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 […]
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 […]
Kabbalah & Tim Tebow
Tebow did it again. Whether he and the Broncos win or lose from here on, I want to share what I experienced in the ending moment of last week’s game. It contained so many basic teachings from the Kabbalah.
Stringing Together
I would like to develop a notion of strings, in honor of the owner of the Strings Restaurant in Denver, for our KE community. This is not a colored string some Kabbalah communities encourage individuals to wear, it is a string that we can develop—an invisible string– stronger even than any rope with knots.
Coming and Going
“And write these on the doorposts of your house and your gates.” The basis of placing a Mezuzah on exit and entryways is to affix the central teaching of Judaism (the Shema prayer) wherever and whenever we come and go. Our movements can be conscious or unconscious—purposeful or unintended. When we come from the public […]
Thanksgiving Harvest
I asked one of our second year students, Gretchen Koplin, if she would be so kind and share a story with all of you—it is a story of synchronicity about thanks, giving and the harvesting of stem cells. Best wishes for a special time of thanks for family, friends and the fellowship of our community. […]
Uncontrollable Laughter
First a request: Someone mentioned to me a while back that they either knew the author Jonathan Safran Foer, they were related to him or knew his relatives in Denver? Please let me know if you are the one who mentioned the connection. In last week’s Torah portion Abraham and Sarah are informed that they […]