Pentecost - Mindful Judaism - Jewish Meditation and Contemplative Judaism

May 16, 2021May 16, 2021

Dear God: Love Letters from / to the Divine

Dear God - Love Letters From and To the Divine

Have you ever written a letter to God? Wished that you could simply speak your Truth to the Divine and hear back? We all need that! And so does the Divine! This is what Shavuot is all about!

In one of my Rabbinical School classes on Pastoral Care and Chaplaincy, my chevruta (study partner) and I offered parallel interpretive translations of Psalm 42 written as letters from and to God.

With the permission of my chevruta, Cantor Russell G. Jayne, MSM, PharmD, I would like to offer our correspondence with the Divine to you in honor of the Shavuot holiday tonight and tomorrow. Chag Shavuot sameach! Have a wonderful Shavuot holiday!

May 14, 2021October 11, 2022

I Will Follow “You”: The True Gift of Shavuot

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?

May 18, 2018June 7, 2018

What is Jewish Enlightenment? Kan VeAchshav! Here and Now!

You may have heard or read stories about enlightenment in Buddhism. Much like Jewish midrash, these stories are filled with wonder, miracles, and awe. Is there such a thing as Jewish enlightenment? And what is our enlightenment story?

This upcoming Saturday, we celebrate the holiday of Shavuot (what is celebrated in Christianity as Pentecost). On Shavuot, we celebrate the giving and receiving of the Ten Commandments at Mt. Sinai. Shavuot is also called Zman Matan Torateinu – or the Time of Giving our Torah – and is a commemoration of the gift of receiving the entire Torah. Yet what does this have to do with enlightenment? Continue reading “What is Jewish Enlightenment? Kan VeAchshav! Here and Now!”

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”