One day in the course of my recent work, I sat with four different people: one trying to rescue a…
Category: Wisdom
Gateway to Kabbalah
The Hebrew word for Sophia is chochma. In the tradition of Kabbalah, the word chochma describes the very first glimmer…
Layers of Consciousness
My husband Charles is studying the history of Sophia Street. He has read books, viewed maps, scanned photographic archives, and…
Spirit of the Bear
As late as 1910, Sophia Street was home to black bears. Today, we share the street with fellow mammals coyote,…
A Shepherd's Care
In Parshat Vayetze, we learn about the young adult lives of our ancestors Jacob, Rachel, and Leah. They are immersed in a shepherding…
The Power of a Rachel
Our biblical ancestor Rachel reminds us to “Never underestimate the power of a woman.” Canadian activist Nellie McClung said that…
Dreams, Symbols, Hints of God
It’s Shabbat Chanukah. The parasha is Miketz, in which we learn more about Yosef’s skill in dream interpretation. The haftorah…
Locust: Mutations of Consciousness
I would like to talk about insects. And I would like to move freely between the levels of peshat – simple narrative…
Forty-two Stations
Masei – Travels. Forty-two stops on the route from the narrow place to the promised land. Forty-two letters in the…