jewish spirituality Archives - Path With Heart Community

10 Day Mindfulness Challenge – Day 1

Today is Day One of our 10-Day Jewish Mindfulness Challenge. Welcome! Here’s how it will work: When you sign up for the challenge, you will receive an email from me each morning for ten days, as a reminder to meditate or practice mindfulness. Each day I will recommend a kavannah or guidance for the day and …

close-up of peach and white colored tulips

Jewish Mindfulness 10-Day Challenge

January is all about new beginnings! We invite you to join our Path With Heart community for a “Month of Jewish Mindfulness” featuring a 10-Day Meditation Challenge. You might already have a spiritual practice. Or you may be looking to invigorate what you do with Jewish content and intention. Jewish Mindfulness is about bringing to …

silhouette of person sitting meditating with words like Breath, Notice, Pause

The Call That is Answered by Presence

Our foundational narrative of moving from slavery to freedom begins with waking up and becoming present. In this week’s Torah portion, Moses tends his sheep in the wilderness, and he notices a bush that is on fire but not being consumed.

woman knitting on large needles with very colorful yarn

Hanukkah Night #7: What Brings You Joy?

Tonight’s question for this 7th night of Hanukkah is: What seven things or experiences bring you joy? Reb Nachman of Bratzlav taught: “Joy is not merely incidental to your spiritual quest, it is vital.” Despite Reb Nachman’s periodic bouts of severe depression, he stressed the importance of seeking joy. Having a regular spiritual practice of …

Two Spiritual Approaches to COVID-19

Whoever you are, wherever you are, you are affected by the current pandemic of COVID-19 coronavirus. I want to offer a few spiritual approaches and insights that I hope are helpful or comforting, no matter your spiritual tradition. Whether you are worried about your elderly parents or your chronically ill child. Some of you live …

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 …