What Children Can Teach Us at Rosh HaShanah
A deep spiritual life is hard to find. While opportunities abound for spiritual connections (yoga, meditation, retreats and the like), for most of us it doesn’t come easy.
My Rosh HaShanah Sermon is Written, but What Will Happen Next?
I am sitting at my desk in my office, Maroon 5 playing on Pandora, anxiously perusing a variety of news websites: Jerusalem Post, CNN, Haaretz
The Edge of Everything: A Poem for Rosh HaShanah
We gathered,
all of us,
having walked this long road
Before.
There is so much I don't
remember of it:
Cold
and dust
and heat-cracked pavement
Creating New Rituals and Tradition for the School Year and the New Year
For children, traditions and rituals are significant; they provide predictability, support, and familiarity, while bringing families together and creating unity and a sense of belonging.
Can You Hear Me Now? Seriously! Can You Hear Me?
A few weeks ago, I had to plead with the people I called on my cell phone. As my calls went through, they answered but couldn't seem to hear my voice. Each time, I called out, louder and louder, "It's me! It's Jonah! Can't you hear me?"
#BlogElul 2013: Who’s In?
Although we’re barely into the dog days of August, the High Holidays are fast approaching. The first of Elul, the Hebrew month that precedes Tishrei and the start of Rosh HaShanah, begins at sundown this Tuesday, which means that Wednesday, August 7th is the first of Elul.
Dancing in the Palm of God’s Hand
I can't seem to find a starting place in writing my reflections of Rosh HaShanah. It has become a tangled ball of string, and I’m not able to coax out a single strand. I thought about starting at the end. I could, but I don't know what that is either.
What It Means to Have a Rare Disease in the Family
My faith in God has never been more important to me than in the last two-plus years – ever since my son became extremely ill during his freshman year of high school.
Preparing for the High Holidays... With Chocolate!
As we enter into the Jewish month of preparation prior to the High Holidays, Elul, I am thinking about the spiritual aspects of chocolate.
The Shofar Blasts as a Metaphor for Life
If, as the Talmud tells us, the blasts of the shofar are meant to remind us of crying, (Babylonian Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 33A – specifically of Sisera’s mother – but that is another subject!), then I would offer the following.