Spend 30 seconds - 1 minute on each of the following prompts. Do not worry about finishing your writing - the goal is to get your pen moving and ideas flowing.
1) Describe a shofar in as much detail as possible to someone who has never seen or heard it. What does it feel like, sound like? How does the sound move?
2) As the summer comes to a close, list three (or more!) songs for a playlist to help set the mood for fall.
3) In Elul, there is an idea that the Divine is closer to us than usual. What is something you are feeling drawn closer to in this season?

1) What strikes you here? What is surprising?
2) What lines or phrases stand out?
3) What questions do you have about this text?

1) The midrash describes a ram struggling to find its way out of a thicket. Though the ram is stuck, it is able to experience its freedom when Abraham pays attention to the world around him. Reflect on:
-What is a “thicket” you see in our work for climate justice in this moment?
-When we sound the shofar this Elul and High Holiday season, what do you want others around you to notice or “wake up” to? Describe the first steps you would take to help guide us out of this “thicket.”

2) Throughout this season, we return to the stories of our ancestors, including Abraham. Describe a conversation in which you discuss the past, present, and future with Abraham or another ancestor.
-Past: What questions do you have for them? What wisdom do you hope that they can offer? What do they share with you about how they learned from their mistakes?
-Present: What would you want to tell them about our present realities? What would you want them to know about you and your community’s work to create a better world?
-Future: Tell them about the future you dream of, in which we have left the world of the “thicket” for a more liberated, more just, more livable future.

For more about Dayenu’s Climate Torah and climate action, visit www.dayenu.org.