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Message: <br /><br /> If you are having trouble reading this email, you may view this article online at: http://www.jweekly.com/40697/full/40697/toasting-the-spirit-vallejo-rabbi-finds-heart-and-soulof-wine-drinking-in-n/ <br /><br /> <b>Toasting the spirit: Vallejo rabbi finds ‘heart and soul’of wine drinking in new book</b> <br /> Thursday, December 3, 2009 | by amanda pazornik <br /><br /><p>It doesn’t matter if you’re retelling the story of Passover, reciting the Kiddush on Friday night or celebrating a loved one’s bris. One thing’s for certain: there will be wine. </p> <p>According to Rabbi David White, author of the new book “Sippin’ on Top of the World: Toasting Good Times and Better Days,” that comes as no coincidence.</p> <p>“Wine is a catalyst to look for spiritual access points,” said White, the executive director of WineSpirit in Napa and spiritual leader of Congregation B’nai Israel in Vallejo, in an interview. “You want to put your heart and soul into finding those moments, not just clink glasses.”</p> <p> </p> <div class="capDivLeft" style="width: 126px;"><img alt="Asippin white, david" class="left" height="193" src="http://www.jweekly.com/images/uploads/z_photos_2009/c12_04_09/Asippin white, david.jpg" title="Rabbi David White" width="126" /> <div class="caption">Rabbi David White</div> </div> <p>“Sippin’ on Top of the World” explores the meaning of life by making connections between spirituality and wine, grapes, vines and vineyards.</p> <p>Each chapter features an insightful or inspirational passage, called a “sip,” which begins by asking the reader a question associated with wine, such as “How can wine calm your mind and open your spirit?” and “What is special about opening wine?”</p> <p>White gives his take on each sip and, at the same time, invites the reader to weigh in too. There’s even a list of reflective questions at the end of each chapter to keep the conversation alive, and a place to write your own sip.</p> <p>Of the 88 sips — originally a collection of 170 brief writings distributed as an e-mail series — White noted several of his favorites. They include Sip 65, which discusses how moments in the past enrich today’s present. White refers to the creation of Shabbat and introduction of the word “kadosh,” the Hebrew word for “holy,” to convey his message.  </p> <p>“The Creator’s directive is ‘Stop!’” White writes in the book. “And in doing so, access and enjoy life’s blessings. Stop and notice. Cherish what you have heard, seen and done.”</p> <p>He also found Sip 73 (“How do you recharge spiritual batteries?”) to be particularly current, given that “people are so busy and need to accept sleep as a necessity,” he said. It was also the first sip he ever jotted down. </p> <p>Sleep is just one method of rejuvenating human power, according to White. He also cites meditation, a vacation or retreat, a good book and coffee, or a relaxing meal with family and friends. That particular moment of renewal also can include a glass of wine.</p> <p>“The ritual of raising a glass of wine indicates something special is under way,” White writes. “Such moments re-energize people, leaving them ready to go — and ready to stop again from time to time, to breathe in miracles of life.”</p> <p>White was ordained a Conservative rabbi by the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1975, and began work at his father Rabbi Saul White’s synagogue, Congregation Beth Sholom in San Francisco, as head of youth programming.</p> <p>His desire to work with children and families led him to seek a pulpit of his own, and White landed at tiny Congregation Kol Shofar in Tiburon in 1977. At the time, the congregation consisted of only 45 families. By the time White left in 1991, that number had grown to over 200.</p> <p>White, who served as part-time rabbi at Congregation Beth Sholom in Napa, and congregant David Freed partnered in 2001 to form WineSpirit, a nonprofit organization that examines the spiritual role of Napa Valley’s most famous product.</p> <p>In addition to running WineSpirit, White leads bi-weekly men and women’s groups, which focus on life management in Napa.</p> <p>“I’m a rabbi, most [participants] are Jewish, but it’s not a Torah study group,” White said. “We’re expressing Jewish values in a secular culture. It’s not necessarily about the alcohol. The whole operative is make the moment holy, precious and memorable. You don’t get holiness unless you stop.”</p> <p>And drink, apparently. Though White was quick to point out that you don’t need to uncork a bottle of your favorite wine to reap the benefits of “Sippin’ on Top of the World.” In fact, he didn’t even have a glass while writing the book.</p> <p>Instead, wine serves a symbolic, celebratory purpose. “Wine is a connecter between Judaism and other cultures,” White said. “If you really scratch the surface, there is no other agricultural product from the get-go that’s oriented to celebrating.”</p> <p><br /><strong>“Sippin’ on Top of the World: Toasting Good Times and Better Days”</strong> by Rabbi David White (181 pages, WingSpan Press, $20)</p> <p>For more information about <strong>WineSpirit</strong>, visit <a href="http://www.winespirit.org">http://www.winespirit.org</a>.</p> <p> </p>

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