A slide lecture for research students at the Vancouver School of Theology. This was a fun project! A great opportunity to revisit my foundations in philosophical thought.
Category: Wisdom
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…
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…
Limits of Rationalism (Vayikra)
God tells Moshe: people will bring offerings: cattle, goats, sheep, birds, grain. Make sure Aaron and his crew know how to prepare each kind for the altar! After giving those instructions, God explains which circumstances require which offerings (Parshat Vayikra, Exodus 1:1-5:26). And here, medieval philosopher Moses Maimonides throws in the towel. It’s true, he…
Turning Towards Death
Jewish traditions teach that we, the living, do not know what happens on “the other side” of death. However, we do know a great deal about “this side” of death. We can prepare for it by letting go of attachments and grievances, and respond to it by learning to support the bereaved. So I explain,…
Kabbalah and Everyday Life
God is present in the clarity of mystical experience AND in the cluttered consciousness of everyday mind. How can we learn to pay attention? Find answers in this 30-minute talk presented at Unity of Vancouver.
Jacob's Crossings—and Yours
At the first meeting of a class, discussion, or spiritual direction group, I invite people to introduce themselves. Sometimes, I’ll ask members of a Jewish group to give me a sense of their spiritual orientation. “Let us know,” I’ll say, “which name of our people most closely describes you. “Are you Ivri (עברי Hebrew), a boundary-crosser,…
Love and Kindness Save the World (Chayei Sarah)
The world’s continued existence rests on three pillars: Torah study, worship of God, and acts of loving kindness. — Pirkei Avot (Foundational Principles of Jewish Ethics, c. 200 CE) 1:2 Each pillar honours the legacy of a Biblical hero. Moshe channeled the Torah. Aharon implemented formal rituals of worship. Avraham passed on a legacy of…
Kindness Saves the World
The world’s continued existence rests on three pillars: Torah study, worship of God, and acts of loving kindness. — Pirkei Avot (Foundational Principles of Jewish Ethics, c. 200 CE) 1:2 Each pillar honours the legacy of a Biblical hero. Moses channeled the Torah. Aaron implemented formal rituals of worship. Abraham passed on a legacy of…
Poetry, My Witness (Nitzavim-Vayelech)
“This poem will be my witness,” says God to Moshe (Deut. 31:19). Here, God refers to a poem predicting future events: Israelites stray from God, find devastation, and return to a nurturing God. In what sense can a poem be a witness? Clearly, not in the way a person who experiences an event can be…