GOAL/MISSION FOR TIKKUN MIDDOT PROJECT:  To enhance the meaning and purpose of our individual AND our communal relationships through the practice of middot  To explore mindfulness practice as an enriching path toward cultivating our individual and communal soul traits  To make the vocabulary of soul trait study and mindfulness practice accessible to all our members, encouraging us to reach for our better selves both personally and communally.

Early Activities:  Everyday Holiness monthly book group  Scholar in Residence – Rabbi Sheila Peltz Weinberg  Summer brainstorming sessions with 25 congregants  Evening lecture by Dr. Alan Morinis  First Tikkun Middot Study Group with 18 congregants

Learning From the Past: Beginning the Project at Beth El, Spring 2014

Our students lead the way

Learning From the Past: Beginning the Project at Beth El, Spring 2014 – our students lead the way

High Holiday Connections to Middot

More High Holiday connections to Middot:  Cantor’s Rosh Hashanah sermon, studying Hitlamdut  Introductory learning session on IJS curriculum

Right here, right now - Continuing Practice:  Evening Tikkun Middot study group #2  Bi-weekly morning Torah/Middot study group  Everyday Holiness, continued – monthly book group  Bi-weekly Middot yoga with our cantorial intern, Julie Newman  High school focus on soul traits and mindfulness  Family Education: Parenting through a middah lens

Middah of the month:  Monthly staff meeting study on middah-of-the-month  Monthly board meeting study on middah-of-the-month  Monthly Shabbat Torah study focus on middah-of-the-month  Personal reflection on the middah-of-the-month during our Shabbat Rinah service

On our Beth El website

What’s feeling great?  Finding the gift of working with a true partner/partners  Co-leading with Lisa Goodman and Lorel Zar-Kessler  Volunteers and “brainstormers” to keep the energy going  Delightful surprise of bringing together alumni and “newbies in study group and watching their joy at learning together  That folks are interested in middot yoga!  Still finding “new” connections: folks just showing interest now and stepping into the learning  Finding ways to combine Torah learning and Middot practice

Looking Ahead: Excitement and...  Soul Collage and Zen Tangle art connections  Meditation group for Shabbat afternoon  At-home middot kit: Wait until next year!  Electronic sharing and learning among congregants  Phone calls to each congregant – just “checking in”  Post-survey at the end of the year

. Things I’ve been working on for years are suddenly integrating and falling into place, and I’m seeing myself actually make changes! The choice points were enlightening and showed me early on that a simple, small step could make a tremendous difference in my life. I really enjoyed getting to know my study partners - the switching of partners was bittersweet each time, but I am so glad I have made some lasting connections with new people at Beth El. Having two leaders with Lorel and Lisa was helpful so I could learn from each of them in a different way. I am looking forward to continuing the learning! Hitlamdut – awareness without judgment - mindfulness and bechirah points – paying attention to when I have choices and what those choices are – Practicing these has enabled me to change behaviors and truly let go of years of internal battles. And it’s so important to me that studying and practicing middot gives me a Jewish, spiritual context for personal growth. The practices have pushed me out of my comfort zone at times, to try new things. I have found them extremely fulfilling, despite not doing them as often as I'd like to. The group meetings [are] refreshing in hearing many perspectives.

?? Questions ??  How do we reach a fuller swath of our varied community?  How do we continue to match our enthusiasm with differing levels of interest and investment from the community?  The ideas keep coming, but the ability to keep up with and concretize them needs more, and broader, support – how do we make conscious choices about what we focus on with this particular community?  We feel committed to the idea of integrating mindfulness into middot practice and need help in finding ways to concretize the practice of mindfulness into daily life and into real-life work with the soul traits ?