Endings & Beginnings

Our lives are shaped by a series of stories, each with its own narrative arc. We leave home and welcome people to our home; we enter our reproductive years and leave them; we end one piece of our life’s work and begin another. Endings and beginnings are bittersweet—we celebrate each with the awareness of the other. 

Latest Rituals

Havdalah for Community Transitioning to New Rabbi

“We bless separation, between light and darkness, between Shabbat and weekday, between rabbi and rabbi.”
  • by Rabbi Sarah Noyovitz, Rabbi Ellen Triebwasser
havdalah, transition
light skinned jewish woman with dark curly hair in purple t-shirt holding a silver spice holder and sniffing the spices with a smile

Mikveh Ceremony: Gift of Transitions

“I stand here today to acknowledge and affirm this moment in my spiritual journey”
  • by Debbie Westheimer
mikveh, transition
black and white photo of white woman immersed in ocean water, head sticking out the water, leaning back, eyes closed

Berukhah At (Shehekheyatnu): A Divine Feminine Blessing for Momentous Occasions

“We praise you, Shekhinah, / who has given us life”
  • by Batya Diamond
shehekheyanu, Shekhinah
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When Might Be Last?

“I am more aware of the fluidity of it all”
  • by Marc Jacobs
joy, love, mikveh
close up of ocean water with sunlight on the surface

Ritual for the Deconsecration of a Synagogue Space

Ritual to let go of synagogue building and the kedushah within, so that the building ultimately can be sold, repurposed, or demolished
  • by Rabbi Guy Austrian, Rabbi Lisa Goldstein, Rabbi Kendell Pinkney, Max Silverstone, and Rabbi Naomi Zaslow
congregation, desecration, mezuzah, ritual, Shekhinah, synagogue
Ritual for the Deconsecration of a Synagogue Space

Blessing for Someone Relocating

“We pray that you carry us in your heart to your new home”
  • by Rabbi Andy Vogel
journey, moving
Blessing for Someone Relocating

Sanctity in Time

“Evening and morning, ritual and rite, / making order out of chaos”
  • by Cathy Ostroff
time
Sanctity in Time

Invocation for a Synagogue Board Meeting

“We gather each month to do Your holy work for our space”

  • by Rabbi Lizz Goldstein
community
Invocation for a Synagogue Board Meeting

Alchemy of Blessing

“Whatever makes you weep / may it open your eyes”

  • by Janice Steinberg
birthdays
Alchemy of Blessing

With Every Sunrise

“With the start of each season/We have the chance to plant kindness and acceptance”

  • by Maia Conrad
acceptance, change, renewal, tikkun olam
With Every Sunrise

The Reconstructionist Network

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Read & Rite

One-stop shop for progressive Jewish books and ritual objects

Placement Office

Placement resources for rabbis and congregations

Havaya Summer Programs

Overnight summer camp and teen Israel experience

Reconstructionist Educators of North America

Professional group for people leading schools in Reconstructionist congregations

Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association

Professional association of Reconstructionist rabbis

Jewish Art as
Self-Defense

Join Black, Queer Jewish artist Ayeola Omolara Kaplan for a deep dive into creating artwork informed by Jewish social justice work. 

Four sessions, starting Feb. 28th

REGISTER NOW

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