Rabbi Jill’s Recent Blog Posts

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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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Can You Be Present In This Wilderness?

Many of you are arriving at the end of this summer feeling weary, and wondering how you can continue to be present while things go from bad to worse. It might be stuff in your personal life, or it could be facing the daily horrors of our world. We wander in the wilderness of all …

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You Were Created For Just This Moment

Please – for just one moment – Breathe in: You are a precious sacred being unlike any other on this earth. Exhale: love & compassion for every other creature on this earth. You were created for just this moment – to be uniquely you in this world so desperately in need of love & compassion that …

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