I just read a poem or two. It’s a rainy day and it seemed like a good thing to do. It reminded me that poets exist. Many more than we will ever know. It reminded me that we might be
3 Jewish Prayers Every Person Should Recite
This morning I found myself discussing the meaning of some of the daily prayers that Jews recite each morning. It reminded me of the relevance and maybe even the necessity of finding words like these to remind and guide us
Jewish Body, Jewish Soul
Jewish tradition honors both the body and the soul. The ancient rabbis understood that, as human beings, we experience the world through the body. Our senses, our physicality, our material self. They taught us to treat the body with respect,
A Blessing for the Night Before School Starts
This blessing can be read the night before the first day of school, or the morning of… A Back to School Blessing for 2019-2020 Tomorrow our family goes back to school. While we are sad that summer break is coming
We Come Full Circle
We Come Full Circle A circle is opened. Sitting in the circle: People of different faiths, backgrounds, experiences, colors, voices, faces, hopes, fears, loves, names. Singing: to punctuate the silence. Silence: to punctuate the song. Eyes closed: visions unfold. Eyes
The Nature of Prayer
Every so often (not often enough), I find myself flipping through Martin Buber’s anthology called “Tales of the Hasidim.” As I read, I often discover that my appreciation or lack of appreciation for the teachings he shares has much
Let Me Know it Fully
Let me know it fully. A colleague said this to me today. During a webinar that he was facilitating. Let me know it fully. Not just any breath. But this breath. Not just any feeling of my fingers
Pause
Between breathing in and breathing out. Between this sentence and the next. Between thought and expression. Between hearing and listening. Between doing and doing. Between being and being. Between now and now. Between is and was. Between is and
A Picture, a prayer, and a song
May we turn towards one another, and not away May our offerings be offerings of peace May we give them freely and from great abundance May the places where we meet be transformed into havens of shalom If only
Overcoming Boredom: Rabbinic Advice for High Holy Day Services
In spite of our collective best efforts, I still hear people reporting anticipatory boredom when discussing their upcoming attendance at High Holy Day services. It’s a shame for a couple of reasons. First, High Holy Day services actually aren’t