Skip to content
Search for:
Jewish Spiritual Wisdom
  • Follow on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Follow on Google+
Search for:
Rabbi Laura Duhan-Kaplan on Sophia Street
  • About
  • Blog
  • Books
  • Torah
  • Events
  • Music
Home
/
Wisdom
/
Wisdom
/
Page 3

Category: Wisdom

God, Philosophy, Wisdom

Argumentation for Theological Scholars

September 21, 2018
Argumentation for Theological Scholars

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.  

Facebook
Twitter
Google+
LinkedIn
Pinterest
No comment(s)
Read more
Jewish Practices, Wisdom

Anonymous said the rabbi is...

September 8, 2018
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…

Facebook
Twitter
Google+
LinkedIn
Pinterest
No comment(s)
Read more
Jewish Practices, Spirituality, Wisdom

Passover: A Workaholic's Holiday

April 3, 2018
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…

Facebook
Twitter
Google+
LinkedIn
Pinterest
2 comments
Read more
God, Interfaith, Torah, Wisdom

Limits of Rationalism (Vayikra)

March 31, 2017

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…

Facebook
Twitter
Google+
LinkedIn
Pinterest
No comment(s)
Read more
Spirituality, Wisdom

Turning Towards Death

February 9, 2017

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,…

Facebook
Twitter
Google+
LinkedIn
Pinterest
2 comments
Read more
God, Kabbalah, Spirituality, Wisdom

Kabbalah and Everyday Life

January 24, 2017

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.

Facebook
Twitter
Google+
LinkedIn
Pinterest
4 comments
Read more
Jewish Practices, Torah, Wisdom

Jacob's Crossings—and Yours

December 16, 2016
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,…

Facebook
Twitter
Google+
LinkedIn
Pinterest
No comment(s)
Read more
Wisdom

Love and Kindness Save the World (Chayei Sarah)

November 25, 2016

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…

Facebook
Twitter
Google+
LinkedIn
Pinterest
4 comments
Read more
Wisdom

Kindness Saves the World

November 24, 2016
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…

Facebook
Twitter
Google+
LinkedIn
Pinterest
No comment(s)
Read more
Spirituality, Torah, Wisdom

Poetry, My Witness (Nitzavim-Vayelech)

October 7, 2016

“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…

Facebook
Twitter
Google+
LinkedIn
Pinterest
No comment(s)
Read more

Posts navigation

1 2 3 4 … 15

Subscribe

The Infinity Inside: Order on Amazon

Book Cover The Infinity Inside showing religious symbols inside a stylized forest

Recent Posts

  • Rachel Barenblat: Poetry, Liturgy & Spiritual Practice January 25, 2021
  • Sulam on Sophia Street January 21, 2021
  • Pray for Peace? January 19, 2021
  • Simon, the Worst Brother December 18, 2020
  • Hanukah’s Hidden Light December 11, 2020

Classes, Services, Events

Wed 27

Writing the Animal Book: Research Colloquium

January 27 @ 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm PST
Sat 30

Deborah the Warrior Bee

January 30 @ 9:30 am - 12:00 pm PST
Feb 28

Jung, Kabbalah, and the Spirit of Our Times

February 28 @ 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm PST
May 25

Religion and Thoughtful Activism

May 25 @ 7:00 pm - May 27 @ 5:00 pm PDT

View More…

Favourite Blogs

  • Velveteen Rabbi
  • Wellsprings of Wisdom
  • The Torah: Historical-Contextual Approach
  • State of Formation

Header Photo Credits

Laura outdoors: Charles Kaplan; Torah scroll: Anita Fonseca-Quezada
Rabbi Laura Duhan-Kaplan on Sophia Street
2021 © Rabbi Laura Duhan-Kaplan on Sophia Street. All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy
  • Follow on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Follow on Google+