Threading a Life: A Woman's lens

Threading a Life

            The inner workings of a woman’s heart are complex. It is constantly evaluating, analyzing, and loving among the other innumerable tasks a woman places upon this muscle—a flexor of life force that never ceases to amaze. If one were able to delve down deep into this spiritual stronghold, one would find a beginning that is muted and surrounded by darkness. It is in this humble moment where I find myself reflecting on the archaic sagacity of Woman.

            A woman is like the beautiful lotus blossom that sits atop a glistening pond sharing its radiance, its glory, and gift with others. Few are aware of its dark and arduous beginnings and far less are aware of the fortitude needed to push through to survive a turbulent stage of awakening. Even more astonishing is the wisdom of each petal—unique in how and when it opens, unveiling its brilliance only when it feels ready.

            Each woman is an artist who weaves the tapestry of a lifetime guided by heart and nurtured by soul. The Jewish woman has brought herself through a bitter dawn, evolved into a pillar of strength for her community, and weaved her legacy in the Textile of Time. We can see the Jewish Woman’s tapestry come to life when we pause, breathe and reflect.

           The earliest woven threads come from Sarah, our first matriarch. Her unwavering belief in prayer, sage-like wisdom, and vision of change demonstrates that faith and patience are powerful tools in times of uncertainty. The complexity of our tapestry continues with Rachel, whose untimely death symbolizes the first selfless act of unconditional love a mother willingly gives for her children. The weaving shifts phenomenally with the entrance of the Rebitzen, Malkah of Belz. Her spiritual wisdom and courageous work as a prophetess became the steppingstones for modern women to turn quelled silence into passionate oration. And the threads continue through the loom, in current day Israel, with the twenty-five year struggle for religious pluralism with the “Women of the Wall.”

One question remains: how will you weave your threads into our collective Jewish tapestry?

DNKG. Threading a Life -Adapted from my article published in the Kehillah Magazine - May edition 2014 ©

Belonging

It is Sisterhood’s hope that through our Women’s column, you can find a sense of belonging, a place of empathy, of mutual compassion, a home for the Jewish woman’s voice. Life is filled with Light and Shadow, up and downs, faith and disbelief. We hope these words can be a ray of sunshine peeking through the clouds lifting your soul.

The feeling of belonging comes at us like the Viennese Waltz: the glamour of a new place, the graceful couples who seamlessly hold time in their hands and maneuver about each other sweeping from one action to the next without flaw, keeping rhyme and measure in constant balance of the often rapid steps and movements. Anyone can dance, you think. So, it’s your turn. You take a partner’s hand, but realize the timing is too fast, you cannot keep up, so you stumble and fall. Maybe belonging isn’t so easy.

In praising friends who are converting and meeting new members who are exploring their options in the community, I am reminded of the anxiety of “Belonging.” I spoke with a new member whose voice was guarded and who appeared uncomfortable in the space swarming with new faces. We shared mutual anxieties over the language barrier, confusion on the length of the service, fear of the word “Oneg” and what that even meant. We laughed over my initial angst regarding my tattoos that screamed, “Hi. I am NOT a Jew!” Then I was asked, “How did you do it? Find a way to belong?”

The answer came in the form of taking a risk; by getting involved in the community. I found my home in Sisterhood - A woman’s organization at TBI that is united in friendship, compassion, philanthropy, and awareness. In Sisterhood, I discovered an outlet for my inner baker, a home for my philanthropic ideas, a time to explore my spirituality and a tolerant space for my feminist beliefs. I found a piece of myself in my Sisters.

“You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you’re not lonely or isolated from anyone. You belong.” –F. Scott Fitzgerald

© 2014 DNKG Belonging; Originally printed in Kehillah April 2014