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 inspiring is this place?” We […]
A Crack in Everything
by Melanie Gruenwald Today is a heavy day for Jews around the world. A day when our hope has been cracked. Cracked, not broken. The semantics here matter. When something is cracked, from the outside it seems to be broken. But wisdom is knowing that a crack only allows more light to shine through. That […]
In Curiosity We Trust
by Melanie Gruenwald I have two stories to share. A friend visited a neighbor’s house and saw a sign of political intent. You know the kind of metamorph- the sign on the front yard or the shirt that promotes a candidate. It led to discomfort, and wondering if they share any values with […]
Fourth of July: A time of choosing
by Melanie Gruenwald My husband and I were in the mountains this past week, enjoying the Colorado summer. It’s a gift to live here, and to have time to bike, hike and explore together. We have been married almost 23 years. We’ve learned to navigate both quiet and busy and take advantage of good times […]
Counting up: Tiferet
by Melanie Gruenwald Week3: Tiferet. This week, we are immersed in the third week of the counting of the Omer, experiencing the harmony and balance of Tiferet. We embody Tiferet as the holding of opposites. It seems to permeate everything these days. We are celebrating Israel’s Independence Day, while we are in […]
Melanie’s Blog: Podcasts, Books and TikTok
by Melanie GruenwaldThe spring weather in Denver has inspired me to walk to work as much as possible. It gives me time to get some steps in and listen to interesting podcasts.This week, I was inspired by two podcasts- Micah Goodman’s interview on the Times of Israel, and Ezra Klein Show- Will AI Break the Internet […]
Connecting at Woolworth’s
by Melanie Gruenwald On Monday, I stepped into an Uber in North Carolina, with a lovely driver who was warm and welcoming. I am on my first business trip since 2015—with great anticipation and also a little bit of jitters. The driver was telling me about his work. He recently retired from a career […]
A New Redemption Song, in memory of Koby
by Melanie Gruenwald January 19, 2018- the 3rd day of the Hebrew month of Shevat, my 13 year old son, Koby, died from a glioblastoma (brain tumor). Koby brought me to Kabbalah Experience. We began taking classes here, and I later became faculty and the ED. This post is a reflection I have been sitting […]
How Brokenness Manifests Wholeness
by Melanie Gruenwald The other day, my husband, Salomon, asked me to pick up some new drinking glasses for our kitchen. Somehow our collection from the past 22 years of marriage has diminished due to lots of “oops moments,” and my 16- year-old son’s habit of hoarding glasses in his bedroom. I bought […]
All Endings are Also Beginnings
by Melanie Gruenwald A Primer on Holding Opposites Today we concluded our Kabbalah of Mitch Albom class with a teaching he shares in both The Five People You’ll Meet in Heaven and The Next Person You’ll Meet in Heaven. All endings are also beginnings. We just don’t know it at the time. ~ Mitch […]