by Reb Deb We have just enjoyed the beautiful and inspiring holiday of Shavuot. One of its major themes is gratitude and expression of gratitude. In Temple times people would bring the first fruits of their harvest to the Temple as an expression of their gratitude to God for their successful harvest. This was a Continue Reading »
by Jill Maidhof Are you getting smarter every day by taking advantage of the hundreds of webinars available online? I’ve listened to so many Jewish lecturers that I have to stop myself from correcting my local rabbi! At the same time, though, I occasionally suffer the symptoms of Webinar Weariness: An aversion to listening to Continue Reading »
I’ve been thinking a lot this past year about the pros and cons of open and closed communities, and the confusion we sometimes have about which is which. Let’s start with some definitions of sorts from Wikipedia. The term “open” for an open community refers to the opportunity for anyone to join and contribute to Continue Reading »
by Michalee Merritt What does it mean to graduate? It means to move on to the next stage. This year I do not have any graduates! (Last year was a big year, one from high school and one from graduate school!) Whether from college, high school, or even kindergarten or pre-school, graduation marks a liminal Continue Reading »
I’d like to share a question from this month’s Jewish Journeys Booklet, Israel and the Jewish Spirit: Think about your own personal challenges. Do you have a place, either physical or spiritual, where you find refuge? How does this inform your ideas about the Jewish people and the State of Israel?* Do you have a Continue Reading »
One of my favorite holidays is Mothers’ Day. It is a day of remembering and honoring the women in our lives and the legacies they have given us. For me, it is a special time, a holy container in which I spend precious time with my two beautiful daughters and pause to remember and share memories about my mother Continue Reading »
As a member of the national Chai Mitzvah team, I divide my time between facilitating groups and reaching out to participants. For the past couple of months, I’ve had the pleasure of listening to folks all over the country respond to a simple question: “How is the Chai Mitzvah experience working for you and your Continue Reading »
It started out like other Pesachs, although with a bit more anxiety since we had moved into another home, trying to figure out seating arrangements for the almost 25 guests at each seder, and kashering and cooking in the new kitchen. However, the backdrop of the terrible images coming out of Ukraine tempered any personal Continue Reading »
Have you ever bought something on-line and all of the sudden you get suggestions – “if you like that, you will like this!” Or, “if you are buying that, most people will also buy this!” My favorite one is, “If you like this book you will also like this one.” I go right down that Continue Reading »
It’s 1963. The candlelight flickers and our shadows jump on the narrow walls of the winding back stairs. I am holding a candle in a brass candle holder, and my uncle is holding the candle holder too, over my fingers because I am too young to be trusted with a candle. He is holding it Continue Reading »
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