Zen Shabbat

I have recently participated in the past two Zen Shabbat events, a wonderful monthly offering from the NYZCCC and Lab Shul. Lab Shul describes themselves as a “god optional community”. I love this because it’s so inclusive. Just because one might be struggling with faith, it doesn’t mean they should feel further alienated and excluded from religion, culture, tradition, and community. I have never struggled with faith, a fact I’m grateful for. Faith is part of my wiring, my upbringing, my history, and my lifestyle. It anchors my fears, fills me with calm and belief, and makes me feel guided and loved by source. Jesus, Hashem, Buddha, Universe, Source, ruach hakodesh (holy spirit); in my opinion it’s all the same. Practices and customs may look different, but the overall goal is the same. Faith, like love, is one of the great unifiers of humanity. There’s a reason people cling to, search for, and struggle with it. Faith is refuge. It is medicine. It is a home for the soul, a balm for our smorgasbord of anxieties. However, every person should have a means to connect even if they don’t align with faith or God. I am a big lover of tradition, and I find a deeply moving quality to practicing certain ancient customs. I also believe that religion is shooting itself in the foot of it doesn’t adapt to the changing needs of modern times. Humanity looks so different today. There must be a place for everyone. Orthodox communities are (slowly) starting to see more inclusion of its gay members, an extremely important and necessary development. Everyone matters and all should be welcome. No God would want any of its creatures to be banned, shamed, or excluded. That makes no sense on any level. What good is religion if we don’t relate to each other with warmth, respect, and dignity?

The more rooted I am in the true essence of my faith, the more expansive my faith practice becomes. Suddenly there is room for all sorts of people, ideas, and rituals. There’s a newfound openness to my spiritual life that feels warm and right. I’ve always been a very curious person; why not extend that to how I approach God? Having observed Shabbat all my life, I can’t say I actually celebrated it. I kept it and enjoyed certain aspects that worked for me. The reading, candle lighting, the meals, the family time, the social aspect. I even enjoy synagogue and prayers. But “celebrating” the meaning of the prayers and rituals kind of didn’t really come up. They didn’t need to since we did them anyway. Classic case of taking the given for granted. At Zen Shabbat each element is so beautifully explained that I have been moved to tears. The blessings and songs are often tweaked to break away from the heteronormative. For example, “King” is now “spirt”. I have no issue with either, and I think it’s great to have different versions to suit modern times and needs. I love that one need not be Jewish to participate. I love that we meditate briefly throughout the service. I love the collaboration between Buddhism and Judaism (one of my zen teachers is Jewish and really honors that). I love that each event focuses on a different way to discuss and celebrate nature. It’s truly a lovely gathering of community and connection, and I’m proud to be able to build on my orthodox knowledge and familiarity. So many people I know regularly get through the blessings and ceremonies with boredom. Much is done by rote. It’s easy for things to not feel special when we do them constantly. Many of my observant friends struggle greatly with feelings of disconnect and a lack of inspiration. Zen Shabbat has afforded me a terrific opportunity to see the old through a new lens. It’s so easy to be able to join via zoom, one of the great gifts of the pandemic. Connection is so much more available than we realize, and it’s life affirming when we are reminded of that. It’s been a joy to deepen my appreciation of Shabbat, and I hope this passes on to my children. For anyone interested, I encourage you to check out dates and times on the Lab Shul website or Instagram. As long as we serve with love and meaning, there’s no wrong way to do it.