Five years ago, on a sunrise bike ride in the Palisades Interstate Park, the thought dawned on me that my students need to experience dawn to sunrise to fully grasped the concepts we learn in Mishna Brachot. To implement this vision, I obtained a permit and invited my students and their parents to join me at 6:45 a.m. on a Sunday morning. At the time, I wasn’t sure anyone would attend—and to my surprise, all my students and their parents came!
We had a vatikin minyan: we started the amidah as the sun rose. The analogy of גאל ישראל happening at the very moment the sun rises אילת השחר—כך היא גאולתן של ישראל. We sang, we danced, I told stories and we finished with singing the poem of הראי״ה קוק
״בן אדם עלה למעלה עלה״ Ever since the first sunrise minyan back in 2013, this minyan has become an annual event bringing together tefillah, nature and community, that I look forward to each year. I feel blessed and grateful to have the opportunity to share my passion for experiential and natural learning with my students.
By Rabbi Yaakov Nadler
