Episode 61: Turning Sorrows into Songs (with Rabbi Ilan Glazer)
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Turning Sorrows into Songs
This week, we are honored to bring your our interview with Eliana and Rabbi Ilan Glazer. Rabbi Ilan is the founder of Our Jewish Recovery, author of the award-winning And God Created Recovery: Jewish Wisdom to Help You Break Free From Your Addiction, Heal Your Wounds, and Unleash Your Inner Freedom, and a Shatterproof Ambassador and Family Program Instructor. We explore the medicine of incorporating new and ancient melodies into t’fillah, how Jewish wisdom addresses addiction and recovery, and grounding grief in song. Plus, we listen to a few tracks on Rabbi Ilan’s new album, Gam Ki Elech: Turning Our Sorrows Into Songs.
How has Jewish wisdom shown up for you in moments of pain and darkness?
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Show Notes
1:45 Our Jewish Recovery
Find “And God Created Recovery: Jewish Wisdom to Help You Break Free From Your Addiction, Heal Your Wounds, and Unleash Your Inner Freedom” by Rabbi Ilana Glazer here
2:33 Gam Ki Elech: Turning Our Sorrows Into Songs
3:30 T’fillah - תפילה - prayer
4:20 shul - שול - (Yiddish) synagogue
Daven - דוון - (Yiddish) pray
Torah - תורה - the Jewish bible. Learn more here
Haftarah - הפטרה - a weekly selection from Prophets or Writings to accompany the Torah portion. Learn more here
5:12 Siddur - סידור - prayer book. Learn more here
6:30 Camp Ramah in the Poconos
7:15 USY Poland Israel Pilgrimage
8:20 Hazon (Hazon’s first bike ride)
12:54 Tsuris - תסוריס - (Yiddish) aggravating trouble.
13:40 Pardes
The Conservative Yeshiva - The Fuchsberg Center
13:50 Pesach - פסח - Passover. Learn more here
Tzfat - צפת - Sefad - Learn more here
14:15 Rabbi Shefa Gold
16:20 Mincha - מנחה - the afternoon service. Learn more here
17:30 ALEPH | Alliance for Jewish Renewal
18:45 Rabbi Andrew Hahn, the kirtan rabbi
20:00 Rabbi Ruth Gan Kagan
20:27 Limmud in England
21:20 Sephardi, Mizrachí, Yerushalmi music - get a taste here
23:48 Beth Sholom - Memphis
24:05 Shiva minyans - learn more here
24:40 Mourners Kaddish - קדיש יתום - learn more here
26:10 Halachically - according to Jewish law. Learn more here
27:16 Havdallah - הבדלה - the ceremony to end Shabbat. Learn more here
29:50 Musaf - מוסף - an additional service on Shabbat. Learn more here
Drash - דרש - a brief talk about a Jewish text, typically the weekly Torah portion.
30:45 Ein Keloheinu - אין כא-לוהינו - there is none like our G-d. Learn more here
34:43 Talmud - תלמוד - the core intergenerational Jewish conversation. Learn more here
Mishnah - משנה - the first major work of rabbinic literature. Learn more here
35:30 Jewish recovery facebook group here
Ribono shel olam - ריבונו של עולם - a melody sung in deep moments of soul searching. Learn more here
41:40 Listen to Adonai Yishmorcha (and the rest of Ilan’s album) here
43:50 Fertility Journeys: A Jewish Healing Guide
Mayyim Hayyim - מים חיים - living waters
Mikveh - מקווה - ritual bath. Learn more here
43:56 Kavanot - כוונות - intentions
46:45 Shiva - שִׁבְעָה - the week-long mourning period in Judaism
47:37 Rashi - Rabbi Shlomo ben Yitzchhak HaTzarfati
49:42 Listen to Ki Shama
Yahrzeit - יאָרצײַט - (Yiddish) the anniversary of the Jewish calendar date when someone died
“יָגַעְתִּי בְּאַנְחָתִי, אַשְׂחֶה בְכָל-לַיְלָה מִטָּתִי; בְּדִמְעָתִי עַרְשִׂי אַמְסֶה. עָשְׁשָׁה מִכַּעַס עֵינִי, עָתְקָה בְּכָל-צוֹרְרָי. סוּרוּ מִמֶּנִּי כָּל-פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן, כִּי-שָׁמַע ה’ קוֹל בִּכְיִי.” (תהילים ו:ז-ט)
“I am weary from my groans. Every night I cause my bed to float, I melt my couch with my tears. My eye is hardened from anger. It has aged because of my tormentors. Go away, all you evildoers! For God has heard the sound of my weeping.” (6:7-9)