Blog Archives

Counting Our Days for Spiritual Healing (P. Emor)

4/26/2026

On Torah's sacred calendar, most every holiday begins either at the new moon or the full moon. Our calendar is in the sky, shining down on us every day.

There are two exceptions to this new moon / full moon calendar. One is Yom Kippur, for which we count days since Rosh Hashanah. The other is the forthcoming Shavuot, for which we count days since Passover.

Now we have printed (and digital) calendars, but we still count our days – for an important reason.

Learning The Love That Matters Most (P. Aharei Mot-Kedoshim)

4/19/2026

There are things we learn from our parents.

There are things we learn from first encounters with the sacred.

There are things we learn only by going out into the world.

There are things we learn by walking a mile in others' shoes.

There are things we learn by overcoming the impulses of retribution and hatred.

Truly loving our neighbor as ourselves is the spiritual culmination of them all, the gift that only rough-and-tumble life experience can grant.

Third Spaces: Safe to Be, Safe to Become (P. Tazria-Metzora)

4/12/2026

Spiritual community is a vital Third Place – not home or work, nor totally public – that can help anchor, comfort and shape us. Like the Boston pub in "Cheers," spiritual community ideally is "where everybody knows your name / And they're always glad you came."

We might say likewise of secular clubs, volunteer groups and hangouts becoming less common in the digital society. But spiritual community is unique in how it calls us to be authentically and fully ourselves, warts and all – and then evolve.

Did God Do That? (P. Shemini)

4/5/2026

Why do we believe or not believe? Why do our beliefs change? There are countless reasons. You have yours.

One reason, I've come to sense, is how religious and spiritual concepts are conveyed – which, for most of us, requires translation from Hebrew.

The thing is, translations aren't value-neutral, which can tilt much of what we learn and come to understand. Over the centuries, it can make a huge difference spiritually.

Come see how it can impact what we hold most dear or keep furthest at bay.

Rabbi's Corner: April 2026 – Events of Identity, Remembrance and Presence

4/1/2026

Passover re-launches the Jewish cycle of identity, remembrance and presence. Passover's end brings Yizkor for our deceased loved ones. The following week brings Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day), then days later comes Yom Ha'Atzmaut (Israel Independence Day).

Shir Ami will commemorate each of them, along with Refugee Shabbat and Holiness Shabbat.

Mark your calendars. As spring unfolds, it's time to go public in community and solidarity.

Counting Our Days for Spiritual Healing (P. Emor)

Learning The Love That Matters Most (P. Aharei Mot-Kedoshim)

Third Spaces: Safe to Be, Safe to Become (P. Tazria-Metzora)

Did God Do That? (P. Shemini)

Rabbi's Corner: April 2026 – Events of Identity, Remembrance and Presence

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