Dear Friends, The Lev Shalem Institute just completed a six-week series called Pathways into Jewish Prayer, coordinated by Pauline Tamari with sensitivity and skill. A wonderful group gathered who were interested and able to speak personally and intimately about their relationship to prayer, the ways prayer feeds their lives, and the ways that they feel […]
Archive | Teachings
A river flows forth from Eden
I am currently enjoying teaching a series of classes at Temple Israel in Albany, NY titled “Demystifying Jewish Mysticism”. Here are some thoughts from this week’s class. A river flows forth from Eden to water the garden… (Genesis 2:10) Adam and Eve are living in undifferentiated bliss in the Garden of Eden. Eden in Hebrew […]
Rabbi Jesus?
Dear Friends, Reverend Matthew Wright of Woodstock’s St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church and I are currently teaching a class for the Lev Shalem Institute called “Judaism and Christianity: Shared Origins, Different Paths.” The class meets every Thursday from 12:15-2pm at the Woodstock Jewish Congregation, and we have five more meetings in this particular series. About 40 […]
Come with Me to Israel!
It is 20 years since the assassination of Yitzchak Rabin. It was the 12th of Heshvan, November 4, 1995. The Oslo accords had led to a heady, fraught and also promising peace process with the Palestinians. Prime Minister Rabin spoke to an enormous crowd in what is today named Rabin Square at a peace rally […]
Just a Brief Word…
Sometimes a single phrase can impact us as deeply as a long essay. Barbara Sarah sent me a statement by psychotherapist Francis Weller that I have been rolling around on my tongue and in my mind all week. The words rings true, and have been a great help to me in the wake of Maya […]
A Eulogy for Maya Gold
On October 4, 2015 I had the sorrowful task of officiating at the funeral of WJC member Maya Gold, age 15. After the service, many attendees asked if I could share the words of my eulogy with them. I think others might find value in my message, and so Maya’s parents Mathew Swerdloff and Elise Gold […]
When Torah and Life Intersect: A Yizkor Remembrance
(I posted an earlier version of this piece on January 1, 2015, my father’s yahrzeit. I shared it again prior to the Yizkor service during Yom Kippur earlier this week, and I share it again with you now.) Vayik’revu y’mei Yisrael lamut… When Israel’s time to die drew near… (Parshat Vayechi, Gen. 47:29) Vayik’revu y’mei […]
A Teshuvah Lexicon
The central mitzvah and activity of the High Holy Days is תשובה teshuvah, the task of realigning ourselves with our highest values and taking the steps we need to manifest those values. “Sin” and “repentance” are the English terms usually associated with this process. These phrases, as commonly heard, carry a burden of guilt and […]
Gematria for the New Year 5776
There are no numerals in ancient Hebrew. Hebrew predates the invention of the decimal system that we know of as Arabic numerals. Therefore, numerical values were represented by Hebrew letters. (This is similar to Roman numerals, which use letters instead of numerical symbols to express numbers.) Every letter in the Hebrew alphabet has a corresponding […]
Thoughts on the Iran Deal
As of this moment, it appears that the United States will participate in the JCPOA, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran to limit its nuclear program. The United States will be joining China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, Germany and the European Union in this agreement. Anyone who has been following the news […]