Nature Rabbi Programs

Nature Rabbi programs provide a spiritual experience of nature through prayer and other activities for children, families, and adults. Experiences of nature are critical to our well-being. Exploring the sights, smells, sounds, and feel of the created world in the context of traditional and creative texts brings new meaning to both, and enriches the heart and soul of young and old alike. Programs can be designed to meet the needs of your group. The following are sample programs. Nature Rabbi programs can be brought to your synagogue, school, assisted living, or other setting. For more information, please contact Rabbi Katy Allen at rabbikza@verizon.net.

Ma'yan Tikvah has received a grant from the CJP Metrowest Jewish Community Fund for a series of six Nature Rabbi programs during 2009-2010, in cooperation with Congregation Kerem Shalom of Concord, Congregation Beth Elohim of Acton, and Temple Emanual of Marlboro. These programs are also open to the public. See below for specific programs and dates. If you'd like to come, please contact Rabbi Katy Allen.

This was more than a hike; it was a sacred pilgrimage that showed us what it means to explore the natural world looking through a Jewish lens. --Nancy Kaplan, Family Educator, Kerem Shalom, Concord, MA

Look What I Saw! Did You Hear What I Heard?

A program for families with children in grades K-2

Sunday, April 25, 1-2:30 PM, Spring Hill Conservation Area, Acton

On this spring walk through the woods we will engage in activities and games that help us open our eyes and our ears to what is around us. Suddenly we will find many more things in the woods than we expected! Connecting these activities to simple Jewish prayers will enrich the experience for both children and adults. Come prepared for the weather and for walking in the woods, and for having fun! The Spring Hill Conservation Area is at the end of Spring Hill Road, off Pope Road in Concord. Click here for a map of the conservation area, and click here for a map to show the location of Spring Hill Road.

Lag B'Omer in the Woods

A program for families with children in grades 4-8

Sunday, May 2, 10-11:30 AM, Mt. Ward, Marlboro

On Lag B'Omer it is traditional to take children on outdoor outings, and so in celebration of Lag B'Omer we will climb Mt. Ward in Marlboro. Through games and activities, families will experience the natural world around us in new and different ways. Through the use of prayers and texts both familiar and unfamiliar, we will connect our experience to Judaism. Come prepared for the weather and for walking in the woods, and for having fun! Access to Mt. Ward is located at the end of Langelier Lane off Hemenway Street. Click here for information and a map of the conservation area.

Opening Our Eyes and our Hearts For Families, Children, or Adults

To experience G!d both as being in the details and as the "Big Picture" we will explore nature with our senses and with binoculars and magnifiers. Participants will connect their experiences to Judaism through prayers, blessings, and short texts.

“Rabbi Allen, our wonderful leader for the hike, taught us through Jewish prayers about how to appreciate the sights and sounds of our natural surroundings. It was an excellent hike that allowed us to immerse into nature and put away for a while all thoughts of a busy work and school week.” — parent of a 7th grade student

The Big Picture and the Little Things that Count For Families, Children, or Adults

Celebrating Creation For Families or Adults

On Rosh HaShanah we celebrate creation and the Birthday of the World. We also engage in teshuvah and open our hearts to change. In this session we will open our eyes to the world of God's creation, and in the process open our hearts. Included will be texts about creation and blessings for experiencing the natural world.

Eitz Chaim He - It is a Tree of Life For Families, Children, or Adults

By adopting "our own tree," participants will encounter a tree as both an aspect of God’s creation and as part of an ecosystem, and in the process we'll learn more about the name we have for the Torah - the Tree of Life. Included will be blessings for experiencing nature and appropriate texts.

Bringing Nature Indoors in Winter For Seniors unable to get outside

In this program, we take a virtual walk through the woods and along the beach. Nature in the form of rocks, shells, evergreens, dried flowers, feathers, and other found objects, are brought indoors for all to experience through sight, touch, and smell, along with recordings of bird songs, bubbling brooks, and ocean waves to provide the sounds of the natural world. Bringing Nature Indoors in Winter can be geared to either a Jewish or an interfaith audience and will include one or more readings and/or prayers appropriate to the group.

"We need more of this kind of thing." --Staff person, Hebrew Rehabilitation Center, Roslindale, MA

Hiddur P’nai Zaken – Connecting Elders to Nature: A Mitzvah Invitation For Teens and Adults

As people age, they lose their connection to many of the things and experiences that gave them joy, energy, comfort, and more when they were younger. One of these is contact with nature. Especially those in nursing homes may get outside only infrequently, and in winter they may not get out at all. Holding a single shell from the beach, smelling a single pine branch, or hearing a CD with sounds of the surf and seagulls can transport a wheel-chair bound elder back to the beach or the woods of her younger days. This workshop will train teens and adults to do a double mitzvah of visiting the sick and honoring our elders by bringing an experience of nature to them. Participants will learn how to bring nature indoors to a group in a nursing home or a single housebound individual. They will also receive suggestions on ways to process the experience afterward.