I believe in you. That if you set your mind and heart to do something, you can do it. I believe in God. That God can…what? Today is Yom Kippur, so I suppose I believe that God can facilitate forgiveness. But how? In our liturgy, God is a character. A superhero. The seer of consequences.…
Category: Jewish Practices
Anonymous said the rabbi is...
Anonymous was upset with me. No, not the hacktivist collective. But an anonymous individual. Not someone afraid I would harm them in any way. Just someone who…well, actually I don’t know. For a decade, I worked as rabbi of a wonderful congregation. Once, only once, I received an anonymous complaint. About me, I mean. No story was…
Shema: A Breathing Meditation
Shema. Listen. Listen to your body as it breathes. So I did one day. More carefully than usual. First, I did some early morning Hatha Yoga. Sun salutations, triangle side bends, spinal twists. Pranayama, the breath of life. Then, I sat down right where I was and whispered the morning Shema (Deut 6:4-9). In rhythm with my…
Wedding: Make it Beautiful, Officiants!
Wedding season! June, July and August. Some say the future is bleak. But couples are still falling in love, marrying and planning new lives. Still inviting family and friends to share their joy. So, how can we help make their weddings beautiful? And by “we,” I mean Jewish wedding officiants. Here are a few of my own…
Spiritual Fasting: Everybody's Doing It
Spiritual fasting. That was our study topic at last night’s interfaith iftar. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims fast during daylight hours. Daily fasts end at sunset with iftar, an evening fast-breaking meal. Last night, the Baitur Rahman Mosque in Delta BC invited the local multi-faith community to their Iftar. They created an evening of learning. Ten speakers…
Afterlife: Wisdom Hidden in Plain Sight
The Afterlife: Hidden Wisdom The afterlife. That’s what I’ve been researching for the past month. “How can you research the afterlife?” you’re wondering. “Only dead people have firsthand experience.” Turns out, though, a lot of data is available. Accounts of the afterlife in key Jewish texts. Great literature reviews of those texts by Simcha Paull…
Havdalah: Your Priestly Responsibility
“Havdalah” means “division.” But the havdalah ritual does not divide Jews — from other traditions or from each other. Before Havdalah at Limmud Vancouver Before the havdalah ritual at Limmud Vancouver, I’ll be presenting on a inter-faith topic. Sacred Texts: Three Religious Traditions in Twenty-Five Words or Less. What can we learn from common themes in Torah,…
Passover: A Workaholic's Holiday
Holiday cooking for 50 guests. That’s how my Passover began. Of course. How else does a workaholic celebrate her holiday? You know I’m a workaholic. Juggling way too many projects. Seven days a week. So I’m aways behind schedule. And sometimes I drop a ball. Which means: I’ve let someone down. I’ve failed. Yes, I feel…
Reconciliation: Elijah's Message for Canada
Reconciliation takes many forms. Today, I’m thinking about David. He came to our synagogue occasionally, on Shabbat. He was quiet and a bit odd. Our interactions had a ritualized pattern. First, he would compliment me, saying, “You’re beautiful inside and out.” Next, he would ask for what he wanted. Lunch. A Safeway gift certificate. Or an opportunity to tell…
Offering Worship: Did Moses Make It All Up?
Offering as a form of worship. Take a look at Leviticus. God offers some weird instructions for worship! Like a precise system of offerings. Specifically, butchering and cooking. Such rituals seem out of place in our modern urban society. They probably weren’t relevant to the earliest human beings either. Torah itself says they were vegetarian. Offering at the…