Holding the Fringes Creating Connections and Sacred Space for Jewish and Interfaith Individuals, Families, Community Rabbi Jessica K. Shimberg

HoldingtheFringes

Gathering ... Blessing ... Lifting Up the Sacred

Each of our lives is a rich tapestry woven of moments ~
the most memorable and the mundane.
People, sensations, locations, encounters, emotions ~
these are the varied colors, textures, and patterns.
Ritual and intention hold the warp steady as we weave connections.
The fringes keep us ever mindful of where we intertwine with the Sacred.

Rabbi Jessica Shimberg is a Jewish ritual artist serving spiritual seekers and the religiously skeptical with equal enthusiasm. She is a teacher (rabbi means teacher), prayer leader, spiritual guide, trusted pastoral presence, social and environmental justice activist, and lifecycle doula, assisting and accompanying individuals, couples, and families as they transition and transform across the many sacred thresholds of life.

Rabbi Shimberg’s ritual artistry and wisdom flow from a variety of sources including:

– her long love affair with Jewish music and prayer practices, poetry and prose,

– her passion for the natural world and its cycles,

– her deep appreciation of other wisdom traditions,

– her ability to find the sacred within the ordinary,

– her love of human interaction and community building,

– her commitment to spiritual nourishment,

– her lived experience navigating the intersection of secular and religious practices,

– her belief that curiosity, questioning, creativity and innovation have been and remain essential to Judaism,

– her natural exuberance and enthusiasm for life and living, and

– her genuine desire to engage and activate opportunities to elevate holiness in our world.

Rabbi Jessica’s ability to make religious tradition come alive and to design innovative approaches to life-cycle ritual for people of varying interests, backgrounds, orientations, styles of learning, and ages has been recognized as a priceless gift to individuals and families who engage her services.

Lifecycle Ritual

Rabbi Shimberg is a trusted ritual artist, guiding individuals, couples, and families as they navigate the journey toward and through a sacred event and into the future. Ritual assists us in attuning to the sacred within ourselves, others, and the world, while creating shared memories to last a lifetime.

Rabbi Shimberg is joyfully committed to expansive involvement of Jewish-adjacent loved ones in lifecycle ritual.

Learning & Study

Rabbi Shimberg is a popular teacher and facilitator in interfaith and Jewish settings, balancing the spiritual and the scholarly and employing the Talmudic gifts of questioning, valuing multiple viewpoints, and holding the tension of conflicting truths based on perspective and experience. Her enthusiasm for ritual and the sacred rhythms of Jewish time and the Earth, cultivates deeper connection to Judaism’s treasury of holidays and prayer.

Sacred Connections

Rabbi Shimberg utilizes multiple modalities including music, prayer, meditation, movement, and art, as fertile ground for sacred connection. The communal experiences she provides expand awareness of ancient text and wisdom and the growing edges of Jewish sacred practices. She inspires connection between prayer and the active engagement of our values in public spaces and in our homes.

Spiritual Guidance

Life is complex and sometimes we may lose sight of that which illuminates a pathway through challenging circumstances. In addition to physical and mental health services, pastoral care can serve a deeply nourishing role.

Rabbi Shimberg can be engaged to support your journey, as a comforting presence, a guide for accessing the Sacred in the world, or assisting you in cultivating relationship with your own sacredness.

Havdalah Happiness

How Crafting Natural Beeswax Havdalah Candles Became "My Thing" ~

Jewish ritual is a personal portal for activating transformative awareness and attention.

When we are open and receptive to what ritual can awaken within us, our muscle for appreciation grows.

Growing up, my family engaged in meaningful weekly rituals to welcome Shabbat ~ candlelight, wine, challah, and a lovely meal at a beautifully set table. However, acknowledging the weekly gift of Shabbat as it departed received no such attention. As a big fan of ritual in many forms, I began incorporating Havdalah into my personal home-based spiritual practices well into my adult years. Often, it was only me and my dog, Melody, who participated in making this multi-sensory distinction (havdalah means distinction/separation) between a day of sacred rest (Shabbat), and the creativity and work of the other six days of each week.

A number of years ago, I scoured the internet for Havdalah candles that would jive with my eco-conscious values and habits, and was disappointed that my search came up empty. Finding no existing source for 100% natural beeswax Havdalah candles to purchase, I investigated how I might braid my own candles from suitably sized tapers. I found a wonderful supplier of 100% natural beeswax hand-dipped tapers with cotton wicks and ordered a few dozen tapers. Using the sun’s warmth to soften the wax, I began experimenting with designs. I found the process soothing in much the same way as kneading and braiding challah dough calms and focuses me, cultivating sacred energy. Using my hands creatively and chanting nigunim (Jewish melodies) allowed me to release tensions and focus on beauty. Surrounded by herbs on my patio, I played with braiding different herbs into these ritual candles which already have a lovely fragrance of their own. I began gifting my candles to friends and congregants and was encouraged to sell them on Etsy.

#HavdalahHappiness has become a wonderful way to share with others my delight at illuminating moments of transition.

In the warmth of late spring through early autumn,

I am available to bring Havdalah Happiness to your

community,
summer camp,
youth group,
congregation,
organization.

Please contact me to make arrangements to bring #HavdalahHappiness your way.

Testimonials

"During the Bar Mitzvah service, you did such a wonderful job explaining what we were doing and providing context and comfort to our family and friends that we are still hearing how wonderful it was many months later.
You made everyone feel welcome and engaged [...] as you led all of us on such a spiritual journey. You created a special community out of a random assortment of our family and friends, which was one of the most powerful things."

Karen S.

Mother of Noah & Max

“Your presence and attention to so many ritual moments we might have missed made our wedding ceremony so much more meaningful. Far more than being an “officiant” on our wedding day, you helped us (long before our wedding) to consider the values and desires at the core of our relationship. You honored both of our religious traditions and family customs and worked with us to incorporate these into our ceremony. Because of your guidance and attention, our wedding felt sacred and the process you took us through helps us as our relationship grows and our circumstances change. We feel like we can turn to you as a valued confidante and friend. Thank you.”

Danielle & Jesse

Beloveds

“My wife and I were immediately impressed with Rabbi Jessica’s warmth and intelligence and her understanding that, for us, defining our Judaism is an evolving and challenging journey. We were thrilled to have Rabbi Jessica create and lead a beautiful brit bat ceremony for our daughter when she born. The way she welcomed our entire family and circle of friends and engaged all four generations of our family made that day one I will cherish forever.”

Segev P.

Father of two