portion on Friday in preparation for Shabbat; the water that emanated from the stone. Through all of these miracles, we feel the immense, special love and protection of G-d. In your lifetime, have you experienced any acts that seemed divine? What about your community, in what ways has it received love and protection that allowed it to grow and flourish? This Sunday, we celebrate Tu B’Shvat, the birthday of the trees. This is a wonderful holiday to celebrate with your community, as it comes with a unique Seder that is an interactive, sensory experience through the eating of specific fruits and nuts and the drinking of wine. It also carries with it powerful messages from Kabbalah and about our connection to and stewardship of the Earth. Regardless of how you choose to mark the day personally, we hope you will join Hazon in a special virtual […]

Continue Reading
Hakhel

Hakhel Newsletter December 2021

Dear Hakhel Communities, What do you believe will come of you in the days and years to come? What about your loved ones and community? Why is this your vision? These are just some of the questions evoked in this week’s parsha, Vayechi, as our Forefathers Jacob and Joseph are confronted with the end of their lives, when such questions must be considered. We all want to come to the end of our lives with the sense that it has been lived with purpose. It seems fitting that the Book of Bereishit (Genesis) ends on this note. With the end of the first book of the Torah, as well as the recent conclusion of our celebration of Chanukah (see photos from communities around the world below!), it seems like a good time to take stock of where we are with ourselves and our communities and where we see them going in the coming months and years. If you’re stuck on an issue and looking for some inspiration, why not consult with your Hakhel subnetwork (see more about that below)? Don’t forget that you have a global network of peer communities that will give you energy and advice (and who you […]

Continue Reading
Hakhel

Hakhel Newsletter November 2021

Dear Hakhel Communities, This week, we will read in the Torah portion Vayeitzei about Jacob’s Ladder. As Jacob is running away from Esau, he stops to rest and has a powerful dream about a ladder, with angels ascending and descending. What did it mean? The ladder served as the infrastructure of a connection between Heaven and Earth. With a not insignificant exertion of effort, for instance through prayer – or perhaps even through community-building – it becomes possible both to ascend and reach Heaven, and also to descend to bring its teachings back to Earth.  In what ways do you feel that you, as a community leader, are acting as a kind of bridge between Earth and some aspect of Heaven – either the teachings of the Torah, Judaism, or some essence of the Divine?  Midrash Rabbah teaches that Jacob’s dream is actually a premonition of receiving Torah at Mount Sinai, as the gematria (numeric value) of the letters of the Hebrew word sulam (ladder) is the same as that of the word Sinai. In this sense, Jacob is a visionary whose dream predicts the founding of this wandering Jewish people as a nation at Sinai. What dreams or visions […]

Continue Reading
Hakhel

Hakhel Newsletter October 2021

What’s Inside: Community Spotlight | Sharing Resources | Monthly Quote   Dear Hakhel Communities, Last week (October 9), we read the famous Torah portion that tells the story of Noah (Noach), the righteous man who built an ark that preserved animals and humans from G-d’s epic flood. It may seem with today’s current events that we too are enduring a flood, in our case the health and social crisis around COVID. Looking back on this challenging time, how have we acted as righteous community leaders that prepared our communities to weather this storm at this time when sadly isolation and loneliness skyrocketed? Learning from this crisis and looking forward as community leaders, how can Jewish intentional community-building be an ark that carries us to safety, healing, and connection? In this action-packed Torah portion, we also read about the Tower of Babel, which humans constructed in an act of rebellion to attempt to reach G-d. In retribution for their arrogance, G-d scatters the people across the globe by assigning them different languages to speak. In some ways, our work at Hakhel can be seen as a Tikkun (act of reparation) for this moment in the Jewish people’s history. With our motto […]

Continue Reading
Hakhel

Hakhel Newsletter September 2021

What’s Inside: Sharing Resources | In the Spotlight Shalom,  About 4 months ago Israel announced it had “overcame Covid”, opened everything and life returned to normal, to how it used to be before 2020.  A few other countries were about to initiate similar declarations until reality fought back. With rapidly growing numbers of cases, hospitalizations and deaths worldwide, it seems like we are doomed to relive 2020 again.  I feel like the optimistic announcement only made it worse. I mean, we sort of learned to live alongside Covid restrictions, and the hope that it’s now over made the backlash even more painful.  But then I thought about the Hebrew cycle. Every year anew, in the month of Elul, we hope and pray and congratulate each other for Shana Tova, hoping for a better year than this one. Not all years are necessarily better, some are worse. However, the mere idea that life is not an endless cycle that repeats itself, but rather that there is progress towards a better future, is profoundly an original Jewish (or actually Hebrew/Biblical) idea.  Along the way, there will be backlashes and pitfalls, but looking ahead and remaining hopeful is not good only for our […]

Continue Reading
Hakhel

Hakhel Newsletter July 2021

What’s Inside: Sharing Resources | Upcoming Events and Opportunities | In the Spotlight Have you felt like you needed to take some time off? Have you ever wondered where Academia got the idea of a Sabbatical Year from? In 6 weeks we will be welcoming the 279th Shmita year, since the destruction of the second temple (in 70 CE), which is all about that. Shmita is one of the most inspiring and radical ideas in Jewish tradition, and this week we have just concluded our three parts “Shmita 101 Course,” as part of Hakhel’s Summer Learning for 2021. In the first session we learned about the 7 parts of Shmita, the key ideas behind it and its evolution through history. In the second session we delved deeper into two of those 7 parts, namely the Shabbat of the Land and debt relief. In the third session we held more of a conversation about the philosophy of living through, and evolving through, crises. Shmita actually educates us that cirses are a part of life and that it might be wiser to build into our some moderate, pre-planned and timed crises. They might actually help us alleviate the negative impacts of unplanned […]

Continue Reading