5. Why Pray?

Brainstorm
Our goal for this final session of the semesters is to move from YHVH unknown to Eloheinu Melech ha Olam, which is regrounded in acknowledgment of the communal "our Gd," and then our best articulation as a community of what Gd is "King of the Universe." This semester we have been exploring the blessing formula Baruch Atah YHVH as a journey from the known, clear, directional Baruch Atah to the unclear, not-oriented, directionless YHVH. As we close out the semester we end with the way the blessing formula ends "Eloheinu Melech ha Olam," a re-grounding, re-orientation, a new "known," this time with the knowledge of having been together in the unknowing.


The blessing formula takes us on a journey: we each come in with our own assumptions, together we go through a process of being challenged, exploring new ground, having our original ideas dislodged. It is only then, coming out the other side, that we can articulate a shared experience and a shared vision. Our
words then become not about the product, but about the journey we are on, together.


Today we begin from the place of YHVH, of the unknown, moving alone in the room without direction, without music. During this stage of the unknown our goal is for each person to begin to sense how to look for guidance within, rather than from without. Slowly we will make our way to a communal movement flow. Each person will find a partner and begin to interact. All movement options are open to us: responding to one another's movements, mirroring, matching the rhythm, moving together, following, leading, experimenting with stillness and movement. The music will mirror our move from individual/unknown to communal/known, growing as we come together. Pairs will then join so that there are 2 roughly even groups, integrating one another, moving together. Finally, the whole group will form as one community as the music reaches its highest level of intensity.


We are excited to discover what it feels like to come back from that place of unknowing to a place of communal knowing. What will be different, what will have changed? How does our relationship to one another inform our relationship to Gd? Will we feel more connected on our own at the beginning, or in partnership or groups towards the end? What tools do we use to make the transition between a state of being ungrounded to a state of groundedness within community? How does what we do affect others? What insights can we gain about the transformative process encoded within the blessing formula?


Outline
I. Warm Up
The goal of this warm up is to practice tuning in to one's inner impulses
We will use breath as starting place. We will follow the breath into different body parts, working from the head down to the feet. There will be no music during warm up in order to prepare for the start of our movement flow.


II. Movement
YHVH (unknown, grounded)
Will begin alone, without music, in the space of the unknown


Progression towards Eloheinu (re-grounded in community)
As the music begins each person will gravitate to a partner
As the music grow, partners will join another partnership and form a group of four
The music increases and the groups of four become groups of eight
At the height of the music the entire group comes together
The music begins to recede into nothingness
After a few moments of silence David leads us in the recitation of the blessing formula: Baruch Atah YHVH, Eloheinu Melech haOlam.


III. Discussion


IV. Hands Closing

Community
What an amazing final session of the semester. As Ari Lev pointed out, this community has grown from a group that was predominantly composed of our class members when we began last year to a group that spans all classes and includes both faculty and students. The group has grown both in size and diversity over these two years and into what really feels like a community.


YHVH
While Nate said that he was in his head during the start of the session and found himself thinking about how to move when he was dancing alone, Julia shared that she was most comfortable dancing alone. She said that she had a deep body memory of dancing around livingroom as child that surfaced during the solo time, while in paired movement she was thinking much more about her dance partner and her mind was wandering to other places.


Eloheinu
Like last session, Suzie came in late and didn't know what was happening, but she realized it didn't matter. She could feel the energy of the space and people around her and was able to find the dance. We were so pleased to have former student and current faculty member Shayna join us for this final session. Shayna shared that she was experiencing some pain and during warm up and dance alone. She found her mind focused on thinking about how to move her shoulders and other aching body parts in such a way that she was taking care of herself. However, when she started to dance with other people she was relieved of that awareness and was able to move more freely.


Melech Ha Olam
We were also excited to have Adina's mom join us for this final session. Pat shared that she had always had trouble connecting with the word "melech," as the idea of kingship or powerful male reign never resonated for her. At the end of the session, however, Pat felt that she finally got it: melech was not this controlling authority or father figure that she was submitting herself to, but rather that words fail in expressing the love energy that is coming towards me from Gd. The word shifted out of the personal or individual to something large and grand that she was a part of. Adam had a similar experience of being able to relate to the word "melech" in a new way. He shared that what he felt was a sense of splendor and wholeness. It became about splendor, not gender.


G-d
In that moment of the chanting of the prayer at the end of the session we were able to say Yes! to one another as an individual, as a partner, as a group member, as someone merging into Gd. We said Yes! to all of those but didn't have to choose just one. The chant, then, became the celebration of this. Our voices, like our movement were distinct, yet together at the same time. At the end we all came to stillness, many of us splayed out on the floor while others stood. Everyone had the experience that they needed and all possibilities could be held. Arielle shared that this is the first time in a movement experience that she did not feel awkward or self-conscious. Each person did their piece of creating wholeness. With eyes open, one could see the breathing bodies, with eyes closed, one could hear the voices. As witness to all of us, David said that when he began the chanting and saw everyone in different weird positions, he realized that revelation looks and feels weird. The whole point of revelation is that we don't know exactly what it will look like before it comes.


Co-Creation
As the whole group came together everyone began to play off of one another. Alana shared that she was watching Jordan do his lanky Jordan dance, and Hillel did his staccato moves, and Nate played in his serious yet fun dance. In the group dance she began to enjoy embodying each person's movements and seeing how it felt. The teaching for her was that this is precisely what we're doing with Torah here in rabbinical school. We are learning it from the way others teach it, and figuring out how to embody it best in our own unique beings. Everyone was struck by the way David conducted us with his music. In response, he reflected that just as he influenced us, our movements and energy influenced him. We were in a back and forth dance together.


Gratitude
We are so grateful to this incredible community of movers, shakers, seekers, teachers. It has been an enormous honor to shepherd this process and to explore and discover together. We know that movement can be scary and we are so thankful for the willingness of each individual to enter this space with such an open heart. It has been especially incredible to get to create this experience with David and his amazing vocal improvisation. His energy and music have guided and held us in this space. And we are in humble gratitude to you all for co-creating this Movement Minyan with us. We look forward to more next year!