God - Mindful Judaism - Jewish Meditation and Contemplative Judaism

April 23, 2018April 27, 2018

All Alone Together With God: Passover, Shavuot, and the Path from Enslavement to Freedom

Over three millennia ago, our Israelite forefathers and foremothers wrestled with their Gods and risked the perilous desert journey from enslavement to freedom. Seven Sabbaths later, God revealed himself, and on that day – as on this day – God spoke, and speaks, to each one of us and All that is Israel. Continue reading “All Alone Together With God: Passover, Shavuot, and the Path from Enslavement to Freedom”

March 25, 2018March 25, 2018

Rabbinic Judaism and Halachah: One Fence too Many?

Rabbinic Judaism and Halachah - One Fence to Many

Over the past few months, I’ve been studying and practicing with the ideas, thought, and innovations of Jewish history. I especially marvel at the creativity of Rabbinic Judaism just following the destruction of the 2^nd and final Temple in Jerusalem. This makes me wonder about the constant unfolding of Jewish history and tradition. Is there a period of Jewish life after Rabbinic Judaism? What comes next? Continue reading “Rabbinic Judaism and Halachah: One Fence too Many?”

March 11, 2018March 12, 2018

The Pew Study: Why Jewish Meditation, Contemplative Judaism, and the Necessity of Innovation

The Pew Research Center published its landmark study on A Portrait of American Jews in 2013. This important research – commonly called the Pew Study – presented a series of contradictions and what felt like an ever unfolding series of “bad” news for the American Jewish community. The Pew Study felt to many as a punch to the gut of American Jewry! But where does Jewish meditation and contemplative Judaism fit in? Any why now?! Continue reading “The Pew Study: Why Jewish Meditation, Contemplative Judaism, and the Necessity of Innovation”

March 2, 2018March 13, 2018

What is God?: A Reflection on Purim and Divinity

Understanding the world’s great religions and spiritual traditions is not an academic pursuit. It is a participatory sport! True study of the Way lies not in answering the great questions, but in asking them. Who am I? Where do I come from? Where am I going? Yet after many years of meditation and Zen practice, I have become less interested in the questions: Who is God?, Where is God?”, or Why doesn’t God…?. The question that I have grown to ask and appreciate is: What is God? And how can I live my life in this way? Continue reading “What is God?: A Reflection on Purim and Divinity”

February 26, 2018August 2, 2018

Meditation and God: Is There Room for Both?

With the Purim holiday coming up, I have been reflecting on the tides and turns of Jewish history against the backdrop of the larger world and great civilizations as celebrated, mourned, and honored in the Jewish Holiday cycle. With this in mind, I thought of the relatively recent contact between Buddhism and Judaism and about the practices and language of meditation and God, wondering, “Is there room for both?” Continue reading “Meditation and God: Is There Room for Both?”

February 7, 2018March 2, 2018

What are Your “God Moments?”

There are some moments in life that can only be described as “God moments.” We may think that these can only be feel-good moments of pleasure and joy, but this is not always so. God moments may be experienced both when witnessing the miraculous or when feeling great terror or pain. God moments are those moments in our life where the naked truth is fully unveiled and we bear witness to the awe found in profound presence. Continue reading “What are Your “God Moments?””

February 2, 2018February 16, 2018

What is Prayer?: How Do I Pray? And Can Prayer Be Meaningful?

Over the past few months, I have been reflecting very much about prayer. Especially since beginning Rabbinic study and founding Mindful Judaism, I have been exploring the following questions: What is prayer? How do I pray? And can prayer be meaningful?

There is a Rabbi Jonathan Sacks quote in the introductory essays to the Koren-Sacks siddur (Jewish prayer book) that I absolutely love: Continue reading “What is Prayer?: How Do I Pray? And Can Prayer Be Meaningful?”

January 28, 2018January 29, 2018

How are You? Really!?

Hundreds of thousands of books and billions of pages have been written about it. It is so complicated, yet so simple. But not easy! In many ways, it all comes down to just a few short words, “How are you? Really!?” Continue reading “How are You? Really!?”

January 21, 2018March 2, 2018

“Engaged” Judaism: Is God a Liberal? Or a Conservative?

The other week, I was listening to a podcast on Jewish Mindfulness. It was an interesting and foundational interview and really made me think about the future of Judaism, more specifically, the future and direction of Jewish Mindfulness, what an engaged Judaism looks like, and to even ask the question if God is a liberal or a conservative? Continue reading ““Engaged” Judaism: Is God a Liberal? Or a Conservative?”

January 12, 2018January 15, 2018

WANTED: God (Alive Preferred!) – A Call for Jewish Innovation

A question came up in a Jewish email group that I am a part of about how to explore opening synagogues and synagogue life to those who don’t have spouses or children, given that over half of American adults now are single. What an interesting question! And invitation for Jewish innovation and a living, Jewish experience! Continue reading “WANTED: God (Alive Preferred!) – A Call for Jewish Innovation”