This shabbat, I will speak about loving God. In every service, we sing the words, “And you shall love the Lord your God.” What exactly do these words mean? The rabbis teach that there are many paths to loving God. One of them is Humility. Taking a humble approach to life—whether our experiences with the wonders of nature, art and music, or God—opens a possibility. Tonight, I will talk about what we can learn from the Jewish tradition about this possibility.
This Shabbat’s Torah portion, Beha’alotecha, begins with the lighting of the menorah in the ancient Temple. The rabbis taught that the flame had to be held to the wick “until it rises on its own.” Over time, the menorah became a symbol of the human soul and the inner light each of us carries. This […]
Today is Shavuot, a holiday I had no idea existed before a Jewish Studies course in college. Even rabbis have a learning curve. This holiday, which is traditionally the day the Torah was given at Sinai, teaches us that joy is not separate from spiritual life. In Jewish tradition, revelation is not only something that […]
Tonight, we dedicate our new Torah covers. What exactly does dedication mean in the Jewish tradition? You may be surprised, but the Hebrew word for “dedication” is Chanukah. In Judaism, it marks a beginning. The rededication of the Temple after it was desecrated by the Greeks in the Chanukkah story. The dedication of a home, Chanukat HaBayit. […]
