Arthur’s final days as Director of The Shalom Center
by Rabbi Nate DeGroot
Reb Arthur has been arrested 27 times. He has been a champion for justice for almost a century. He helped to create the modern Jewish social justice movement. And he has inspired many tens of thousands of people with his prophetic clarity and compass.
But perhaps his most significant contribution to the Jewish world, and the world at large, is his theological insight that YHVH - the Jewish name for God - is the Interbreathing of All Life. A paradigm-shifting understanding that uncovers the interconnectedness of all creation, the symbiosis and mutuality inherent to all life, and the aliveness that animates Divinity. A concept that composts hierarchy into vast rhizomatic webs of connection. When we breathe in and out, when the wind wisps, when the spirit swells - that is God.
Tonight we enter the festival of Sukkot, a time when breath and wind and spirit swirl knowingly, in and around the rickety walls of our huts, weaving through leafy canopies and soft hearts. In YHVH’s clubhouse - where breath is made visible, flora becomes portal, and Presence is presenced - we are transformed into particles of Interbreathing.
Which is fortunate for us, because on Sukkot, that very same Breath becomes the object of our appeal. The source of our salvation, or our suffering. The winds upon which saving rains will either come, or not. The wings on which our hopes and dreams or fears and trepidation ride. Will we be saved? Will rain fall? Will we make it to the other side?
On Sukkot, we pray to YHVH to save us. We shake our fronds and lift our fruits and beat our willows with renewed purpose, hard earned from High Holiday tending. Then, on the holiday’s final day, known as Hoshanah Rabbah, we turn it all up a notch. One final chance, before the gates close again, for our prayers to work.
This Hoshanah Rabbah - next week - come traverse those cosmic crossroads with us. On October 22nd, in-person in Philadelphia or online via Zoom, come celebrate Arthur’s 91st birthday. Honor his legacy. Be present for his final moments as Director of The Shalom Center, 41 years after founding the organization, as he passes the lulav of leadership to me and the next generation. Be part of the great turning, in this season, two weeks before the election, one day before the one year Jewish anniversary of 10/7. With the world and our spirits full of oh so many things. Play with us, dance with us, and be together, as one gate closes and another opens.
YHVH - Interbreathing of All Life - will you save us?
Let’s accompany Arthur, and ask that question together, as we circle around the spiral of the calendar this time. Full details about The Great “Save-In” below.
With love and anticipation,
- Nate
The Great "Save-In"
October 22nd, 6:30-9:30PM ET
Philadelphia, PA 19138 & virtual
Register today to join us in person in Philadelphia or online from anywhere!
Register at: https://theshalomcenter.org/save-in
A Hoshanah Rabbah actifest from The Shalom Center, celebrating Rabbi Arthur Waskow at 91, as he passes the Shalom Center torch to the next generation and we collectively traverse the cosmic crossroads of this moment. GOTV inspiration and action, Gloria Steinmem and Reb Arthur in conversation, a house band, an existential game show, a cathartic dance party, and so much more. For full details and in-person registration, click here.