Yahrzeit of Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, z”l. Fifth day of the Hebrew month of Tammuz. So, in Reb Zalman’s honour, ALEPH…
Category: God
Ritual and Meditation: Fun with Parshat Tzav
Ritual. Last week’s Torah (Parshat Tzav) and haftorah (Jeremiah) readings were all over it. Ritual in Parshat Tzav (Lev. 6:1-8:36)…
Spiritual Retreat: Even One Day is Enough
A personal spiritual retreat. Just for a day, I went to Bethlehem Centre, in Nanaimo, Canada. Before bed, the first…
Terumah: Did God Create Humans or Did Humans Create God?
“Did God create humans or did humans create God?” That, said my study group, is a question posed by Parshat…
Ibn Gabirol: At Dawn I Seek You
Solomon ibn Gabirol (1021-1070) was a great liturgical poet. His spiritual poetry is elegant, ordered, philosophical. But his inner life was…
Jeremiah's Mother God Says: I Knew You in the Womb
Jeremiah, the Biblical prophet, describes the day God called him. At first glance, the call seems ordinary. A kind of…
Praise God, Yishtabach Shimcha: Learn to See in a New Key
Praise. For God, that is. Two days ago, I thought I understood praise. But I was wrong. Yesterday, I learned…
Moses: In Death, He's Larger than Life
Moses dies. People grieve. Writers praise. That’s how the Torah ends. “No other prophet arose in Israel, as great as…
Believe in Forgiveness: A Yom Kippur Reflection
I believe in you. That if you set your mind and heart to do something, you can do it. I…