Here I am again with the sun going down on a Friday night and no challah (traditional egg bread) in the oven, no chicken or roast in the oven, not table set for dinner, not even candles prepared for Shabbat. The house is clean, thanks to Oliva, but no one will be home to enjoy …
Each year on Simchat Torah I am struck by the importance of remembering the importance of going back and revisiting our beginnings. More often than not we learn something new or remember something necessary to our present life. On this holiday, which literally means “rejoicing in the Torah (or law),” we celebrate the completion …
Not everyone knows that Sukkot is known as the “Season of our Joy.” This year, given the unstable economic situation in the United States, as well as around the world, however, I think many people are experiencing it as the season of our fear. However, the fact that this Jewish holiday is characterized by joyous …
Tonight begins the festival of Sukkot. This year, I find myself thinking very different thoughts about his holiday. Normally, I am focused on shaking the lulav and holding the etrog while praying with my whole body in all directions with a pure soul, cleansed during the High Holy Days…well, that is still there for me this year. …
I sat in Yom Kippur services struggling with an issue I’ve grappled with for several years now. As I looked at the faces of two people, I found it impossible to forgive them. With the gates closing, I could not reconcile the idea of forgiveness with their ongoing actions. “Oh, God,” I prayed, “Forgive me, …
We are told that on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, “it is written” and on Yom Kippur, the Day of Repentance, “it is sealed.” What is “it”? Our fate for the next year. With Erev Yom Kippur, the beginning of this awe inspiring day, almost upon us, it is important to think about who …
Who Shall Live and Who Shall Die? And Can We Avert the Decree? Read More »
Jews say the Shema and V’ahavta twice a day. The Shema, which actually includes theV’ahavta, represents the cornerstone of Jewish belief. In the Jewish renewal world, and elsewhere, I’ve seen an interest in providing new translations for this prayer. The Reform Movement recently published a new prayer book, which provides a very nice translation of the …
I often receive emails from our local Chabad rabbi, Yochanan Friendman, who I like very much. He actually taught my son to lay tefillin, and inspired him to do so for a month – actually more – and bought him a beautiful tefillin bag for doing so. (I’ve done some editing for his father, Manis …
Chabad and LOA: A Lesson in Consciousness for the New Year Read More »
Ah…the shofar on Rosh Hashanah. It’s a lovely sound when well blown. It’s a call to action, a call to prayer, a call to attention, a call to go inward, a call to return – to God, to religious observance, to community, to self. And it’s a mitzvah, a commandment, to hear it blown on the the …
Here in California, we have just a few more hours until the start of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. I’m hurrying to finish my work. I’ve already purchased my round challah from the local Jewish bakery. My brisket is made. I need to shower and get dressed and make it to services early, because …
Pray With and From Your Heart this Rosh Hashanah Read More »
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is almost upon us. Depending upon where you live, it might be less than 24 hours before you find yourself sitting in a synagogue somewhere thinking about the last year, the new year, what you need to repent for, who you need to go to and ask for forgiveness, and what …
It’s Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath. Technically, religiously, halachic-ly (by Jewish law), I shouldn’t be writing, since writing constitutes work, and work is forbidden on the Sabbath. But I’m not that observant. I’m a spiritually observant Jew…but these days, despite the fact that I write about Shabbat and how to make it meaningful and spiritual, I’m …
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