The rhythm of the Jewish calendar allows us to sense a deeper level of experience beyond the seasonal changes. As we leave the month of Av, which required us to face our national tragedies and mourn for what we lost, we can get ready to embrace a more uplifting period. In Elul, we turn from a period of mourning to a personal accounting for change. We are given the opportunity to remake ourselves. Elul is a time expressly for soulful thinking about our true selves and who we w

“..the more enamored we are of our selves, the more fixed we are in our own ‘realities’, limiting the possibilities of our awareness.” Daniel Brown, Harvard clinical psychologist Our culture is so far deep into self aggrandizement that sometimes we lose awareness of how susceptible to the craziness we’ve become. It takes a lot of mental energy to steer clear of the ego-filled information we hear on a daily basis. Even if we are not participating, it seeps into us on a deeper

Inspired by Psalm 46 God is our refuge and strength, God will help us in our troubles, God is near—as near as the air we breathe. We can feel God’s presence in times of need… Though the earth may change, The mountains may rumble, And the waters will evermore roar and foam, God is within all and within us, Forever giving us strength and a forever constant in our midst. God is always—and though our world might be filled with life’s challenges God is our rock and will give us st

“It is because I believed in God that I was angry at God, and still am. But my faith is tested, wounded, but it’s here. So whatever I say, it’s always from inside faith……Within my traditions, you know, it is permitted to question God, even to take Him to task.”  Elie Wiesel, The Tragedy of the Believer. In recent weeks, I have been overwhelmed with questions that I ask of God. It is a fruitless exercise because really, there are no possible answers. Some of my questions are t

The quiet allows the voice of our soul to emerge On the week before Shavuot, we begin the fourth book of the Hebrew Bible, known in English as Numbers. In Hebrew, the book is called BaMidbar (wilderness, desert). Already we’re experiencing some confusion, why the two different names? Each name refers to a different verse. The name of the book in Hebrew is related to the first verse, which sets the stage for where God speaks to Moses…in the wilderness. However, the English/Lat

What if God is waiting for us to cry out? What if all we need to do is to cry out in despair, as Abraham did thousands of years ago? חָלִ֨לָה לְּךָ֜ מֵעֲשֹׂ֣ת ׀ כַּדָּבָ֣ר הַזֶּ֗ה לְהָמִ֤ית צַדִּיק֙ עִם־רָשָׁ֔ע וְהָיָ֥ה כַצַּדִּ֖יק כָּרָשָׁ֑ע חָלִ֣לָה לָּ֔ךְ הֲשֹׁפֵט֙ כָּל־הָאָ֔רֶץ לֹ֥א יַעֲשֶׂ֖ה מִשְׁפָּֽט׃ “Far be it from You to do such a thing, to bring death upon the innocent as well as the guilty, so that innocent and guilty fare alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the

Torah is a living entity in my life and is an endless and forever Giving-Tree. It is this imagery that captures me when we lift the Torah and say “Etz Chayim Hee LaMahazikim Ba” (It is a Tree of Life When You Hold It Close (my own translation). On so many levels, the Torah informs me about how to live a life with more humility, with more honor towards others, with an appreciation for the Creator. So, I have a visceral response when I hear the words describing the Hebrew Bible

I read something from an unlikely source that struck my deepest core as a Jew, and came to a full stop at a passage from the first chapter of “How to be an Anti-Racist”, a new book by Ibram X. Kendi. I’m sure Dr. Kendi did not intend this outcome, in fact, I feel guilt at even sharing this, because I personalized a phrase he used to illustrate a core issue of his, one that influenced his childhood and his present thoughts about racism. Perhaps in writing this, I am part of th

The Experience of the Holy This post is not about matchmaking, or even the journey to find your ‘soul mate’. Here, searching for the “One” refers to our deep desire to achieve integration, to be at ‘one’ with who we are on the inside with how we behave on the outside. To feel whole. The challenge is that often, although we know who we want to be in the ideal, we often behave in ways that don’t hit that target. Syncing doesn’t always occur, mainly because life gets in the way

How can I reach the heavens when all I can think of is that I need some caffeine? Yom Kippur heightens the juxtaposition between the holy and the mundane. It is a day when we suspend our daily functions (e.g. eating, bathing) in order to help us reach a higher, less base level of existence. Those unfamiliar with the rites of the holiday often focus on the strange edict of fasting as some type of divine punishment, some way of beating us into submission. Others see it as it is

How are you tending to your soul? “People are such perfectionists when it comes to clothing their bodies. Are they so particular with the needs of their soul?”  Sara Schneirer (1890-1935). Your soul is not separate from you, it is you. Everything you do makes a mark on your being. Your very presence is a gift from God. How are you caring for yourself? How are you tending to your soul? #Faith #Life #Mussar #ReligionandSpirituality

How many ants does it take to move an elephant? That’s what the traditionally bureaucratic Jewish community feels like to me sometimes, like ants trying to move an elephant. No matter how many ants you have, there won’t be any way to move that elephant unless you think about other ways of tackling the problem. Similarly, some Jewish organizations are adding more and more to their offerings (more ants) but not really tackling the issue of increasing Jewish engagement in differ

“…and after the earthquake a fire; but The One was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice….” Kings I 19:12 Am I coming to face the Divine with a polished soul, cleansed from sins I tossed into the living waters? For the past ten days, between Tishrei 1 and Tishrei 10….did I fully use the opportunities I had to correct myself? How can I possibly achieve the mountain of individual work I know I need to do knowing my limitations? Yet, how can I approach the Holy

A Pew research study says that families have much in common when it comes to values about parenting. According to the website the findings “are based on a Pew Research Center survey conducted April 29-May 27 among 3,243 adults, including 815 parents, who are part of Pew Research’s new American Trends Panel, a nationally representative panel of randomly selected U.S. adults surveyed online and by mail.” The study isolated values such as responsibility, hard work, obedience, be