walking in the field

Someone recently asked me what I might have done with my life if I was not a rabbi. After some internal pause, I shared that I might have been a farmer. Throughout my time living in Boston I was connected to an 11 acre farm, called Powisset. I worked there weekly and at one point was a full-time summer farm hand. I have a vivid memory of the first time I walked out into the field. The sky felt huge. There were rows upon rows of vegetables, so many shades of green I felt like I was in an impressionist painting. The air was crisp and the light clear. In many ways, that farm was one of the places I have felt most free.
In this week’s parsha we hear the account of Isaac, who famously (according to the rabbis) “went out walking in the field” [Gen 24:63]. From this line the rabbis extrapolate core Jewish practices about prayer [BT Brachot 26b].

Throughout the High Holidays KT members explored, Why Pray?. Tonight, as we celebrate and welcome so many new people into the KT community, I will explore where Jewish prayer comes from and how it might relate to large themes of ecology and interconnectedness. I am excited to continue this evolving conversation, which according to the rabbis, is prayer itself.
See you tonight at 6:30 pm, followed by (homemade) dessert oneg!
Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Ari Lev