One for each night They shed a sweet light To remind us of days long ago... -Oh Chanukah As the candlelight of the menorah flickers and dances, as the light floods the darkest days of the year, our joy and celebration is touched with a melancholy spanning generations. Chanukah, which comes from the Hebrew root… Continue reading Lights
Hashgacha pratit. Divine providence. It's the thread that runs through the fabric of our universe. The point where two roads meet unexpectedly, where worlds collide and familiar faces say, "I know you. I've seen you before." It's hearing the words we need to hear at the exact moment we need them. It's the dawning realization… Continue reading Hashgacha Pratit
This pulsing city, with its stone ramparts and golden sunrise, seems to emanate its own unique energy. The soul of Jerusalem, that city of fire, breathes new life into us and revitalizes the spirit. The aura here is one of mounting tension, of the best and worst varieties. This is the center of the universe,… Continue reading Ode to Jerusalem
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, has passed. The great ledger has closed. But is our time for atonement truly finished? The Hebrew word most commonly associated with atonement is teshuva. During the weeks leading up to Yom Kippur, it is our objective to do teshuva, atone for our sins, ask forgiveness of those we've wronged, and await our… Continue reading Return
Tomorrow is Rosh Hashannah, the New Year for Jews all around the world. Rosh Hashannah is not only the Jewish New Year: it is also more accurately known as the Day of Judgment, or Yom HaDin. Are you ready for judgment? Is anyone ready? The frenzy of the world has reached a deafening speed. The… Continue reading Day of Judgment
The fall is for the sake of the ascent. Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, Likutei Moharan II, 12 When the profundity of the world escapes you, search even more diligently for God. The destination, after all, is the journey. When darkness overcomes, lack of inspiration creeps in, and the mundane overwhelms your sphere of existence, remind… Continue reading The Fall
The great secret - the key to everything - is love. Our ability to love is evidence for God's existence. Without God, there is no love. And in fact, we are taught by the wisdom of our ancestors that God created us because He loved us. When Genesis says that we are created "in His… Continue reading Love
I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine... Song of Songs 6:3 Tonight we greet Rosh Chodesh Elul, a month when the King, Hashem, is in the field. Yesterday, the United States watched as the moon's umbra moved across the sun, a momentous occasion. A total solar eclipse had not been seen anywhere in… Continue reading Elul
In our most trying times, we must always strive to see the light. Rabbi Nachman wrote: Inevitably you must encounter all kinds of difficulties and setbacks. You will fall down many times before you can enter the gates of holiness. Even the greatest Tzaddikim have gone through all this. There are cases when a person… Continue reading Light and Dark
This is perhaps the first time in my life that I have truly grasped the aura of Tisha B'Av. Despite years of going to shul (synagogue), years of learning about it and grasping the technicalities of the fast, it never resonated with me on a personal and spiritual level - until this year.Tisha B'Av marks… Continue reading Tisha B’Av
The Singing Soul 