If you have a sensitive heart I’m guessing your heart is bruised these days - maybe even broken. It’s painful these days - stories of degradation, a culture slipped into incivility. Images of suffering daily, constant, overwhelming. The earth itself cries out with swirling winds, fire and water: don’t forget Continue Reading
wisdom to carry you through this year
We play out a sacred drama about life and death on the High Holidays. Yes, it’s about the creation of the world & apples and honey & family dinners. And it’s about so much more. There is deep wisdom in the sacred rituals we enact on these holy days. But they are often hidden. If you know where to look, and pay close attention, this wisdom can Continue Reading
Add Gratitude to Your Spiritual Toolkit
Part of the immense stress many of us are experiencing right now is the weariness of being on high alert much of the time. Each new day brings more alarming news: Jewish Community Centers evacuated because of bomb threats, Jewish cemeteries vandalized, swastikas on the New York subways and the walls of local schools, and arguments with family and friends Continue Reading
Jewish Bedtime Prayer: May We Be Surrounded & Protected
There is a beautiful Jewish bedtime prayer invoking angels of protection, Michael, Uriel, Gavriel, and Raphael to surround us as we sleep. This prayer is part of the Bedtime Shema. I like to imagine that they hover over the 4 corners of my bed. I will be saying this prayer tonight with the imagery of the angelic presence hovering over our entire world, Continue Reading
Mindfulness, Poetry, Prayer and Song to Open Hearts
At our beautiful all-day retreat last Shabbat, "A Mindful Journey Through Shabbat" we did a morning of chant/kavannah/music/silence. As leaders, we chose several key prayers (only a few) from the morning Shabbat service and went deeper into each one. For example, we started with Modah/Modeh Ani, which means "Grateful/Thankful am I" and offered a brief Continue Reading
