I fell. Really hard. Picture one of those slow motion falls. Yesterday, I was at the synagogue doing a rehearsal with a bat mitzvah student and I tumbled off the bima (platform) down a whole bunch of steps, hitting my chin on the piano pedals (I’m sure it was a completely graceful fall, aren’t you?) My …
I was preparing for my workshop this week called “Five Jewish Mindfulness Practices that Cultivate Wholeness.” The first category of discussion was going to be about what Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel called “radical amazement.” He writes, “Wonder, or radical amazement, is a way of going beyond what is given in thing and thought, refusing to …
A favorite poem, by Lawrence Tirnauer* for anyone who (sometimes or all the time) is challenged to get a full night’s sleep – accompanied by an amazing quote by Ram Dass. Whether we are meeting in our mind’s eye in the middle of the night, or in real life, we need each other on this journey “home.” …
I don’t know how you are doing lately – but an awful lot of people I know are feeling overwhelmed, too busy, burdened by the energy of the season and many are struggling to walk through family illnesses and loss and economic difficulties. The end of the year often tends to be like this. Perhaps we …
Here is a wonderful Hanukkah Candles Meditation I learned from my teacher Rabbi Jordan Bendat-Appel. This is my interpretation and some additions. (To hear Jordan’s original video teaching, see the link below.) Meditation 1. Before you light the candles, arrange everything: menorah, candles and matches, blessing. 2. Sit for a few moments in the darkness, …
You may have heard about the recently released “disastrous” Pew study* of Jewish life. I’ve been on several conference calls where you could hear the wringing of hands. Why is the professional liberal Jewish world panicking? It’s a wide-ranging study covering many topics but here are a few of the numbers that are causing the …
Endings are difficult. When we were at the last retreat of our Institute for Jewish Spirituality rabbinic cohort – 2 years of study, practice, and deep friendships, Rabbi Nancy Flam taught, in the name of Rachael Kessler (z”l) to really pay attention to what we do when we are at the end of something: do we …
On the 17th day of the month of Elul, we are now on the other side of the full moon, leaning into Rosh Hashanah. Will we be ready? More than preparing the menu or our new clothes, we still have time to awaken our souls from the sleep we may have been in. It’s not …
As we walk our way towards the new year, today’s Elul topic is FORGIVE. It’s absolutely one of the most significant things we can do in spiritually preparing ourselves for the High Holy Days. Let’s just say that this is easier said than done, especially when we’ve been hurt badly. It involves digging deep, taking …
When we “see” how wide is our frame ? For ex, if a loved one is impatient with us, do we also see (and remember) all the times s/he is patient? The Hasidic mas ter s often talk about “narrow consciousness – mochin d’katanut” vs. “expanded consciousness – mochin d’gadlut.” Yes, we see what we …
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