DLTI-Food for the Body & Food for the Soul

I started writing this first DLTI retreat report Wednesday, Yom Revii, when the torah says God created the sun, moon and planets. Here it is almost shabbas and I am determined to finish the holy work (smile). Here at the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center there is no end to light being created, reflected and absorbed.

Light comes from the center itself which has a sign when you drive up saying “We are blessed by your arrival.” Imagine that everywhere you went you were welcomed in this manner. Something to think about. I may have to post such a sign on my door when I get home. The food served here is great and nutritious. Every meal includes fresh salad bar with lots of ingredients many of which are grown right here. Yummy breakfasts of fresh fruit, whole grains, French toast, pancakes, cereals. Lunch usually has a wonderful soup and fresh baked bread while dinners include Mexican tortillas, beans and rice and Indian veggies like dal. One night we even had this wonderful salmon. You many wonder about the importance I am placing on the meals but you can’t shine if you don’t have energy and that takes good fuel. Enough said.

Light comes from our teachers, Reb Marcia, Reb Shawn, and Hazzan Jack, each of whom push us to stretch our souls, our ideas and our confidence. Reb Marcia is teaching us to slow down, think about the words of prayers we recite and focus on opening the channel to the Divine. Reb Shawn has written a lot of liturgical music, plays guitar and is helpful in explaining how music can enhance or distract in the service. Jack is a talented hazzan, musician and not only knows the nusach but is able to show and teach it to us. The three of them overlap in helping us, prodding us and mentoring us. Of course there needs to be someone who makes sure all the other retreat and group “stuff” is gets down and Daniel, who is a doctor in his other life, is doing that, taking care of us in direct ways and being a listening ear when we need it.

Light is radiating out of my fellow DLTI students too. These 62 souls are as full of talent as the peach my holy brother Avishai picked me from one of the trees was full of juice. With such a big group I haven’t connected with everyone or even learned everyone’s name yet. Some are rabbis and cantors and some are on their way to being rabbis and cantors. We stood in a line according to age and discovered that one student is 20 and all the ages were covered up to 70ty. We are a mixture of professions and we are from the USA, Canada and beyond. It is wonderful to be among so many as interested in services and prayer as me and I am looking forward to getting to know everyone during these retreats.

This program focuses on prayer and prayer leadership skills so of course we students are leading most of the services. We received a sign-up sheet in an email and I quickly talked to my future DLTI room mate who lives near me and suggested we sign up for the first morning service. It seemed a good idea to seize the moment, carpe diem, and not wait to get assigned. She agreed and I immediately sent a note to Daniel. We were assigned the service as well as a third partner from Berkley. It was interesting but challenging to work in a partnership. I am used to leading services alone and not collaborating. In phone calls and emails we discovered many of our service ideas were 180 degrees different. How could we ever make this work? Each of us had something specific we wanted to lead or teach. We talked about what had to be included and what could be left out. We fought and compromised but the service we led was fantastic.

I led chanting with my shruti, my holy sister used her drum and led teachings and my holy brother did a wonderful seven directions movement prayer. The synagogue space is beautiful with lots of windows through which you see the trees and the sun. Yes back to the idea of light! It wasn’t perfect but if it was why would I be here? After we did the service we re-did it in a lab and Reb Marcia and Reb Shawn gave us ideas in what we could to improve. Each of the services has had a lab afterwards however the mincha and maariv labs were done only with the students involved while the shacharit labs are done in front of the whole group as a teaching tool. As confident as I am I will admit it was scary sitting in the hot seat with Reb Marcia as your prayer angel. I think I may have to make buttons with Reb Marcia and Reb Shawn’s faces on them and the words “I was blessed by Reb Shawn and Reb Marcia during a shacharit lab at DLTI-6”! Even if I did get a bit defensive and lost all my thoughts at one point I also learned a lot.

I haven’t finished but shabbas will be here in an hour and I have to go shower and get dressed. Hopefully these words carry joy and light and love to all of you who choose to read them.