High Holy Day Soul Work, Part 4 The cosmic principle of the entire High Holy Day season is teshuvah - to turn. Unfortunately, it is often translated as “repentance” which sounds severe and judgmental. However, teshuvah actually means “to turn, return, restore.” My teacher, Rabbi Lawrence Kushner writes of teshuvah: “All God ever says is return (teshuvah) to Continue Reading
Prepare Your Soul: Brokenness & Wholeness; Part 2
High Holy Day Soul-Work, Part 2 The overarching theme of the High Holy Days is acknowledging brokenness and seeking wholeness. In last week's blog post, I wrote about how essential it is for each of us to “do our own soul work” during the month of Elul, the month that precedes Rosh Hashanah. Several core stories provide the metaphors we need on this Continue Reading
Elul Reflection: From Pain to Miracle; Part 3
High Holy Day Soul-Work We have the entire month of Elul (which precedes the Jewish High Holy Days) to do the essential soul reflection necessary to make this time meaningful. When we take this month seriously, a transformation of our very selves is possible. The fundamental journey at this time of year is one from brokenness to wholeness. Do any parts Continue Reading
Prepare Your Soul For The High Holy Days, Part 1
In the waning days of summer, when you want to hang on to every last moment, there is another fragrance that begins to enter your consciousness. The wafts of the High Holy Day season reach you at your outer edges. In the middle of planning one last summer excursion, you may remember that you have to make additional plans. Soul plans. Each and every Continue Reading
A Prayer For One Who Enters A Synagogue
I wrote this prayer after the massacre of Jews at prayer at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. A gunman, stoked by the anti-immigrant rhetoric and desiring to do harm to the synagogue which was connected to Jewish efforts to support immigrants and asylum seekers, stormed into the synagogue on Shabbat, spraying bullets everywhere. Unfortunately, Continue Reading
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