Do you notice when the spirit moves you? I found myself pondering this question about a week ago amidst a pile of work I was trying to get done at almost midnight. Everyone else in my family had already gone to bed, even the cat, who is supposed to be nocturnal by nature. I realized …
Do You Notice When the Spirit Moves You? (And What Do You Do In Response?) Read More »
We’ve had a new president for five days. Has anything really changed? Many of us felt more hopeful watching the inauguration, but what about now? Has that hope lingered? It’s hard to keep hope alive. It’s hard to stay positive, especially when nothing seems to change – or at least not to change quickly or …
A New President Doesn't Mean Instant Change for the U.S. or In Our Lives Read More »
They say, “Hope springs eternal.” For some it does. For some hope seems a way of life, a way of being, a part of who they are. For others, finding hope for the future takes effort or even real work. Today, as the United States of America and the rest of the world watched, the …
Hope for the Future – For Some It's Easy, For Some It Takes Effort Read More »
Yesterday I learned that Rabbi Alan Lew had died. I didn’t know Rabbi Lew well, but I had the honor of teaching at an event where he was the keynote speaker two years ago. I remember his speach well; in fact, I used what I learned from him later in a talk I gave – …
The Torah portions we read the past two weeks, Vayigash (Genesis 44:18-47:27) and Vayechi (Genesis 47:28-50:26), offer us a chance to look at our own lives over the past year and to consider how past events during the last 12 months have gotten us to the place we now stand. It also helps us to look forward …
January and Joseph: Where You've Been and Where You're Going Read More »
The New Year shows up every year heralding our hopes of change. As Barak Obama’s book title states so well, each year we have the audacity to hope for change. More often than not, however, we don’t see that change. For Jews, the New Year seems to come twice a year – once with the …
Yesterday was Christmas Day, but at our home, it felt a lot like Shabbat. Actually, it felt more like Shabbat than most Saturdays. I really hate to admit that fact, but truth be told, most Jewish holidays, Chanukah included, fall during secular work days or at times when secular activities occur. For example, on Friday afternoons, …
Christmas Proves a Relaxing, Peaceful, Shabbat-Like Day for This Jew Read More »
Candlelight. It’s magical, romantic, spiritual, and useful. But there’s more to the light of candles than might meet the eye. I’m always reminded of this in the winter. Candles are central to the celebration of many winter holidays but to Chanukah in particular. The story of Chanukah revolves around two main points: The success of …
Have you ever noticed how we create huge tangles of our lives? Maybe we just take one strand – a relationship or a job or a particular way of thinking or a small lie or a debt that gets larger over time – and we knot it up until its a total mess. Or maybe …
Anyone who knows me knows I’ve been studying human potential and personal growth for years. I’m always looking for tools and techniques to help people – myself included – reach their fullest potential and live fully as well. Plus, I like to put all of this into a Jewish context if I can. So, when …
Self-Help A La The Tanya and Mussar: It's All About Conscious Action Read More »
I’ve been feeling a bit melancholy lately, as well as grateful for my children despite the fact that they are driving me absolutely crazy. In the last month, three children have died in Los Gatos, the town where I live. A middle school boy took his own life, possibly because his girlfriend broke up with …
When the Holiday Season Doesn't Feel So Jolly, Be Happy Once a Week on Shabbat Read More »
I was at my mother’s home in New York the Friday after Thanksgiving, the day notoriously known as “Black Friday.” People hit the post Thanksgiving, pre-Christmas sales that begin traditionally on this date. The local outlet mall, Woodbury Commons, even decided to open their doors at 12 a.m (midnight) this year to boost sales and …
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