Posts Tagged ‘nature’

nature

August 7, 2015
By bethmordecai
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DAY 1133: The “Oy” of Joy

(8/7/15), Somewhere between mile two and three on the beautiful Green Trail of Cheesequake State Park, Reverend Anne-Marie Jeffery of St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Perth Amboy and I were talking about the difference between happiness and joy. Happiness is analogous to comfort -- when life is good to us, we feel happy; when we are worry free, we feel happy; when we can sit back and relax in our favorite easy chair, we feel happy. When things are easy, we feel happy, But when things are hard -- when we are engaged in a difficult or challenging task -- can we feel happy? Take for instance a hike in the forest. Not one of those strolls on wide dirt roads, but[...]

Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal
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nature

June 17, 2014
By bethmordecai
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DAY 717: Man Plans and God Laughs

(6/17/14), The wonderful thing about being outside for services, like at Shabbat by the Sea, is experiencing the natural splendor of creation around us. The challenging thing about being outside for services is that sometimes the natural splendor of creation is not so splendid at all. This past Friday, as we made plans to pray outside, the weather had other ideas -- a downpour arriving close to the beginning of our service forced us to remain indoors, leading our Shabbat by the Sea to become Shabbat in the Sanctuary. Yet despite the change of scenery, we not only managed to adapt to our new surroundings but we took full advantage of them, whether that was dancing out the front doors[...]

Category : Ari-archive
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nature

June 11, 2014
By bethmordecai
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DAY 711: Previewing Shabbat by the Sea — The Awesome Splendor of Nature’s Sanctuary

Dear Hevreh, One of the joys of being in Perth Amboy is living near the Raritan Bay. Years ago the beaches of Sadowsky Parkway were lined by sun-bathers and sand-castle builders -- it was the Jersey shore before the Jersey shore.  Yet even though the tourists may have left, the breathtaking views and the pleasant environment remain. Yes, living by the Raritan Bay here in Perth Amboy is a joy, and you can feel that joy at its apex when we gather in Bayview Park for Shabbat by the Sea. Shabbat by the Sea, especially by this sea, affords us an opportunity to return to the roots of the Friday night Kabbalat Shabbat service, when Jews would leave their little shtibels and go out in the fields to[...]

Category : Ari-archive
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