I don’t remember much about the specifics of the Shabbat service that morning, what I do remember is that my phone kept vibrating in my pocket. While this has become more normal in our Covid world, this was 3 years ago, and so while a vibration or two might have been expected, this was way Continue Reading »
As a Jewish community the importance of a people’s connection to their land is at the center of our Torah, our sacred text, and so I am grateful to Andre for beginning today’s vigil with a land acknowledgement, recognizing his people’s connection to the land on which we are currently gathered. Thank you to all Continue Reading »
כְּאֶזְרָ֣ח מִכֶּם֩ יִהְיֶ֨ה לָכֶ֜ם הַגֵּ֣ר הַגָּ֣ר אִתְּכֶ֗ם וְאָהַבְתָּ֥ לוֹ֙ כָּמ֔וֹךָ כִּֽי־גֵרִ֥ים הֱיִיתֶ֖ם בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם אֲנִ֖י יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם “The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love them as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I Adonai am your God.” (Vayikra-Leviticus 19:34) We Continue Reading »
Click here to watch the video! There was a man who found the cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far Continue Reading »
How’s it going? How are you? How are things? We get asked this question, or a variation of it numerous times a day. But, when I first moved to America, I had to get used to the fact that “How are you?” is not necessarily a real question. The Cultural Atlas actually warns newcomers to Continue Reading »
There was a man who found the cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as Continue Reading »
I have seen a sign. And I am sorry to tell you it wasn’t a good one. No, don’t worry it wasn’t that kind of sign, it was an actual physical sign, the type you put out on your front lawn. And in six simple words it symbolizes everything that is wrong with our society Continue Reading »
A story is told of six blind men who were fascinated by elephants.[1] They had heard so many tales of these majestic creatures, but of course they had never seen one. One day word came to them that an elephant had arrived in town and so they all set out to meet the animal. The first Continue Reading »
It started in Israel as so many innovations and moments of progress often do. Once again, they were the leaders and the ones who were blazing a path for the rest of the world to follow. It began with a new type of photograph shared on social media. A picture of two masked people, one Continue Reading »
