5773 High Holy Days in S'fat and Yerushalayim

Teaching Kabbalah and leading services on Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur in the magical city of  S'fat is a blessing etched into my heart.  I have been sojourning with my holy sister Rev Sandy Rut Betzalel Pond LMT, an amazing artist who helped create the sacred prayer space. 

Standing in the presence of our Kabbalah Heritage the community united  in love, awe, integrity and devotion. We not only journeyed deeply into Spirit through ritual and practice (Atzilut), Intellectually with  teachings that I gave over and received from the other teachers (Breeyah), emotionally - breaking bread with Yehudit and Reuven Goldfarb, Gita Zoharah and Roni Bar El, Miriam and Dovid Friedman and many other holy souls,  we also journeyed deeply into Malkhut as we hiked into the valley to experience the amazing beauty of the Amud Wadi; following the tracks of Moshe Cordevero, The Holy Ari and the greater community of  earlier mystics  into the cool nourishing living waters.  The people I met in S'fat are there because they want to be close to God.  The Carlebach minyan at the House of Love and Prayer in S'fat was phenomenal and inspired me deeply.

In the next days we will be Initiating  the first days of Sukkot in Jerusalem.  It has been a blessed and inspiring journey, so far.  I feel guided and have enjoyed miracles on the path.
I look forward to bringing this back to our community and to seeing many of you next erev Shabbat.
Hallelu Yah!

 I am in the old city of Jerusalem, Sukkahs are everywhere. People are selling Lulavim and Etrogim on the streets. Some vendors are honest and some are not.  
The church bells are presently ringing in the old city. We will hear the call to prayer from the mosques soon, certainly.  The diversity if profound.

The four days between Yom Kippur and Sukkot bring in a new pure fresh 4 letter Divine Name for the year.
Today, Sunday, the final heh arrives. Malkhut sovereign receiving.

Sukkot, in Torah, is a 7 day pilgrimage festival and an aspectt of the secret of 7. There is movement through the 7 lower S'firot on these days. They are an opportunity to embody these Divine attributes; Hesed; unbounded grace, G'vurah; discipline and filtering, Tiferet; Compassion, Netzah; Perseverance, Hod; gratitude and humility, Yesod; Intimacy and community, and Malkhut on the 7th day; Sovereignty and Receiving.  It is like a palate of color we paint to establish the foundation for the year.

It already rained here motza-ay Shabbes - in the old city. This is grace - God's love manifesting - cooling the heat of summer as we drift into Autumn and the final harvest season for the solar year. We are very blessed.