Teachings by Rabbi Jill - Path With Heart Community

Increase the Light

Tonight we light the 3rd candle of Hanukkah. The story of Hanukkah is that even in the darkest of times, we make light. The tradition is that we light a new candle for each of the 8 nights of the holiday, thereby increasing the light each night. The rabbis understood that light was not just …

Gratitude Is A Practice

it is possible to learn how to be more grateful and thankful. Here are some practices to build gratitude into your life. Rabbi Jill Zimmerman.

Find Your Place

I remember one clear moment when I knew I had found “my place.” In my 4th year of rabbinic school I participated in a 5-day Jewish spirituality retreat.* We studied the Zohar’s interpretation of the Torah portion “Lech Lecha.” The Zohar, Judaism’s mystical interpretation of the Hebrew Bible, has a fascinating read on this text …

Prayer for Yom Kippur

In the next 25 hours, as you gather together to participate in Yom Kippur prayer services, in-person or online – Or perhaps you take silent time at the beach to contemplate your last year – Reflect: What & from whom did you learn? Who did you hurt, intentionally or otherwise? What amends do you need …

Hold Both Truth & Joy

This is the sermon I delivered on Rosh Hashanah at the Jewish Collaborative of Orange County in 2019. People asked to read it – so here it is: Rabbi Alan Lew, of blessed memory, writes that the High Holy Days season promises nothing less than total personal transformation – IF we do the work, and …

Love Yourself On The Way To Wholeness

High Holy Day Soul Work, Part 5 As Rosh Hashanah comes closer, our prayers become more urgent, because ready or not, the holy days are upon us. We reflect more deeply on our misdeeds of the past year, and where we have fallen short of being our best selves. Part of the powerful ritual we …

Do The Cosmic Turn: Teshuvah

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 …

What is Being Birthed From This Darkness?

There’s so much darkness and chaos right now. The environment is cloaked with it. I can see it in my newsfeed. I feel it on the roadways. In moments like this, I have to reach deep, to what I know to be true. Here it is: I know that light comes out of the darkness …

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 …

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 …