In the times of Noah, there was total lawlessness in the world. Just 10 generations (according to tradition) after Adam, the world is in a horrid state. Sometimes it is difficult to read through most of the parasha (portion) without a sense of despondency…despite the redemptive ending. The Notion of Lawlessness in our Texts Throughout the expanse of our texts, the word for lawlessness, (חמס) takes on different shades of meaning, and it appears in the fifth book of the Torah,

If you would have asked me what words come to mind when I think about Yom Kippur, the word joy would never have made the top ten list. Words like fasting, repenting, remorse, prayer, sorrow, self-blame, and even hunger would have been there, but never joy or happiness. Why was this year different for me? Perhaps in my own home, the solitude created the ripe environment for a deeper experience and I soaked it all in. In this year of corona, I almost desperately needed to focus

It was not hard to take a back seat to my own spiritual growth. As a youngster, I dutifully attended High Holiday services but felt that it was a pretty boring endeavor. The overwhelming feeling of formality blocked any emotional response on my part. The hazzan (cantor) chanted in an operatic voice, sometimes so dramatically, that it was actually jarring. Synagogue was an ‘event’ that I was attending. There were all the trappings of a Broadway show: everyone was dressed up, t

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

When deeper meaning transcends religion photo by: Ruth Schapira #Judaism #prayer #ReligionandSpirituality