Rest to Return VI: Making Time Sacred

Rest to Return is a podcast for a restless world. Kohenet Keshira haLev Fife is your host. This series is rooted in Shabbat, an ancient Jewish practice that teaches us how to belong to time. Here, rest is a sacred rhythm woven into who we are. We continue by gathering around a single question: What makes time sacred? The concept that each of us is created b’tzelem Elohim, in the Divine Image, comes from Genesis 1:27. The first person who I heard crystalise the idea that we need to reach REM sleep in order to dream was Rev Dr Tony Lim, during a gathering of Spiritual Innovators at the Fetzer Institute. The idea that dreaming is one-sixtieth of prophecy comes from Berakhot 57b. The concept of the Jubilee can be found in Leviticus 25:8-16. I first learned about Soli-lunar time from Seasons of our Joy: A Modern Guide to the Jewish Holidays by Reb Arthur Waskow z”l. Geoffrey Chaucer was a writer and poet who lived in the 1300s; he was best known for having written The Canterbury Tales. I learned “Who Make the Future?” at Let My People Sing; the song is by Abigail Bengson of the Bengsons. Enjoy the live version of Lay it Down, Let it Go here. Check out the Rest to Return webpage for photos, info about the Rest to Return retreat, and more! This episode is brought to you by the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. Rest to Return exists because we believe slowing down is a spiritual act. IJS believes that too. For over two decades, IJS has been helping people go deeper, through Jewish mindfulness meditation, contemplative prayer, sacred text study, and embodied practice. Their offerings range from online courses and silent retreats to immersive cohort programs for seekers of all experience levels, clergy, and spiritual leaders who are ready to live and lead from a more grounded place. Kohenet Keshira haLev Fife is part of IJS’s core faculty, and the wisdom you'll hear in this series is very much in that spirit. If this podcast is stirring something in you, IJS is a place to go further. Explore their programs, and more ways to learn and practice with Keshira, at jewishspirituality.org, including: View the latest offerings from IJS in our program catalog Join Keshira and others on retreat this August: Returning Anew Learn more about Shevet, IJS's community for younger adults (20s-30s) IJS has several online free practices with Keshira and our other faculty including our live Daily Sit, our weekly Shevet Sit for younger adults (under 40), and monthly Affinity Sits for Jews of Color, LGBTQ+, and individuals with disabilities. Click here for more information. Join our mailing list to be notified about our upcoming fall courses, including Keshira's Earth, Moon, Mindfulness year-long class.