When people ask me how Jews pray, I begin with a story. It comes from a great nineteenth-century rabbi. An old man enters the sanctuary for the first time. His face is dirty and his clothes are too big. He stands out among the well-dressed crowd. Then he picks up the prayerbook and opens it. […]
My confirmation class has excellent attendance. But I suspect the regular Israeli cuisine helps immensely. As much as the content keeps them coming, the food does as well. The same is true when it comes to the holiday of Passover. Passover centers around the food. Each of the foods has a profound meaning. Here the […]
We all need a little inspiration as we approach the New Year. Following is a series of short prayers based on Jewish wisdom and tradition. 1. Looking Backward and Forward: The name January comes from the Roman god “Janus.” He had two faces so he could look forward and backward at the same time. Eternal […]
Near my home is a very intimate theater. My wife and I love attending plays there because you can almost reach out and touch the performers. [featured-image single_newwindow=”false”] We recently attended a play and had one of the seats closest to the performance area. During a particularly poignant part, my phone vibrated. I did not […]
Happy New Year! In the excitement of thinking about goals for the coming year, I decided to take a look at what I had written and resolved at this time last year. My excitement quickly waned. [featured-image single_newwindow=”false”] A year ago, following Michael Hyatt’s fantastic program, I had written 10 goals for 2014. I achieved […]
Tonight begins the Jewish “Festival of Tabernacles.” Known in Hebrew as Sukkot, we spend time in temporary outdoor dwellings. [featured-image single_newwindow=”false”] They remind us of the fragility of life our ancestors experienced during their journey across the Sinai Desert. Vanity, Vanity, All is Vanity! The biblical book we read on Sukkot is Ecclesiastes. Tonight we […]
The answer may surprise you. The most important Jewish holiday is not one that happens only once a year. It is one we celebrate every week. It is the Sabbath, known in Hebrew as Shabbat. Shabbat is at the core of Jewish life. It is built into creation, as we discussed in a previous post. It […]
The Book of Psalms tells us “Number our days so we gain a heart of wisdom.” The Jewish sages took this verse literally. They instructed their communities to count the days between the holiday of Passover and festival of Pentecost. We count the days by saying a blessing over each of them. This little-known tradition has […]
In Sunday school we tend to emphasize the inspiring parts of the Bible. “Love your neighbor as yourself,” and “Do justly, love mercy, walk humbly with thy God.” (Leviticus 19:18; Micah 6:8) But what about the more difficult passages? What about the murdering and pillaging and sexual perversity? As we begin the Jewish holiday of […]