#God in the Wilderness: Rediscovering the Spirituality of the Great Outdoors with the Adventure Rabbi

[brightgnosis]

Those of us who love wilderness excursions know that when we are open to a spiritual experience, hiking also exposes the layers of the soul; with each mile of distance from civilization, as packs seem to grow heavier and the footing more tenuous, we embark on an internal journey into the core of our selves. Perhaps this is why God chose to give us the Torah in the wilderness, to ensure that we were spiritually prepared to hear the teachings.

From God in the Wilderness: Rediscovering the Spirituality of the Great Outdoors with the Adventure Rabbi, published 2007; Jamie Korngold (My Ko-Fi Here)

#God in the Wilderness: Rediscovering the Spirituality of the Great Outdoors with the Adventure Rabbi #Jamie Korngold #Natural Connections #Religion & Magic #Jewish Studies #Quote

[brightgnosis]

How do you transform a day of powder skiing into a holy day? By stopping to notice a snow-dusted Douglas fir tree you might have skied by on another day. By learning the prayer for falling snow and teaching it to a friend. By sharing our dreams, hopes, and aspirations, rather than complaining about the pressures of work and stress in our overcommitted lives.

How do you turn a desert canyon into sacred space? By taking the time to really notice and appreciate the color of the sandstone and the smell of sage. By saying blessings combining traditional words with modern sentiments. By reading ancient words from a Torah, carried in a dry bag, and discussing how our own wilderness journey is similar to the journey our ancestors made.

And how can you find the solace of nature when the only canyons in your own backyard are those created by the shadows of skyscrapers? How can you bring the wilderness to the city? By heeding the ancient Jewish instruction to eat one of every type of each seasonal vegetable, in order to reconnect with the awe of Creation. By bringing a plant into your workspace and contemplating why the Talmud commands us to live only in cities that have natural spaces.

In short, I don’t ask people to change their lifestyle, or insist that they give up treasured weekend days outdoors to go to synagogue. I challenge them to refocus their attention. "Your life is already spiritual", I say. "Let me show you how to make it Jewish".

From God in the Wilderness: Rediscovering the Spirituality of the Great Outdoors with the Adventure Rabbi, published 2007; Jamie Korngold (My Ko-Fi Here)

#God in the Wilderness: Rediscovering the Spirituality of the Great Outdoors with the Adventure Rabbi #Jamie Korngold #Natural Connections #Religion & Magic #Jewish Studies #Quote #The Trees Speak

[brightgnosis]

One of the great rabbis. Rabbi Abraham ben Maimonides, taught: “In order to serve God, one needs access to the enjoyment of the beauties of nature, such as the contemplation of flower-decorated meadows, majestic mountains, and flowing rivers. For all these are essential to the spiritual development of even the holiest of people”.

From David Stein in A Garden of Choice Fruit: 200 Classic Jewish Quotes on Human Beings and the Environment (1991), via God in the Wilderness: Rediscovering the Spirituality of the Great Outdoors with the Adventure Rabbi, published 2007; Jamie Korngold (My Ko-Fi Here)

#Abraham ben Maimonides #David Stein #A Garden of Choice Fruit: 200 Classic Jewish Quotes on Human Beings and the Environment #God in the Wilderness: Rediscovering the Spirituality of the Great Outdoors with the Adventure Rabbi #Jamie Korngold #Natural Connections #Jewish Studies #The Trees Speak #Religion & Magic #Quote

[brightgnosis]

Rabbi [Abraham Joshua] Heschel taught that we access God through awe, by going to natural places, like the high peaks, which take us beyond the confines of words to that purely emotional and spiritual place that allows us to feel connected to something larger than ourselves.

From God in the Wilderness: Rediscovering the Spirituality of the Great Outdoors with the Adventure Rabbi, published 2007; Jamie Korngold (My Ko-Fi Here)

#God in the Wilderness: Rediscovering the Spirituality of the Great Outdoors with the Adventure Rabbi #Jamie Korngold #Natural Connections #Religion & Magic #Jewish Studies #The Trees Speak #Quote

[brightgnosis]

[During the naming ceremony] We prayed that, like Jacob, who wrestled with God in the river, she too would wrestle with God concepts, finding one for herself. [And] I hoped she would learn that there are many ways of thinking of God, and that she could be a good Jew even if she questioned God’s existence.

From God in the Wilderness: Rediscovering the Spirituality of the Great Outdoors with the Adventure Rabbi, published 2007; Jamie Korngold (My Ko-Fi Here)

#God in the Wilderness: Rediscovering the Spirituality of the Great Outdoors with the Adventure Rabbi #Jamie Korngold #Natural Connections #Religion and Magic #Jewish Studies #Quote

[brightgnosis]

Perhaps the deep spirituality we find in the outdoors is inspired by the sheer magnitude of canyon and sky, river and wind; that innate connection we feel to the ravens catching thermals overhead, the wildflowers spread out across the meadow — the awareness that we are part of something so much larger than ourselves.

Perhaps the spiritual richness is precipitated by the stark beauty of the wilderness, an awesomeness that is beyond description, leaving us standing on a promontory speechless […] at a loss for words. Perhaps the spiritual door is opened by that feeling of smallness within the largeness. Out there we can no longer fool ourselves; ultimately it is not we who control the world. We wonder at the mystery of Creation, we marvel at the Creator. Or perhaps it is all of these elements building upon one another, generating a veritable cascade of spiritual opportunity.

How much easier it is for many of us to reach these spiritual heights in the wilderness than in a synagogue!

From God in the Wilderness: Rediscovering the Spirituality of the Great Outdoors with the Adventure Rabbi, published 2007; Jamie Korngold (My Ko-Fi Here)

#God in the Wilderness: Rediscovering the Spirituality of the Great Outdoors with the Adventure Rabbi #Jamie Korngold #Natural Connections #Religion & Magic #Jewish Studies #The Trees Speak #Quote

[brightgnosis]

There are many mediums that bring nature to us within the comforts of our living rooms.

From God in the Wilderness: Rediscovering the Spirituality of the Great Outdoors with the Adventure Rabbi, published 2007; Jamie Korngold (My Ko-Fi Here)

#God in the Wilderness: Rediscovering the Spirituality of the Great Outdoors with the Adventure Rabbi #Jamie Korngold #Natural Connections #Religion & Magic #Jewish Studies #Quote

[brightgnosis]

Although today we believe God to be omnipresent, throughout the Bible God [technically] appears only at specific places [and] at specific times. Most frequently, God appears near water, by trees, or on mountaintops. Other monumental experiences happen in those places as well.

From God in the Wilderness: Rediscovering the Spirituality of the Great Outdoors with the Adventure Rabbi, published 2007; Jamie Korngold (My Ko-Fi Here)

#God in the Wilderness: Rediscovering the Spirituality of the Great Outdoors with the Adventure Rabbi #Jamie Korngold #Natural Connections #Religion and Magic #Jewish Studies #Quote #The Trees Speak

[brightgnosis]

The massive [walls of the Grand Canyon] urge me not to forget that for centuries before the People of the Book (the Jews) had a book (the Bible) or prayer books, synagogues, or Rabbis for that matter, they met with God in the wilderness, on mountains, and by streams.

From God in the Wilderness: Rediscovering the Spirituality of the Great Outdoors with the Adventure Rabbi, published 2007; Jamie Korngold (My Ko-Fi Here)

#God in the Wilderness: Rediscovering the Spirituality of the Great Outdoors with the Adventure Rabbi #Jamie Korngold #Natural Connections #Religion & Magic #Jewish Studies #Quote

[brightgnosis]

[Jewish] Religion, like nature, does not ask us to be perfect. Rather, nature and religion offer to teach us about the spirituality of imperfection.

From God in the Wilderness: Rediscovering the Spirituality of the Great Outdoors with the Adventure Rabbi, published 2007; Jamie Korngold (My Ko-Fi Here)

#God in the Wilderness: Rediscovering the Spirituality of the Great Outdoors with the Adventure Rabbi #Jamie Korngold #Natural Connections #Religion and Magic #Jewish Studies #Quote

[brightgnosis]

End of year asks: 11, 14, and 23!

11. Something you want to do again next year? (from here)

I definitely want to take more classes and do more online Rituals next year; I really enjoyed the Slavic Magic and Jewish Herbalism classes, the Ancestral Medicine Rituals, and all the Webinars and Lectures that I got to attend this year, and I'd really like to make a much more intentional and concentrated effort to track down and attend more stuff like that throughout the course of 2024. Especially now that I have an allowance!

14. Favorite book you read this year?

God in the Wilderness: Rediscovering the Spirituality of the Great Outdoors with the Adventure Rabbi, published 2007, by Jamie Korngold.

23. If you could send a message to yourself back on the first day of the year, what would it be?

"No matter how bad things get, you will make it through the year, and everything will be okay. I promise".

#lucysweatslove #Answered Asks #2023 Asks #Ask Games #End Of The Year Ask Game