Blessing for Free

Posted by tisrael
On May 25, 2018
0 Comments

Welcome to Shabbat Awakenings, a weekly reflection as we move toward Shabbat. I start with Buddhism and end with Judaism laid out on a path of loving kindness. Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism refer to the idea of loving kindness as metta. It is not just a concept, but a practice rooted in a belief of […]

Posted by tisrael
On May 18, 2018
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Welcome to Shabbat Awakenings, a weekly reflection as we make our way toward Shabbat. When I think of Israel and her neighbors, the two words that enter my description are complex and complicated. I say complicated because the situation there often feels like a tangled web of knots that seem impossibly difficult to unravel. What […]

Posted by tisrael
On May 12, 2018
4 Comments

Story adapted from the Chassidic Tale, “the Ocean of Tears,” as printed in Leaves from the Garden of Eden, by Howard Schwartz It was with great sadness this week that the Jewish community lost a truly beloved Professor to so many. The President of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Rabbi Aaron Panken was our […]

The Greatest

Posted by tisrael
On May 11, 2018
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Welcome to Shabbat Awakenings Years ago, Tom Brokaw wrote a book describing in detail those who fought in World War II. He detailed the tenacity, commitment, and courage of those raised during the depression, who went on to demonstrate their sense of purpose and patriotism. They sought triumph over despair. Brokaw called them the Greatest Generation, a […]

Posted by tisrael
On May 4, 2018
0 Comments

Welcome to Shabbat Awakenings! Questions are very much part of the national conversation these days. Questions are also part of the religious/spiritual conversation every day. Especially in Judaism. I don’t mean the Jewish age-old response of answering a question with a question. Or do I? The Torah asks profound questions in the midst of telling […]

Adult

Youth

Blessing for Free

Complex/Complicated

Searching for Your Teacher, When All That’s Left is His Teaching

The Greatest

Questions