May 18, 2018 | 4 Sivan 5778
Finding Sanctuary from Within
By Dan Kaplan

I increasingly find myself striving towards an equilibrium that allows me to participate in our complicated, frenetic world with awareness and inner strength while protecting my sense of well-being. This journey of discovery and finding sanctuary within myself continues to unfold.

This past year, I set up a space in our home which I consider to be my inner-sanctum. The space is a small, third floor office next to our bedroom. I basically roll out of bed and into it. It's the place where I can start each day with a mindful exercise routine to silently unwind sleep-stiff limbs and find the presence of mind to start my day in balance. I tune into the rhythm of my body while observing the ever changing light filtering through an old mulberry tree connecting me to the world beyond my walls. As I balance on one foot, arms stretching above my head, “tree pose” takes on a concrete meaning, providing me with a sense of fluidity that will guide my day. After my routine, I am filled with a new reserve of equanimity that I can draw upon to serve as a portable sanctuary.

This year I am part of a cohort of Beth Emet members studying Middot, the cultivation from a Jewish perspective of moral traits such as patience, compassion, trust, humility and mindful speech. Restoring balance within oneself is the core principle of the study. This summer I am fortunate to be able to attend a Tikkun Middot retreat where I will dig deeper into these and other concepts with the desire to bring these ideas back to Beth Emet to share, teach and to practice as part of my daily routine.

As I move through this journey I am keenly aware of those within my personal life and those in our greater community who struggle to find inner harmony because of mental health challenges or trauma. It is my hope that by strengthening my own practice I will also have the ability to be of service, strengthening the web of connections between us, and providing sanctuary to others.

Shabbat Shalom!
Dan Kaplan
Dan volunteers and contributes primarily to organizations that provide stability and resources to people with significant challenges. Dan is the marketing manager for the American Library Association’s book review magazine, Booklist . Being surrounded by books at home and the office makes Dan very happy. So does making music with friends at the monthly Music Circle at Curt’s Cafe South and at Beth Emet. His children, Hannah and Eytan are each graduating from their respective schools in May, bringing him and his wife, Bekki Harris Kaplan, one step closer to being empty “sanctuarians.”
If you’d like to share your thoughts with the congregation on what sanctuary means to you - a time in which you felt like a sanctuary dwelled within you, or how we can extend sanctuary to those who need it, feel free to reach out to Ellen Blum Barish and David Barish . 
In Exodus 25:8, God says to Moses, “Create for me a sanctuary, and I will dwell among them.” These words set the building of the Tabernacle into motion. But the verse’s ending has an interesting grammatical anomaly. Instead of telling the Israelites to create a sanctuary so God can dwell within it, the wording suggests that the dwelling may be amon g the people, or within them, suggesting that God can live within us rather than exclusively in a physical sanctuary. This year at Beth Emet we’ll explore the multiples meanings of sanctuary—as physical space to gather as a community for prayer, as spiritual space where we feel safe and whole, and as an attitude that is welcoming and accepting of everyone.

This weekly e-mail project, curated by David and Ellen Barish, allows congregants to express themselves in any of a variety of media: speechmaking, poetry, essay, story, photography, film, paint, sculpture, printmaking, textile, sound or music. If you'd like to contribute, please email Ellen and/or David .

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Beth Emet The Free Synagogue
1224 Dempster Street
 Evanston, IL 60202
                          847-869-4230                           

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