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Redefining Success

09/17/2021 11:48:41 AM

Sep17

How do we bounce back this year?  How do we practice resilience so we can overcome the obstacles in our way?  One answer I would like to propose is that we reevaluate our focus on what it means to be successful. Success should be the experience of satisfaction in accomplishing a goal.  When we are successful, are we often still dissatisfied?  If we do not feel satisfaction, then perhaps we are...Read more...

Responding to Suffering

09/10/2021 01:45:39 PM

Sep10

There is a Buddhist teaching that if an arrow strikes you as you wander in your garden, it hurts. However, this initial injury might not signal the end of your distress.

Even if you don’t get hit with another blow, you might still experience pain again from that initial attack.  This second pain is called the second arrow.

In June we emerged from our homes and ventured out to our garden.  We began to feel a hope...Read more...

Using Ritual to Help Us Cope

09/10/2021 01:43:54 PM

Sep10

Using Ritual to Help Us Cope

Where you are today?

Not geographically, but spiritually.

What words do you have to describe your spiritual state?

Take a moment and put in the chatbox how you are feeling. 

One word.  Read more...

Where Do You Want Your Energy To Go?

09/02/2021 03:22:38 PM

Sep2

As we continue our journey through Elul I want to focus on those who have wronged us and the internal stress they may cause on our minds.  One day I was complaining to my father about some slight or wrong someone had perpetrated against me long ago. 

My dad asked me, “How much rent is so and so paying?”

Confused, I asked him,...Read more...

What Type of Forgiveness Do You Need to Employ?

08/26/2021 04:26:37 PM

Aug26

One of the things I love about the Jewish approach to life is that everything is nuanced.  Forgiveness is no different.  According to Rabbi Dina Rosenberg quoting Rabbi David Blumenthal, not all forgiveness is the same:

The most basic kind of forgiveness is "forgoing the other's indebtedness" (mechilá). If the offender has done teshuva, as described above, and is sincere in his or her repentance, the offended person should...Read more...

The Difficulty of Forgiving

08/12/2021 04:19:34 PM

Aug12

Apologizing is one thing, forgiving is another.  Last week we discussed how to reconcile with another.  However, what do we do if someone has wronged us?  Here are some tips from our tradition.  Hopefully these tools will help you on your Elul journey:

“It is related that when Rabbi Zeira had a complaint against a person who insulted him, he would pace back and forth before him and present...Read more...

Four Steps to Reconciliation

08/12/2021 02:02:17 PM

Aug12

During the month of Elul and the high holidays there are three relationships we attempt to work on.  The goal is not to fix ourselves and our souls but to improve them if possible.  These three relationships that we seek to repair are Bein adam l chavero- between one person and another, Bein adam l’makom- between ourselves and God, and bein adam l’atzmo- Between a person and themselves.

This week I want to provide some...Read more...

Jewels of Elul

08/06/2021 10:23:27 AM

Aug6

The month of Elul begins on August 9th.  As I mentioned in an earlier shabbat message Elul is a time for us to get our souls ready for the Yamim Noraim (the days of awe).  One practice that I have employed to prepare myself for the holidays over the last few years is to sign up for Jewels of Elul.

Jewels of Elul “… is a collection of short inspirational insights from both well-known and under-the-radar personalities who...Read more...

Inviting God In To Help Through Prayer

07/30/2021 01:26:05 PM

Jul30

Teshuvah is the act of repentance.  It is possibly one of the most powerful and difficult acts a human can undergo. It requires introspection, bravery and vulnerability.  The word Teshuvah literally means “returning”.  It is our attempt to return to a pain we caused and discomfort we feel. Through this act we attempt to make that which hurts not hurt anymore.  Teshuva is to reconcile and make peace not only with others...Read more...

Elul Preparation

07/20/2021 06:02:44 PM

Jul20

­­Rosh Hashanah is a time for supplication.  A time to humbly ask and beg for forgiveness.  We use Rosh Hashanah as a time to mend fences between us and others, ourselves and God, and with our heart and souls.  However, the work of supplication does not come easy.  To reconcile our wrongs is a lot like running a marathon, it requires energy, stamina and training.  Lots of training.  This is where the month of...Read more...

Sun, April 20 2025 22 Nisan 5785