In just a few days, we celebrate receiving the Torah on the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. It may not always feel like we receive the gifts that we want and “deserve” or even have what to offer others or ourselves. Then, what did we receive that fateful day over 3,000 years ago? What are the gifts you celebrate this Shavuot?
Continue reading “I Will Follow “You”: The True Gift of Shavuot”Preparing for the High Holidays: Broken Spirit, Broken Heart (Ru’ach Nishbarah, Lev Nishbar)
Over the past month or two, it has taken me some time to write about Tisha B’Av and preparing for the High Holidays, the sacred Jewish liturgical period of the Yamim Noraim, the Days of Awe and Wonder.
This is in part because of the day to day stresses and changes of life, but also because I have been genuinely wrestling with the meaning and place of brokenness and sacredness, new beginnings and endings, and sacrifice and atonement, especially from the perspective of a contemporary 21st Century Jew and American Zen practitioner. Continue reading “Preparing for the High Holidays: Broken Spirit, Broken Heart (Ru’ach Nishbarah, Lev Nishbar)”
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”