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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]