Welcome to Shabbat Awakenings. A stranger or a resident? Is it possible to be both? Abraham referenced himself in this way in this week’s Torah portion. Sarah, his wife, had died. After mourning her, Abraham needed to bury her. He went to the Hittites, the people who lived in the land of Canaan, to purchase […]

Welcome to Shabbat Awakenings, a way to reflect and prepare as we move toward Shabbat. “When will our consciences grow so tender that we will act to prevent human misery, rather than avenge it?” With an “aching heart” Eleanor Roosevelt wrote these words after visiting with survivors from German concentration camps in a displaced persons camp. […]

Welcome to Shabbat Awakenings! Sir Jonathan Sacks, former chief rabbi of England, wrote a book about and entitled, the Dignity of Difference. It expresses a truth that in order for civilizations and communities to thrive, we must celebrate our differences. He speaks of the positive outcome of the Tower of Babel when the people are […]

Welcome again to Shabbat Awakenings, a weekly reflection as we move toward Shabbat. It is good to see the topic of the Sabbath on the front page of The Boston Globe on Wednesday (Nov. 2 “On the Seventh Day, Many Don’t Rest At All). During these past days, weeks, and months so much chaos has […]