Psalms - Mindful Judaism - Jewish Meditation and Contemplative Judaism

July 20, 2018August 2, 2018

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 21^st Century Jew and American Zen practitioner. Continue reading “Preparing for the High Holidays: Broken Spirit, Broken Heart (Ru’ach Nishbarah, Lev Nishbar)”

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?”

December 25, 2017February 16, 2018

Psalm 151: A Mindful Jewish Meditation on Christmas

While I am not Christian and do not identify as a Christian, I would like to offer these important, eternal words and the meditation below in honor of the Christmas holiday today and all those who celebrate Christmas. Continue reading “Psalm 151: A Mindful Jewish Meditation on Christmas”

December 19, 2017March 2, 2018

The Chanukah Miracle: Not by Might, Not by Power, But By My Breath

A few hundred years before the events of Chanukah, Alexander the Great expanded his lands and the Hellenistic worldview from the city state of Macedon to one of the largest empires ever to exist in the world, reaching from the Aegean and Egypt to as far as India.

Just like today, the Judean world was replete with struggles and tensions about how to practice Judaism – a religion that has always been small in number – in a genuine and heartfelt way while living in the broader community and world. Continue reading “The Chanukah Miracle: Not by Might, Not by Power, But By My Breath”