Five Principles to Live By
by Melanie Gruenwald Life is a journey filled with moments of joy, challenge, and discovery. Along the way, we often find ourselves searching for meaning and clarity. For me, five principles guide my path and provide a foundation for navigating the complexities of life. These principles—simple yet profound—have become the
A Maddening Parable
by Dr. David Sanders Once an astrologer-king saw in the stars that anyone who would eat of the coming year’s harvest would go mad. He called in his trusted advisor to ask for his counsel. “Sire,” replied the advisor, “you and I shall eat only last year’s harvest, which is
Finding Light in Darkness
by Melanie Gruenwald There’s an adage a historian once called a law of history, true of every society across the ages. The adage is, only when it is dark enough can you see the stars. I know many people feel like we are entering a dark time, but for the
Dealing with Despair
by Dr. David Sanders What sinks me into a state of despair? Is it the blood shed or the numbness I feel? Is it the tears that well up or the pain I cannot absorb? Is it the contemptuous and hate filled words or the normalizing of that language? Is
These Days of Awe
by Melanie Gruenwald This ten-day period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is often referred to as “The Days of Awe.” In Hebrew, this is expressed as “Yamim Noraim” (יָמִים נוֹרָאִים) How do we understand this word, nora נורא? In the bible, nora appears as awesome, or awe-inspiring—As in, “how
This Accursed Year
by Dr. David Sanders Inside the walled city of Gerona, Spain in the 13th century, Abraham Cantor penned a hopeful prayer which has been added to the Sephardic Rosh Hashanah liturgy since its composition. It is a short song of only nine stanzas and is known by its title “Little
