Sand and Stone
Write your hurts in the sand and carve your blessings in stone One of our students this week used this quote to describe her father’s remarkable attitude to life. He was fourteen when he arrived at Auschwitz. At wars’ end he and his brother were the sole survivors of their family. Next Thursday we welcome […]
No More No Less
In our new class, entitled Soul of Anatomy, we are looking at the correspondences between limbs of the physical body and the spiritual nature of the commandments (there are according to Jewish tradition 248 limbs of the body and 248 positive commandments of the Torah). These past two weeks we have been looking at […]
Heartflakes
We must begin by melting the ice in the heart of man to use our knowledge wisely. Angaangaq, www.Icewisdom.com The snow had just begun to fall last Thursday evening as the weather front, predicted to shut down Denver, rolled in. The city though was in full preparation with the promise that not only […]
The New Year for Trees
You could wait for Friday April 20th. That is when Arbor Day is celebrated in Colorado this year. Arbor Day in the United States is a local custom and it varies greatly. In Jewish tradition the New Year for Trees was designated long ago as falling in the month of Shevat—our current month on the […]
A Sign from God
There are plots and subplots. Which is which is often impossible to discern. Former Denver Mayor Bill Vidal is our next speaker on Aha Moments. The plot is laid out in the title of his talk: An Immigrant’s Journey and in the copy we have prepared: “Born in Cuba to a wealthy family, Bill […]
Kabbalah Experiences
It was the kind of accident that makes you avert your eyes…how could there be any survivors? It happened last Thursday afternoon on a curved stretch of California Highway 101, north of Santa Barbara. A small car, a BMW sedan, was mangled beyond recognition. The other vehicle, a big-rig truck, landed in ravine 100-feet below. […]
Living in the Present
Today marks a very important moment. It is a day to thank Diana Kaplan for her wonderful service to our organization for the past three years. It is the day she is leaving us for other rewarding endeavors. No matter what, Diana welcomes with a smile. Her warmth and generous spirit will be missed. Thank […]
Blame and Accountability
Blame to hold responsible; find fault with; censure, to place the responsibility for (a fault, error, etc.) (usually followed by on ): I blame the accident on her. Accountable subject to the obligation to report, explain, or justify something; responsible; answerable. ______________ I had an interaction with someone yesterday who said: “Why are you trying […]
Oil that Sparkles
No matter how sophisticated we get, no matter where our science and technology boldly goes, there is a principle of physical reality that will never change. The lyrics of the song are: You can’t start a fire without a spark. You also can’t start a fire without something to burn. Whether you use wax candles […]
Chanukah
Chanukah means dedication—the Macabees who were priests (re)dedicated the Temple and its vessels including the Menorah (the candelabrum). As legend goes the Macabees found one small cruise of oil. Once lit, the Menorah is to be continuously lit. Lighting it, though they assumed the oil would run out, is the basis of the miracle of […]