Hebrew Rain Dance Ceremony & Gathering

19 - 23 Tishrei 5787

Five days of intergenerational, earth-based Jewish practice, camping on beautiful land overlooking Tomales Bay, across the closing holy days of the season: Hoshana Rabbah, Shemini Atzeret, Shabbat, and Simchat Torah.

REVAYAH (רְוָיָה) means quenched, drenched, the moment the long thirst is finally met. From Psalm 23: kosi revayah, “my cup runs over.”

We gather in the height of California's dry months, in a rich coastal bioregion on the unceded lands of the Coast Miwok. In this time of climate crisis, we carry forward the practice of our Hebrew ancestors, a desert people, who for thousands of years tended relationship with The Divine Forces that move through The Waters. How do we come into right relationship with this land as a diasporic people in a practice of respect, remembrance, and reciprocity? We put our roots down and pray for the well-being of ALL life, for Balanced Waters, for Peace. This is a prayer for all peoples and all lands. May we overflow with abundant blessings for All Life, in a practice of tikkun olam, healing the world.

A full companion guide including preparatory materials, protocols, and a comprehensive orientation will be sent to all registered participants ahead of the dance. If you have pressing inquiries, please reach out to the team holding the gathering at revayahgathering@gmail.com.

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THE ARC OF THE GATHERING

There are a few key windows when the gates will be open so that all participants can arrive in a good way and attend the precious field we are building together.

Wednesday, Sept 30 · Arrival & Build

Gates open 4-8PM

Set up camp, meet the village, opening circle.

Thursday, Oct 1 · All Night Rain Dance Ceremony · Tikun lel Hoshana Rabbah

Gates open 8-9AM

The Doors Close at 9AM on Thursday to prepare for the Ceremony. We come together in an All Community Address at 10AM and break into work groups to finish the last preparations. Ceremony begins at 5PM and continues in three rounds through sunrise into the morning light. Participation is encouraged, but optional in the midnight round.

Friday, Oct 2 · Rest & Integration · Kabbalat Shabbat

A slow-paced day of good food, rest, and integration. We prepare together and enter Shabbat at sundown, with song, dance and sweetness. This is a time of great joy and celebration!

Gates open 3-6PM for late arrivals

We strongly encourage folks to arrive in time for the ceremony. However, for those who truly cannot make it, we will open the door for a brief window. There will be strong gatekeeping, as we welcome and attune new arrivals to the depth of what has just occurred. We ask new arrivals to bring inner quietude, a listening attitude, and their fresh and rested energy to help be in service for those recovering from being up all night in prayer.

Saturday, Oct 3 Day · Shabbat · Shemini Atzeret

Prayer & song, teaching, shared meals, singing, napping, communal rest and emergent shabbos magic.

Saturday, Oct 3 Night · Simchat Torah

At sunset we shift into our final holy day, Simchat Torah. We gather to honor this liminal turning through experimental and immersive ritual theatre, music and dancing into the night.

Sunday, Oct 4 · Closing & Strike

An integrative and ceremonial close to our time together. We return the waters that have carried our prayers to the land. We take down our village in a good way, leaving this place better than we found it. Then we bless each other for the road and the year ahead. Having ALL hands help creates a sweet and uplifted vibe. Please plan on helping out in the way of joyous service on Sunday before you depart.

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CALL FOR CORE DANCERS

Have you attended the Rain Dance before and are you interested in deepening your relationship to this ceremony? We are welcoming folks to read this invitation and complete an additional registration here by August 31st if you would like to join the dancer team. This is a special invitation that invites deeper time and commitment to prepare including virtual and in-person preparation meetings.

Dancers must arrive by 9:00 PM Tuesday, Sept. 29 and remain through 4:00 PM Sunday, Oct. 4.

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TACHLIS

The Land · 45 minutes from Sebastopol · 1½ hours from the Bay Area · 2 hours from SFO. Exact address and directions are shared with registered participants.

The hosts of the land ask that we don't drive in and out during the gathering. Please be prepared to remain on the land until the end of your time there.

Camping · We will be sleeping under the stars. Bring everything you need, pack in and out your belongings & trash, leave no trace, and aim to leave the place better than we found it. Coastal nights in early October are cold and foggy, so pack warm layers. Rain will be possible!

Meals · There will be some community meals provided and a communal kitchen to use between meals. More info to come after registration.

Volunteering · Alongside our financial contribution, each of us takes volunteer shifts to tend the village on one of these teams: Build/Strike, Gate/Welcome, Kitchen, Space-tending, Ritual Theatre Offering, Care Angels or Medical.

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ELDERS, CHILDREN & FAMILIES

Children & Families · Kids and youth programming provided by our partners Adamah SF. All offerings in the gathering are family friendly, and we will have a special kids area near the grounds for families and children. There will be community-supported childcare on Thursday leading into and for the first and third rounds of the dance. We will be inviting the children to participate in the ceremony if they choose to. After the dance concludes on Friday afternoon, parents are responsible for their kids ~ families can weave organically into all of the offerings.

Elders · There is a strong foundation of ceremonial elders who are helping hold this dance. All elders are welcome to bring their wisdom, love, care, and holy perspectives to this dance. We hold a dedicated area for elder camping and will have a special place for elders to weave in. With gratitude we welcome and center the gift of their presence and wisdom.

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HOW WE SHOW UP

Service: Everyone is needed for both the ceremony and the gathering that follows (including the children!). It takes all of us to lift this prayer. Outside of the ceremony and your volunteer shifts, we invite you to stay open to where you are needed and to support each other while taking care of yourself.

Reverence: This gathering spirals out from the Hoshana Rabbah Rain Dance Ceremony where we sing and dance through the night into the morning. You are invited to commit your presence fully to the ceremony and to carry that attunement into the rest of the gathering, whether we’re playing or praying.

Care: Gathering in this deep way in these times can be a full-spectrum experience. We honor that we each carry our own relationship to lineage, observance, politics, and the traditions we hold or are still discovering. We meet each other in that complexity with curiosity and compassion, leaning into the bridges between us. Let’s tend to ourselves and each other through whatever arises.

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CONTRIBUTION

This grassroots community ceremony is entirely supported by donations. Your contribution helps cover the cost of food and infrastructure for all of us, and compensation for the people putting this together. Please give as generously as you're able. We acknowledge the spectrum of financial resources and every contribution helps this gathering come to life.

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A full companion guide including preparatory materials, protocols and a comprehensive orientation will be sent to all registered participants ahead of the dance. If you have pressing inquiries, please reach out to the team holding the gathering at revayahgathering@gmail.com.

This is organized as a labor of love. We are a small team, and this ceremony comes alive through every person who shows up to help create it. May we pray and practice the essence of Revayah: blessings overflowing, for all life.
כן יהי רצון

Revayah Organizing Team,

Rachel Ruach Golden, Ilana Maellem, Alex Kugler, Nina Kravetz, Ele Jones

Special thanks to Makom Shalom, for supporting this cultural project as a fiscal sponsor and ensuring all contributions are tax-deductible.

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