The oak tree and us, where we go from here
by Rabbi Nate DeGroot
It has not yet been a month since Arthur passed. Each day since has been a journey.
As of late, the image that is really sticking with me related to this enormous transition comes from Arthur’s burial. After the funeral service in the synagogue (which you can view here) guests drove to a nearby cemetery for the burial. Arthur’s body, wrapped in a canvas-type shroud, was lovingly wheeled by his loved ones atop a humble wagon over paved paths to the site where the burial was to take place. A parade of attendees followed behind.
The location that Arthur chose for his burial was a beautiful, grassy, tree-lined garden. A nature sanctuary for green burial. Towering gently above the site was a proud, tall, mature oak tree. Commanding and tender, its impressive branches extended easily over the hand-dug burial plot into which Arthur’s body, wrapped in the simple shroud, was lowered and later covered with soil, shoveled by hand with care and grief and dedication by those present.
As we know, Arthur blessed us with the profound gift of understanding YHVH as the Interbreathing of All Life and so it felt fitting for him to be laid to rest under a tree.
We breathe in what the trees breathe out and the trees breathe in what we breathe out.
But a level deeper has been what’s vibrating for me.
There was no concrete vault in the burial plot. No casket. Simply Arthur’s body wrapped in biodegradable fabric. Which means Arthur’s physical being is right now, through the miracle which is the cycle of life, transforming into nourishment for the roots of that oak tree. Elements transitioning into essential nutrients for the surrounding soil and flowers and plants. Arthur becoming life for the mycelial networks just beneath the surface, vast tracts of Earth connecting together as one.
Arthur’s teachings, his legacy, his countenance, his Torah, his spirit, his laughter, his insights, and his enthusiasm are now our nourishment, too.
Arthur, the oak tree - proud, tall, mature, commanding, and tender.
And us, the soil - decentralized, mycelial, a network of students and friends, peers and comrades, who, over years and decades, have read his words and been inspired by his actions and stirred by his interpretations and enlisted by his prophecy. We, the soil, are the recipients and beneficiaries of his revelations, his wordplay, his tears, and his unwavering commitment to more wholeness and renewal.
In his passing, Arthur has not only entered a reciprocal relationship with that tree and that soil, but also with us, all of us who have been, are, and will be enlivened by Arthur Ocean Waskow.
There’s no roadmap I’m aware of for exactly how to navigate this particular loss for this particular community. But for now, alongside Linda Carranza, the other half of our staff team, our board, and all of you, The Shalom Center is leaning tender-heartedly into the notion that our work has much to do with receiving the nourishment that is Arthur’s legacy, and transforming what he’s given us into new growth, new life, and new possibilities. We hope you’ll join us in doing just that.
To begin this transition process, we’ll mark shloshim for Arthur with a short online service next Thursday morning. Shloshim, which means “30th,” marks the 30th day since a loved one’s funeral and signifies an important shift in the mourning process. The Shalom Center will host a short and sweet morning service with chanting, singing, learning, mindfulness, and remembrance. All are welcome and the gathering is free of charge, but we do ask that you register to receive the Zoom link.
We’re also excited to launch a new three-session workshop on Jewish magic and poetry for dark winter nights with the fabulous Hannah Yerington. I met Hannah this summer when she was a member of the Jewish Spiritual Leadership Incubator at the ALEPH Kallah that I helped facilitate. She’s a brilliant writer and teacher who I’m thrilled you’ll get to meet, and her work most certainly overlaps with Arthur’s love for words and his proclivity for the mystical.
And finally, feedback was so positive from Cherie Brown’s introductory series on antisemitism that we’ve added a new miniseries launching this January! This upcoming miniseries will be a follow-up to Cherie’s first series, focusing on how to apply Cherie’s teachings and how to take action related to issues of antisemitism, the intersection of antisemitism and racism, and Israel/Palestine, all of which Arthur was of course deeply passionate about.
As we move through the year ahead, we’ll be glad to share additional new and innovative programs, series, webinars, and more that will continue to build off Arthur’s legacy and the work The Shalom Center has focused on for the last 42+ years. There will be new and old faces alike, reverence for the past, and a glimmering eye toward a future that is constantly renewing, as Arthur taught us to honor and urged us to embody throughout his life.
We are profoundly humbled and grateful to carry this legacy on, and we are looking forward to you all being on the journey with us in the year ahead and into the future.
Please see below for more details and registration for the three programs described above.
With care, blessings, and gratitude,
-Nate
Shloshim for Reb Arthur z"l
Thursday, November 20
11:00am-12:00pm ET // 8:00am-9:00am PT
Zoom
Photo: ©️ Linda J. Eber
Thursday November 20th will be the 30th day since Reb Arthur’s funeral.
You are invited to join The Shalom Center on Zoom for a short prayer service that morning, to honor this transition in community and sacred time.
Come as you are to remember and honor our dear Reb Arthur.
Jewish Magic & Poetry with Hannah Yerington
December 4, 11, & 18
7:30-9:00pm ET / 4:30-6:00pm PT
A three-part generative poetry workshop exploring Jewish folk practice, plant medicine, and writual.
Part practice, part reading, part creation, attendees will access dreams, prayers, and writuals (ritual as writing/writing as ritual) through Jewish folk practices like bulsikas, angel cards, and meeting our plantcestors.
No materials needed (only simple household items).
Open to all. Space is limited.
The Weaponization of Antisemitism with Cherie Brown
Skill Training Miniseries
January 13 & 27
7:00-9:00pm ET / 4:00-6:00pm PT
Based on participant enthusiasm from her recent Weaponization of Antisemitism class in the fall of 2025, Cherie Brown will be offering a new two-session miniseries this winter, focused on skill training and real life application around issues of antisemitism, the intersection of antisemitism and racism, and Israel/Palestine.
The skill training miniseries is a two session series. One-time registration includes recordings for both class sessions in this series. Registration also includes all three recordings from Cherie’s initial Weaponization of Antisemitism class.