A New Story
by Dr. David Sanders Rabbi Sharon Brous, author of The Amen Effect and founder of IKAR in Los Angeles spoke this past Yom Kippur on the stories which we talk about ourselves, our people, and our society. In her analysis of one particular story regarding Abraham and his wives she concluded that our Jewish […]
It’s About Time
by Dr. David Sanders It’s about time. (For the first time, in a long time, I am teaching the course on the Kabbalah of Time. When I revisit a course, I want to update it). The last time I taught Time, Stephen Hawking was alive and his Brief History of Time was the classic in […]
Kabbalah Experience Tu B’Shevat Seder
This Tu B’Shevat Seder, created by Dr. David Sanders, guides the reader with poetry, song, food, and reflections on the mystical four worlds, and how we traverse them. Tu B’Shevat is one of the four new years on the Jewish calendar, celebrating the birthday of the trees. It often falls in Jan/ Feb, when the […]
Holding Opposites
by Dr. David Sanders It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the […]
Orchestrating Change
Awareness principle four: Live by setting intention. Be open to possibility—one door closing opens another. Measure success by effort not by outcome. In the Tree of Life this awareness principle is connected with the Sefirah energy called Netzach-Hebrew for the words Victory and Orchestration. Sometimes victory, such as the young shepherd boy David, […]
Objects in the Mirror
Over the next 11 blog posts, we will look at one of the 11 principles of awareness, which we link with the Sefirot of the Tree of Life. We start at the bottom and work our way up—ascending in awareness. The most basic awareness principle is to pay attention to what shows up—which includes who […]
Evening the Evening: A Practice For Winter’s Darkness
Have you ever been in a desolate area, on a cloudless night, enveloped by darkness and look skyward at the vast expanse of stars? Darkness is a contrast to light. Despite it being counterintuitive, darkness is an illuminating highlighter in the same way that absence makes the heart grow fonder. The Book of Radiance, Zohar […]
Never Doubt the Power of One
Kabbalah entreats us to look for origins, to journey back and discover the source—the seed that starts the flow which results in an outcome. When you square a number, it has an “exponential” effect (32 x32 =1024) but when you square the number one you return to the source—back to “square one” because 1×1 still […]
Beacons of Light
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. “Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she With silent lips. “Give […]
True Colors
The latest DreamWorks children’s film is Trolls which pits the mean, depressed mono-chromatic Bergens against the fun-loving, exuberant, multi-colored Trolls. The Bergens hold the belief that the only way they can experience happiness is by eating trolls. The Trolls are led by Poppy. She is adorable, she sings, she dances, she is fun and that […]