MARCH 17 • 2022 | 21
We’re trying to live lives
of meaning and purpose
and trying to figure out how
we can be a better version
of ourselves today than we
were yesterday. When I real-
ized that’s so embedded in
all that Judaism is, I wanted
to share that with as many
people as possible.
Rabbi Dahlen: I’m wonder-
ing if you have any thoughts
on why prayer with inten-
tionality can be so hard for
us. How can we get into a
place where prayer speaks to
us as opposed to feeling like
it’s a structured obligation?
Rabbi Josh: When I talk
to kids about prayer and
about Judaism, I say it’s all
about awareness. It’s about
noticing the things happen-
ing in the world around us.
You have to give yourself a
chance to look at what the
words are saying — how
amazing, how awesome,
how different are all of God’s
creations.
Each one of us has our
own purpose. Each one of
us has our own reason for
being here. And that means
that we also each come
with our own expectations
when we enter a sanctuary
for prayer. Maybe there’s
a moment that isn’t as
empowering or as exciting
or as crying or as uplifting
for you, but maybe that
moment is for the next
person. The idea of coming
together in community is to
hold each other up so that
somebody else can have
their moment of prayer.
And then I can have my
moment in prayer, and
altogether we’re creating
something where it’s mean-
ingful for someone at every
moment and maybe not
for you the whole time, but
that’s what it means to be a
part of a community — to
lift each other up.
Rabbi Dahlen: Like you said,
these things can speak to us
on completely different levels
— powerful, beautiful levels.
I think you do a remarkable
job of bringing our
attention to some
of those pieces of
liturgy. And in that
way, your music
isn’t so performative
as it is an open invi-
tation to come and
join in liturgy. How
do you shape your
music that way?
Rabbi Josh: I think there’s
something powerful that
happens when music is
shared in community, right?
There’s something that goes
beyond just the music itself.
There’s an energy that’s cre-
ated when you get to sing
with people in one space.
In some ways, we haven’t
gotten to do as much of that
in recent times as we had
in the past, but I’m hoping
that we can get back even
more to what it means to
be in the same room with
people and lift each other
up with song.
We record our music live
and post it on YouTube. You
can see we’re crafting the
music together in one space.
We want people to experi-
ence what it’s like when the
music was originally created.
We do that in communities.
We can go into these spaces
and sing it in that same way
and lift it up and build that
same kind of energy with a
different group of people,
and it sounds and feels dif-
ferent. It has a whole new
creative aspect to it when
you get to sing in different
communities, but still with
that same energetic vibe.
Rabbi Dahlen: The theme
of our Shabbaton this year is
“Someday ... Is Here.
” These
last few years of the pan-
demic have been a drain on
all of us. We’re
hoping that this
will be a good
opportunity for
us to put all that
aside. What is
your “someday”
moment? What
is something
that’s inspiring
you right now
and something that you’re
working on?
Rabbi Josh: My someday is
exactly what we’re doing for
the Shabbaton. It’s getting
to come back together with
people in community. I real-
ly, really miss that. I’m gear-
ing up for a whole spring
of renewal, of renewing our
sacred spaces, renewing
our sanctuaries and coming
back to what it means to
sing together and gather
together.
And, for me, it’s also
about noticing the things
that are happening in our
lives and giving those
moments importance. I
think prayer gives us the
perfect opportunity to do
that. So, I’m trying to devel-
op a more consistent and
better prayer practice for
myself.
See the unabridged interview
at https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=aLfoO2ZDnRc and
watch a sample of Rabbi Josh’s
music at www.youtube.com/c/
JoshWarshawsky.
DETAILS
FRIDAY, MARCH 25
FAMILY SHABBAT
DINNER, 6 PM
Bring the kids and together
we’ll say the meal prayers,
sing Shabbat songs and get
to know one another over
a dairy meal. Cost: $10 per
adult, $5 per child ages 2-12
Then, refresh your soul with
Kabbalat Shabbat and Ma’ariv
services led by the CSZ cler-
gy and featuring guest Rabbi
Josh Warshawsky at 7 p.m.
Following services, CSZ
Village invites young profes-
sionals (ages 21-45) to stick
around for drinks, desserts
and learning with Rabbi Yoni
Dahlen at Kiddush and Kibbitz
– Young Professionals Oneg
at 8:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, MARCH 26
TIMELY TORAH, 9 AM
SHABBAT MORNING
SERVICES, 10 AM
Grab some coffee and nosh
as Rabbi Dahlen guides
conversation on the weekly
Torah portion, followed by a
Shabbat morning service and
lunch. CSZ clergy and Rabbi
Josh Warshawsky will guide
us through a new way of look-
ing at ritual and song. Shabbat
lunch follows services, and
age-appropriate activities for
children will be available.
FREE CONCERT, 8:30 PM
Join us as we conclude
Shabbat and welcome in the
new week with the renew-
ing magic of Havdalah and a
concert featuring Rabbi Josh
Warshawsky, which is also
open to the public.
For details, registrations and
more, visit shaareyzedek.org/
shabbaton.
Rabbi Yoni Dahlen