If you are anything like me and either enjoy reading books or grabbing a bargain, take a look! I noticed today that the kindle version of one of my favorite Zen books is on sale this month on Amazon – Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi.
Continue reading “What is “Beginner’s Mind”? And Did Heschel Describe It?!”REGISTER NOW: High Holidays 2023 – Jewish New Year Interfaith Zen Retreat in the Bay Area
Come celebrate Rosh Hashanah and the Jewish New Year on this contemplative interfaith Zen retreat in the Bay Area! You may register now!
Rosh Hashanah is a holiday of waking up. We awaken from the deep slumber of selfishness, conceit, and putting ourselves above others and awaken to something different. On Rosh Hashanah, the Divine calls out to wake us up from the darkness of ignorance and to open our eyes and hearts to the truth and awe that is always surrounding us and that which also makes up the very fabric of our ordinary life.
Continue reading “REGISTER NOW: High Holidays 2023 – Jewish New Year Interfaith Zen Retreat in the Bay Area”Do I Need to Use a Prayerbook?
There are thousands and thousands of words of formal prayers and prayer books. There are so many words — too many words — yet there can never be enough words!
The most important words in prayer are your words! The most important prayerbook is your heart! Everything else is simply extra!
Continue reading “Do I Need to Use a Prayerbook?”How Do We Celebrate Freedom?
Freedom and liberty is so very precious and something for which I am eternally grateful and do not take for granted.
Yes, freedom can be “internal”. We all need to feel and experience this genuine liberation; yet, “external” freedom is no more unnecessary. It is this freedom — unfortunately, a rarity in the world in this day and age — that we celebrate and consecrate this Independence Day Holiday.
Continue reading “How Do We Celebrate Freedom?”What is “Jewish” Meditation? Is Meditation Even “Jewish”
Sometimes questions are more simple than we know. Often times, questions are also more complicated than we hope.
One such question is “What makes meditation Jewish?” This question might just be simple AND complicated to answer?! I write about this elsewhere (here and here), though allow me to answer this question here as simply as possible, albeit with a complicated caveat.
Continue reading “What is “Jewish” Meditation? Is Meditation Even “Jewish””REGISTER NOW: High Holidays 2023 – Yom Kippur Zen Mindfulness Jewish Meditation Retreat
The Jewish High Holidays are a period of reflection and opportunity to renew our intentions for the coming year in a deeply personal and meaningful way.
Please join Rabbi Adam Fogel and Mindful Judaism on a Zen Mindfulness Jewish Meditation retreat this Yom Kippur! The Yom Kippur retreat will include periods of silent sitting and walking meditation, an abbreviated chant style service, time for speaking from the heart in hitbodedut, and sacred sharing in council to close the retreat.
Continue reading “REGISTER NOW: High Holidays 2023 – Yom Kippur Zen Mindfulness Jewish Meditation Retreat”SAVE THE DATES: 2023 High Holiday Zen Mindfulness Jewish Meditation Retreats Coming to California
Come and join Mindful Judaism this 2023 High Holiday season!
This year, we will be offering two contemplative High Holiday Zen mindfulness Jewish meditation retreats!
Save the dates!
Continue reading “SAVE THE DATES: 2023 High Holiday Zen Mindfulness Jewish Meditation Retreats Coming to California”Have You Only But One Blessing?!: Stealing Birthrights and Giving Voice to the Voiceless
The characters in the Bible are far from perfect. Yet this makes sense, as we too are just as far from perfect. What occurs in this week’s parasha is simply wrong. While it might be applauded as heroic in the tradition, if what happened in the Bible happened in your family, I imagine you would be disturbed.
Continue reading “Have You Only But One Blessing?!: Stealing Birthrights and Giving Voice to the Voiceless”Falling Head Over Heels in Love: How to Find First Love and Genuine Intimacy
Do you remember your first love? Your first kiss? Your first embrace? How you and they met? What they wore that first day? What they were like? How you felt meeting them? Or perhaps your first love is your current love? The Hebrew Bible tells us such a story…
Continue reading “Falling Head Over Heels in Love: How to Find First Love and Genuine Intimacy”Leaving Home: A Lifelong Koan
What do the heavy metal band Guns N’ Roses, the Hebrew Bible, and the Chasidic masters Rebbe Nachman and Simcha Bunam all have in common? They each beg us to ask and answer the question, “Where do we go now?” As we shall see, this question is as old as God and man.
Continue reading “Leaving Home: A Lifelong Koan”