Magic. Sometimes the Torah condemns it. But sometimes the Torah condones it. Like in Parshat Chukat, for example. Magic in…
Category: Spirituality
Dayenu: A Spiritual Practice
Dayenu! Enough for us! You may know piyyut, the liturgical poem, Dayenu. Normally we sing Dayenu at the Passover Seder. Dayenu says things like, “If God…
Cosmic Eco Consciousness
Consciousness, the cosmic kind. A vision of the unity of all creation. That might be one spark of spiritual ecology.…
Complexity: Acknowledge it
Complexity. What are your strategies for holding it? Especially when grief, rage, and helplessness push your thoughts in every direction?…
Vayikra Leviticus: Five Gates
Vayikra: Flawed but Idealistic Vayikra – Leviticus. A flawed attempt to set up an ideal society. Some of its flaws…
Dayenu: Radical Gratitude
Dayenu —enough! It’s an expression of radical gratitude. And a good foundation for the work of teshuvah—repentance, repair, return. I…
Who Shall I Be This New Year?
Here is a New Year teaching for Rosh Hashanah from Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Shapira of Piaseczna. With a brief commentary,…
Spiritual Key: Joy or Lament
A spiritual key. What do I mean? A key is a kind of musical mood. It brings forward a tune…
Threshold Moments
Threshold moments. How does the Torah describe them? What do they call us to do? When do they appear? Threshold…