For All These Things
by Melanie Gruenwald For all these things A song by Naomi Shemer Every bee that brings the honey Needs a sting to be complete And we all must learn to taste the bitter with the sweet. On this fifth secular anniversary of our son, Koby’s (of blessed memory), death—showing up to class was the first […]
Practicing Awareness
by Melanie Gruenwald Last December 31st, Salomon, Hannah, Micah and I spent New Year’s Eve together. We each took a moment to write a personal note to our future self, reflecting on hopes and dreams for 2022. I was sifting through a kitchen drawer this morning and found these letters. I can’t wait to bring […]
LGBTQ+ Safe Zone
by Melanie Gruenwald Kabbalah Experience is proud to be participating in the Denver-Keshet Leadership Project. Keshet is a national organization which works for the full equality of all LGBTQ+ Jews and families in Jewish life. (Keshet means rainbow, in Hebrew.) KE chose to make this year-long leadership initiative a priority, as it aligns with our value […]
Impermanence
This past Shabbat, Rabbi Sarah Shulman, at Congregation Hebrew Educational Alliance in Denver, shared a teaching about Ecclesiastes (Kohelet). The Jewish community traditionally reads Ecclesiastes during Sukkot. Rabbi Shulman addressed the concept of dynamic obsolescence of the objects we acquire in our lives (like cell phones, refrigerators and computers) and the fact that our bodies […]
Being Spiritual Being
by Melanie Gruenwald I was in the car with my friend the other day, and she reflected to me, “I just wish I were spiritual. You’re spiritual!” I kind of chuckled. I don’t feel so spiritual lately. I feel like I have my head down– focused on getting through each day. Putting one foot in […]
He. She. They. We.
He. He wanted to ride his bike across new lands. He yearned to explore boundaries of strength, continents and relationship. She. She dreamed of ballerinas, standing under the Eiffel Tower, and macarons melting in her mouth each day. She yearned for culture, passion and stimulation of her senses. They. They are children raised with opportunity […]
It is Graduation Time!
This weekend, we are hosting the Rosenbaum Fellows in Transformative Kabbalah for the culminating retreat of their Fellowship experience. We are thrilled to welcome David, Vanja, Matthew, William, Mina, Aaron, and Nicole to Colorado and to certify them as Teachers of Transformative Kabbalah. It was a leap of faith to launch this Fellowship- and we […]
Pause. Adventure. Change.
by Melanie Gruenwald I’ve been reflecting on the value of pause, adventure and a change in scenery. PAUSE. My 14-year-old son has become an avid cyclist, and I try to keep in shape so I can take on miles with him. I love to ride with him, with my husband, and with anyone who will […]
Saying Yes to Yourself
I was recently speaking with my therapist about how exhausted I am from the busy-ness of life, the running around, trying to get it all done, and finding it hard to find time for self-care, because I am so tired. She asked me bluntly- “Do you like yourself?” And I answered, “Of course.” “Do you […]
Concealing and Revealing, a Purim Reflection
by Melanie Gruenwald Today we mark the Jewish holiday of Purim. Purim is a story of many layers. One of the main characters of the story is Esther, a commoner who enters into a beauty contest to become the next queen of Persia. Esther hides her Jewish identity, puts on the mask of “beauty queen”, […]