Jamie Isman - Temple

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Upcoming Events:

1. The Women's tent is up! Please contact me if you are interested in hosting a ritual!

2. The following is to be read on Tisha B'av:
From Lamentations "Revisioned" for Kohanot:

The deserted city:

How lonely sits the city
That once was full of people!
How like a widow she has become,
She that was great among nations!
She that was a princess among the provinces
Has become a vassal.

She weeps bitterly in the night,
With tears on her cheeks;
Among all of her lovers,
She has no one to comfort her;
All her friends are consumed with grief,
have abandoned her, are enraged,
or become her enemies.

Judah has gone into exile with suffering
And hard servitude;
She lives now among the nations,
And finds no resting place;
Her pursuers have all overtaken her
In the midst of her distress.

The roads to Zion mourn,
For no one comes to the festivals;
All her gates are desolate,
Her priests and priestesses groan;
Her young girls grieve,
And her lot is bitter.

Her foes have become her masters,
Her enemies prosper,
She suffers the plight of the earth,
The repercussions of the actions of
humankind;
Her children have gone away,
Captives before the foe.

From daughter Zion has departed
All her majesty.
Her princes have become like stags
That find no pasture;
They fled without strength before the pursuer.

Jerusalem remembers,
In the days of her affliction and
Wandering,
All the precious things
That were hers in days of old.
When people fell into the hand of
The foe,
And there was no one to help her,
The foe looked on mocking over her downfall.

Jerusalem sinned grievously,
So she has become a mockery;
All who honored her despise her,
For they have forgotten her holiness;
She herself groans,
And turns her face away.

The impurity was the removal of her divine presence
from the temples,
With no thought of her future;
Her downfall was appalling,
With none to comfort her.
"O goddess, look at my affliction,
for ignorance has triumphed.!"

Enemies have stretched out their hands
Over all her precious things;
She has even seen the nations
Invade her sanctuary,
Those whom you forbade
To enter your congregation.

All her people groan
As they search for bread;
They trade their treasures for food
To revive their strength.
Look, o goddesss, and see how
desolate I have become.

Is it nothing to you, all who witness me?
Look and see.
Do you not know my sorrow?
Aren't all of our sorrow's bound together
by a common longing for wholeness?
Are we not one temple, of life, earth, spirit?

This sorrow of mine is the grief of the earth,
I mourn for what has become of my body,
Diseased and weak,
For what has become of the tribe,
Scattered, disconnected to earth, heart and soul.
For what has become of the temple,
A mourning place, where priestesses are only
now regaining their faith.

For these things I weep;
My eyes flow with tears.
with our mourning she weeps and wails,
with both compassion and rage for the destruction and deception.
If we chose right action, can we rebuild our temple,
Or will we continue to burn in the wake of her destruction?

Let guidance come like fire from the sky.
Let her wisdom go deeply into my bones.
Let it pour through my body into my feet and back into the earth
Rooting me here.
Turning me back
to her.
Mother, Israel, Body, Earth.

Jamie Isman
For Tisha b'av 2007

A Few Past Events:

Celebrate the Jewish midwinter holiday!
Join us for a
Tu'bishvat Chanting Circle
February 3, 2006
contact above email address for more information

*Rosh Chodesh Tevet Ritual. Celebrate the New Moon, Chanukah, Winter Solstice, and the Festival of the Daughters!
Thursday December 21st, 2006
5:30 pm potluck
7:00 pm ritual

*Women's Study and Discussion Group
Saturday May 27th, 2006
1pm
In the resurected Women's Moon Tent
goddessjewjew@yahoo.com for more information

Thank you to my kohenet teachers Rabbi Jill Hammer, Holly Taya Shere, Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb, Deborah Grenn, Max Dashu, to name a few. Thank you to my kohenet sisters and to Bari Mandelbaum, Eve Chosak, Aquarian Minyan, and all of the women of the Jewish/ Goddess/ Priestess community that have dedicated themselves to this work in their many different ways, who have shared their inspirations with me. Your hard work has provided support and encouragement for me to continue along this path. And the deepest gratitude to my mother, who is a constant source of love, strength and support in my life.

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*Suggested Reading List*

She Who Dwells Within: Lynn Gottlieb

Revisions: Seeing Torah Through a Feminist Lens: Elyse Goldstien

The Hebrew Goddess: Raphael Patai

Did God Have a Wife: William G. Dever

Sarah the Priestess: Savina Teubal

Innana: Queen of Heaven and Earth: Diane Wolkstein and Samuel Noah Kramer

Innana: Lady of the Largest Heart: Betty De Shong Meador

Lilith's Fire: Deborah Grenn

The Red Tent: Anita Diamont

The Moon Under Her Feet: Clysta Kinstler

The Jewish Book of Days: Rabbi Jill Hammer

Magical Judaism: Jennifer Hunter

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Mishkan Elat (Temple of the Hebrew Goddess)
	Welcome to the Mishkan Elat homepage!!! Mishkan Elat was founded as Temple of the Hebrew Goddess in 2003, to create a sanctuary for ritual, sacred performance, and community. The intention of this space is to create a place where women can freely explore their connection with the divine feminine within the Jewish heritage. The temple is currently hosting seasonal rituals and performances. If you are interested in participating in an open ritual or performance, please contact goddessjewjew@yahoo.com. Thanks and blessings! This Temple is dedicated to the Mother in her many aspects... As Goddess: Asherah/Athirat * Innana * Elah * Anat Ishtar * Astarte * Isis * Malka Adama Queen of Heaven and Earth* As biblical mother: Sarah, Hagar, Rebekah, Rachel, Leah, Zilpah, Bilhah, Ruth, Naomi, Devorah, Dinah, Mari, Qadishtu, Magdalena, Jezebel, Esther, Miriam, Yoheved, Tamar As family/ancestor: My mother Marcia Miriam, my grandmothers Mollie Malka Bard and Bess Singer, my greatgrandmothers Yetta and Ella, my great aunt Blanche and all mothers and sisters whose names are silent, erased or forgotten... For the Return of the Wisdom of the Mothers For the Healing and Return of the Priestess And ultimately, for the Healing of the Earth her Body May She continue to awaken and may her awakening provide blessing, understanding, and balance...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Events: 1. The Women's tent is up! Please contact me if you are interested in hosting a ritual! 2. The following is to be read on Tisha B'av: From Lamentations "Revisioned" for Kohanot: The deserted city: How lonely sits the city That once was full of people! How like a widow she has become, She that was great among nations! She that was a princess among the provinces Has become a vassal. She weeps bitterly in the night, With tears on her cheeks; Among all of her lovers, She has no one to comfort her; All her friends are consumed with grief, have abandoned her, are enraged, or become her enemies. Judah has gone into exile with suffering And hard servitude; She lives now among the nations, And finds no resting place; Her pursuers have all overtaken her In the midst of her distress. The roads to Zion mourn, For no one comes to the festivals; All her gates are desolate, Her priests and priestesses groan; Her young girls grieve, And her lot is bitter. Her foes have become her masters, Her enemies prosper, She suffers the plight of the earth, The repercussions of the actions of humankind; Her children have gone away, Captives before the foe. From daughter Zion has departed All her majesty. Her princes have become like stags That find no pasture; They fled without strength before the pursuer. Jerusalem remembers, In the days of her affliction and Wandering, All the precious things That were hers in days of old. When people fell into the hand of The foe, And there was no one to help her, The foe looked on mocking over her downfall. Jerusalem sinned grievously, So she has become a mockery; All who honored her despise her, For they have forgotten her holiness; She herself groans, And turns her face away. The impurity was the removal of her divine presence from the temples, With no thought of her future; Her downfall was appalling, With none to comfort her. "O goddess, look at my affliction, for ignorance has triumphed.!" Enemies have stretched out their hands Over all her precious things; She has even seen the nations Invade her sanctuary, Those whom you forbade To enter your congregation. All her people groan As they search for bread; They trade their treasures for food To revive their strength. Look, o goddesss, and see how desolate I have become. Is it nothing to you, all who witness me? Look and see. Do you not know my sorrow? Aren't all of our sorrow's bound together by a common longing for wholeness? Are we not one temple, of life, earth, spirit? This sorrow of mine is the grief of the earth, I mourn for what has become of my body, Diseased and weak, For what has become of the tribe, Scattered, disconnected to earth, heart and soul. For what has become of the temple, A mourning place, where priestesses are only now regaining their faith. For these things I weep; My eyes flow with tears. with our mourning she weeps and wails, with both compassion and rage for the destruction and deception. If we chose right action, can we rebuild our temple, Or will we continue to burn in the wake of her destruction? Let guidance come like fire from the sky. Let her wisdom go deeply into my bones. Let it pour through my body into my feet and back into the earth Rooting me here. Turning me back to her. Mother, Israel, Body, Earth. Jamie Isman For Tisha b'av 2007 A Few Past Events: Celebrate the Jewish midwinter holiday! Join us for a Tu'bishvat Chanting Circle February 3, 2006 contact above email address for more information Rosh Chodesh Tevet Ritual. Celebrate the New Moon, Chanukah, Winter Solstice, and the Festival of the Daughters! Thursday December 21st, 2006 5:30 pm potluck 7:00 pm ritual Women's Study and Discussion Group Saturday May 27th, 2006 1pm In the resurected Women's Moon Tent goddessjewjew@yahoo.com for more information Thank you to my kohenet teachers Rabbi Jill Hammer, Holly Taya Shere, Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb, Deborah Grenn, Max Dashu, to name a few. Thank you to my kohenet sisters and to Bari Mandelbaum, Eve Chosak, Aquarian Minyan, and all of the women of the Jewish/ Goddess/ Priestess community that have dedicated themselves to this work in their many different ways, who have shared their inspirations with me. Your hard work has provided support and encouragement for me to continue along this path. And the deepest gratitude to my mother, who is a constant source of love, strength and support in my life. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *Suggested Reading List* She Who Dwells Within: Lynn Gottlieb Revisions: Seeing Torah Through a Feminist Lens: Elyse Goldstien The Hebrew Goddess: Raphael Patai Did God Have a Wife: William G. Dever Sarah the Priestess: Savina Teubal Innana: Queen of Heaven and Earth: Diane Wolkstein and Samuel Noah Kramer Innana: Lady of the Largest Heart: Betty De Shong Meador Lilith's Fire: Deborah Grenn The Red Tent: Anita Diamont The Moon Under Her Feet: Clysta Kinstler The Jewish Book of Days: Rabbi Jill Hammer Magical Judaism: Jennifer Hunter -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- All rights reserved Jamie Isman (c) 2005