Becoming an Elder

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It is a great privilege to become an elder—to grow in wisdom and have the capacity to share it with others. We celebrate this gift with prayers, blessings, and rituals to mark our passage into the next phase of adulthood.

Latest Rituals

A complete ceremony to honor becoming a grandparent, either with the new family member’s parents and new grandchild present or from a distance
“Shine to me, stars. / There’s too much light.”
“My knees creak and twinge / as I bend to bless”

“Jacob gave his blessings, / although some say he faltered”

“Blessed are You, God, who turns the hearts of parents toward children”

“Your birthright renews every breath”

“I imagine a field where they gather: those / grandmothers”

“We have the opportunity / To become a re-creation”

“Resist the call to silence and beat your big drum”

Poem honoring a grandmother’s story of survival

The Reconstructionist Network

Serving as central organization of the Reconstructionist movement

Training the next generation of groundbreaking rabbis

Modeling respectful conversations on pressing Jewish issues

Curating original, Jewish rituals, and convening Jewish creatives

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The Reconstructionist Network