Rethinking Sacred Space: Our 21 st Century Challenge

Our Sacred Spaces are Threatened — by Climate Change CARBON DIOXIDE in our atmosphere, over the last 20,000 years. Proof, sadly, that today’s rise in CO2 (and temperature) is from our actions (oil & coal, etc) That huge rise at the end – that’s our generation, alone!

Our Sacred Spaces are Threatened — by Climate Change CARBON DIOXIDE & TEMPERATURE, projected, over the next 100 years. Each line is a different study – top scientists all agree that we’re messing dangerously with the planet; their differences are minor, and reflected here.

Exodus 2

Rethinking Sacred Space: Our 21 st Century Challenge

God *is* Place – Place *is* God Makom מקום

God *is* Place – Place *is* God Makom מקום Bioregionalism “a sense of Place”

1. God *is* Place Martin Buber Born in Austria in 1888 Barely escaped Nazi Germany in 1938 Early advocate of bi- national (Jewish & Arab) Palestine/Israel Died in Jerusalem in 1965

1. God *is* Place Buber: “…real relationship to God cannot be achieved on earth if real relationships to the world and to [hu]mankind are lacking. Both love of the Creator and love of that which [God] has created are finally one and the same. In order to achieve this unity, man [sic] must indeed accept creation from God's hands, not in order to possess it but lovingly to take part in the still uncompleted work of creation... ”

1. God *is* Place Buber: “ love of the Creator and love of that which God has created are finally one and the same. ”

2. build a deep, enduring, largely egalitarian relationship with Place Martin Buber Born in Austria in 1888 Barely escaped Nazi Germany in 1938 Early advocate of bi- national (Jewish & Arab) Palestine/Israel Died in Jerusalem in 1965

2. build a deep, enduring, largely egalitarian relationship with Place Phyllis Trible Humans are both: a part (of) and and apart (from)

First, “God *is* Place.” Then: 2. build a deep, enduring, largely egalitarian relationship with Place

3. PlaceS … and Eco-Interfaith

J. Baird Callicott – Three paradigms: 1.Current Ecological (will we save the crane in time?) 2.Hegemonic (bad!) 3.ORCHESTRAL (let’s hear those interfaith harmonies)

3. PlaceS … and Eco-Interfaith 3-a: we must develop a sense of PlaceS. 3-b: the interconnections at the heart of ecology serve as a key interfaith lesson.

4. Places are unique, interconnected, interdependent; save the one, & save all

Mother Jones: “Mourn the Dead … and fight like hell for the living”

4. Places are unique, interconnected, interdependent; save the one, & save all “All God’s critters got a place in the choir – some sing low, & some sing higher; some sing out loud on the telephone wire; some just clap their hands, or paws, or anything they got now …” -- Bill Staines “Vayar Elohim et kol asher asah, And God saw all that God had made; and ‘yo!,’ v’hineh! – it was tov me’od, very good” (Gen. 1:31)

5. people build great places too, sometimes

5. People can do great things – but what’s holy about the ex-mountain?

5. people build great places too, sometimes “In the image of God did God create them” (Gen. 1:27)

6. Build Sustainably, or Don’t Build “don’t just build a building; build a just building” -- Judith Helfand -- Judith Helfand

6.Build Sustainably, or Don’t Build -- Adat Shalom Recon. Cong., Bethesda MD

6.Build Sustainably, or Don’t Build -- Jewish Reconstructionist Cong., Evanston IL

6. Build Sustainably, or Don’t Build

Review: 1, “God *is* Place”… 2, build a deep, enduring, largely egalitarian relationship with Place 3, PlaceS … and Eco-Interfaith 4, Places are unique, interconnected, interdependent; save the one, & save all 5, people build great places too, sometimes 6, Build Sustainably, or Don’t Build

7. Time and Space both count, with Sabbath connecting them

Judy Chicago, “Rainbow Shabbat” ‘Tending the Earth Together’

8. Spaces must be preserved by Law Regulation is OK – it’s how the public interest is preserved. What if there had been a bit more regulation of deep-sea drilling in The Gulf of Mexico ?!

8. Spaces must be preserved by Law “I have set before you this day life and death, the blessing and the curse – you should [but might not!] choose LIFE, that you & your descendants may live.” (Deut. 30:19)

9. Place and Proximity -- Care about Near, and also about Far

10. With the Gift / Miracle of Place, comes Responsibility

‘Duh’ !

10. With the Gift / Miracle of Place, comes Responsibility בשעה שברא הקדוש ברוך הוא את האדם הראשון, נטלו :והחזירו על כל אילני גן עדן ואמר לו ראה מעשי כמה נאים ומשובחין הן וכל מה שבראתי בשבילך בראתי. תן דעתך שלא תקלקל ותחריב. את עולמי, שאם קלקלת אין מי שיתקן אחריך

10. With the Gift / Miracle of Place, comes Responsibility When the Holy Blessed One created the first human, God toured this human around all the trees of the Garden of Eden, and said to the person: “See My works, how beautiful and praiseworthy they are?

10. With the Gift / Miracle of Place, comes Responsibility And everything I have created, I have created for you. Be mindful -- that you do not curse [ruin] and devastate My world --

10. With the Gift / Miracle of Place, comes Responsibility -- for if you ruin it, there will be no one after you to repair it.” (Qohelet Rabbah, 7:13)

10. With the Gift / Miracle of Place, comes Responsibility After Rabbi Tarfon, Talmud, Pirkei Avot 2:21 – “It is not upon us to complete the task – but neither are we free to avoid it.” … or: The Choice is Ours:

Rethinking Sacred Space: Our 21 st Century Challenge