May the door of this Hillel House be wide enough
to receive all students who hunger for community, all who are lonely for friendship.
May it welcome all students who have cares to unburden,
thanks to express, hopes to nurture.
May the door of this Hillel house be narrow enough
to shut out hate and hurt, envy and enmity.
May its threshold be no stumbling block
to young or straying feet.
May it be too hight to admit complacency,
selfeshness and hardness.
And may this Hillel House be, for all who enter it,
the doorway to a richer and more meaningful life.

Mah Norah Ha’Makom Ha’Zeh
As we stand here at our first gathering in this place we acknowledge "Mah Norah Ha’Makom Ha’Zeh: How Awe-filled is this place!" We take time to prepare a holy space in our hearts to be joyful in greeting this new communal space and grateful for the community building that will take place with in its walls. We pray that happy memories, meaningful conversations and constant learning will take place with in its walls. Holding these hopes, we turn our hearts to the journey forward. As we leave this building, may we always go toward peace, life, and gladness. May our handiwork be blessed as we create new memories, relationships, and experiences in our new Hillel House.
As we read in the Book of Exodus: "V’asu li mikdash v’shahanti b’toham"—Make for Me a holy place so that My presence may dwell among you. May our holiness increase so that all who enter our doors are blessed.
Amen.

To Bless The Space Between Us ​by John O'Donohue.
May this house shelter your life.
When you come in home here,
May all the weight of the world
Fall from your shoulders.

May your heart be tranquil here,
Blessed by peace the world cannot give.

May this home be a lucky place,
Where the graces your life desires
Always find the pathway to your door.

May nothing destructive
Ever cross your threshold.

May this be a safe place
Full of understanding and acceptance,
Where you can be as you are,
Without the need of a mask
Of pretense of image.

May this home be a place of discovery.
Where the possibilities that sleep
In the clay of your soul can emerge
To deepen and refine your vision
For all that is yet to come to birth.

May it be a house of courage,
Where healing and growth are loved,
Where dignity and forgiveness prevail;
A home where patience of spirit is prized,
And the sight of the destination is never lost
Though the journey be difficult and slow.
May there be great delight around this hearth.
May it be a house of welcome
For the broken and diminished.

May you have the eyes to see
That no visitor arrives without a gift
And no guest leaves without a blessing.

Invitation to Brave Space by Micky ScottBey Jones
Together we will create brave space.
Because there is no such thing as a “safe space” —
We exist in the real world.
We all carry scars and we have all caused wounds.
In this space
We seek to turn down the volume of the outside world,
We amplify voices that fight to be heard elsewhere,
We call each other to more truth and love.
We have the right to start somewhere and continue to grow.
We have the responsibility to examine what we think we know.
We will not be perfect.
This space will not be perfect.
It will not always be what we wish it to be.
But
It will be our brave space together,
and
We will work on it side by side.

Dreamer by Shel Silverstein
If you are a dreamer come in
If you are a dreamer a wisher a liar
A hoper a pray-er a magic-bean-buyer
If youre a pretender com sit by my fire
For we have some flax golden tales to spin
Come in!
Come in!

A Short Talmudic Teaching on Community
Rabbi Yirmiyah said:
The one occupied with the needs of the community is like one who is occupied with matters of Torah.
—Talmud Yerushalmi, Brakhot 5:1
Rabbi Yirmiyah’s statement is in the context of a discussion of the hierarchy of mitzvot: When does engaging in one mitzvah exempt you from having to perform another, competing mitzvah? According to Jewish law, Torah study sometimes takes precedence over some other mitzvot. Rabbi Yirmiyah believed that serving the community was at the same level as Torah study. His statement made the text of my berakhah obvious. We already had a berakhah “la’asok b’divrei Torah” – “to occupy ourselves with matters of Torah.” Rabbi Yirmiyah says being occupied with community needs is equivalent to being occupied with matters of Torah. Thus:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְשָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וְצִוָּֽנוּ לַעֲסוֹק בְּצָרְכֵי צִבּוּר
Barukh atah adonai eloheinu melekh ha'olam asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu la'asok betzorkhei tzibur.
How full of blessing you are, ETERNAL ONE, our God, majesty of the Universe,
who has consecrated us with Your commands, and commanded us to occupy ourselves with the needs of the community.

What Is a Third Place?
Jordan Harbinger
"The “third place” is a term coined by US sociologist Ray Oldenburg in his 1989 book The Great Good Place. It describes a place outside your home or work where you can relax and hang out.
Your first place is your home, a private and domestic space. Your second place is your work, a structured social experience and where you likely spend most of your time. Your third place is somewhere you can connect with others, share your thoughts and dreams, and have fun.
A third place is an anchor of the community and usually a public setting that hosts frequent and informal gatherings of people. Most people are loyal to their place and return regularly to unwind and socialize....
We’re suffering from a global epidemic of loneliness, and it’s bad for our health...
A third place is a powerful antidote to isolation and exclusion. It restores connection, gives us an identity, supports us, and allows us to be our genuine self. Strong relationships are our greatest asset and so vital to our health and happiness, and third places are a haven for nurturing great relationships.
When you go to your third place, you can let your guard down. Everyone welcomes your presence and makes you feel valued. They make you part of something bigger than yourself...From easing loneliness and building friendships, to adding color to our lives, a third place holds the answer to almost every struggle we face."
It is our sincerest hope that Hillel can be the Third Space, the home away from home for all Jewish students at Georgia College.