In her book The Path of Blessing*, Rabbi Marcia Prager describes the practice of blessing – things, people, moments – as work of the soul. “As we grow in the path of blessing, we open to a more expansive way of being.” I love the sound of that. To me it means being open and Read More
Category: Calendar
Omer Offerings 5786 – Week 4: Netzach
on the Cowboy Trail in northern Nebraska When it came to curating an author to write about Netzach, I immediately thought of Doug Calem. As many readers know, in 2021, at the age of 61 Doug completed a cross-country bicycle trek that required lots of Netzach – often translated as endurance. He wrote a, hopefully Read More
Omer Offerings 5786 – Week 3: Tiferet
I took the liberty of writing this week’s offering myself. Here it is, following a kavanna for counting. Blessed is the Infinite Mystery that flows through all the worlds and calls us into holy relationship through the counting of the Omer. – R’ Yael Levy The first time I counted the Omer I started the Read More
Omer Offerings 5786 – Week 2: Gevurah
This week’s offering comes to us from a relatively new, strong voice in our community. Aaron’s level of learning about Judaism is mind-bending. And his enthusiasm and capacity to share what he knows with others is truly a gift from the heart. That spirit flows through the writing below, carrying us seamlessly from Chesed, which Read More
With Hope and Intention
“Preschool in my Wisconsin town planted seeds in the sidewalk cracks.”Credit: reddit user sunflower53069 For the past few years, I’ve been feeling grateful for all the moments in the Jewish calendar dedicated to renewal and rededication. Not because I think it’s important to believe or do certain things in order to be a “good Jew,” Read More
Connecting Through Deep Time
The author in her grandma’s lap, with three generations of matriarchs (Miami Beach, 1976) Growing up in a Conservative congregation, I wasn’t allowed to attend yizkhor on Yom Kippur. The special memorial service occurs four times each year – Yom Kippur, Shemini Atzeret (at the end of Sukkot), Passover, and Shavuot. My parents adhered to Read More
Opening Up Through Elul
The Spiral by Dori Midnight Join us throughout the month of Elul for conversations and activities designed to help you prepare for the Days of Awe. Draw inspiration from Joanna Macy’s (z”l) Work That Reconnects together with the study of sephirot from mystical Jewish tradition to reflect on the year gone by and gear up for Read More
*Celebrate* Passover & Count the Omer as Acts of Resistance
(Image: Drawing of footprints leading to legs covered in stars taking a step into a vibrant red, orange, pink, and yellow circle of light with a rainstorm in the center and sun in the upper right corner. From the author’s 5783 Omer journal.) I’m writing a lot of quotes and affirmations on post-it notes these Read More