No Regrets
Can we live a life with “no regrets”—I would answer, “If we have acted on our regrets.” One of the first steps in atonement, after acknowledging whatever it is we are atoning for, is a deep sense of regret. In this third week of Elul we must feel our regrets but not become stuck in […]
50 Days of Repentance Week 2
When I was in graduate school studying Freud I came across a short paper by the Jewish philosopher Martin Buber in which, if I recall correctly, he takes Freud to task for advocating that the psychoanalyst’s role is to relieve the person of the “burden” of guilt. Buber was not concerning himself with Freud’s view […]
50 Days of Repentance
Those who follow this blog know that in the spring of each year we count together the 50 days from Passover to the next major holiday—Shavuot. This is called the counting of the Omer. Many teachers of Kabbalah draw inspiration from a small booklet written by Rabbi Simon Jacobson on the counting of the Omer […]
Vision Statement
News item from Jerusalem — It’s the latest prescription for ultra-Orthodox Jewish men who shun contact with the opposite sex: Glasses that blur their vision, so they don’t have to see women they consider to be immodestly dressed. Glasses with special blur-inducing stickers on their lenses are going for the “modest” price of $6. The […]
“I do not run like a man running aimlessly.”
There are those that argue that competition is a basic human instinct. No doubt an event such as the Olympics brings out the best and the worst that this human instinct has to offer. There is another Olympics going on simultaneously in London—the Paralympics. While the Olympics draw over 13,000 athletes from 205 Olympic teams […]
Light from the Tragedy in Aurora
As some of you have asked—what is the 9 days of the month of Av (which began last Thursday night and culminates with a public fast day this coming Sunday) and its relation to mourning and a heightened awareness of harm? There has been a long standing Jewish tradition, “When Av enters we diminish in […]
Immunity on the Basketball Court
I want to thank our Board President, Ilana Erez, for forwarding a recent KE blog to her adult children who are parents of young ones. Not Just Lip Service (July 4th blog) struck a chord with many of you who shared stories of what you were told you licked or mouthed (or ate) as infants […]
Tissues at Center Court
Andy Murray cried for the British nation this past Sunday. He lost in the finals at Wimbledon—on his home court. He could not hold back his emotions as he opened his post tournament comments with, “I’m getting closer.” Murray is ranked number 4 in the world of tennis and that is usually where he ends […]
Not Just Lip Service
You don’t often come across an anonymous science blogger. In Googling why babies put everything into their mouths? I came across “Field Notes from an Evolutionary Psychologist” who addresses the relationship between kissing and oral learning. The author, I do not know the gender, was intrigued by a question from a relative about the affectionate, […]
When Will I See Your Face Again?
“If you believe” transformed us from an audience to a chorus accompanying Julie Geller as she sang her final song at the Kabbalah Coffeehouse for our art show this past Sunday. There is a power in participating—meeting the artist with your appreciation and exuberance. Julie on guitar, accompanied by Ari Hoffman on drums, kept the […]