Displaying 21 - 28 of 28
What My Arabic Lessons Are Teaching Me About Coexistence
This new year, I’m studying Arabic to be able to converse with Palestinians in Israel and the West Bank, augmenting my lifelong caring relationship with Israel.
Shards of Glass: A Poem for the New Year
Remind my tired soul, I beg You / My kitchen is far too clean and the china is still in the basement / Remind me how to stop the mourning / for tables that don’t need extensions / quiet synagogues with no children to be shushed...
Rosh HaShanah at the Movies: Contemplating My Relationship with God
One year, on the second day of Rosh HaShanah, we were shocked to find the doors of Temple Israel of Hollywood locked. It was news to us that most Reform congregations observed only one day of the holiday.
Rosh HaShanah: Joy, Simchas, an Anchor for Israel
In the book of Nehemiah (chapter 8), we find a description of an ancient Rosh HaShanah at the time of rebuilding Israel after a period of exile.
Two New Films, "An American Pickle" and "Palm Springs," Reflect High Holiday Themes
Both films show us ways to examine our flaws and make amends, either with the people we’ve wronged or for the ways we’ve scorned the sacrifices of those who came before us.
On Healing a Hardened Heart
“You hurt me.” “I feel betrayed.” “How can I trust you?” As the High Holidys draw near, questions of morality, goodness, justice, forgiveness began swirling round my psyche and my heart. I got married last May to a woman I love with all my being.
"Life Is in the Transitions": Wisdom from a Bestselling Author
"If I were to sum up what I learned after five years of working on this book, it is this: Transitions work. When life gets us stuck, a life transition is the means of getting unstuck."
Hear Their Cries: This Year, May We Listen to Those Who Cry Out
Rosh HaShanah – the “head of the year” – celebrates the beginning of a new year and officially starts aseret y’mei t’shvuah, 10 days of return and repentance. It is a time of serious reflection and introspection about our lives (and about life itself); a time to ask for forgiveness for missing the mark in our actions with others, ourselves, and the Divine.