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Come Home This New Year
There are several images of this time of year – the Jewish High Holy Days – that float in my consciousness. Like background music, they hum.
Prayer For Those Not Ready To Forgive
The design of this season compels us to forgive, to open our hearts, and sometimes to re-experience wounds. Some of us have suffered profound trauma, at the hand of parents, partners, or friends, They might be fresh bruises or from many years ago – They bubble below the surface, having been pushed away, but now …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Messengers of the Most High: A 9/11 miracle
What Happened First It is bedtime on this second day of Rosh Hashanah – 9/11/2019, but I can’t go to sleep before putting this story to paper. What happened today will forever be a reminder of grace, miracles and the unexplained mystery that weaves throughout our lives, that sometimes I’m lucky enough to catch a …