Pray

Psalms for the Philippines

Oklahoma City, where I live, has an amazing Jewish community. And, unfortunately, this amazing Jewish community is an expert in ...

Chile con Hebrew

As part of a gap year between high school and college, I spent six months in Santiago, Chile. I was ...

Yitzhak Rabin: Captain, O My Captain!

The yahrzeit for slain Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, passed with scant notice here a few days ago on the 12th of  ...

A Blessing for a Surrogate Mother

“Do you know of a prayer for a surrogate?” The question came over Facebook Chat a few nights ago, sent ...

Thoughts on the #Shutdown: “For Our Nation And Its Rulers”…

I was listening to National Public Radio on the way into work this morning, hearing more and more details of ...

“How I Met Your Rabbi” – Or, “How I Met Your Mother/Father God”?

Today’s post is from Education Fellow Amanda Winer. “Kids, let me tell you the story of how I met your ...

Seekers and Unaffiliated: An Opportunity

I recently met a woman who I really liked. We have a lot in common, being  professionally accomplished Jewish women ...

Shall We Pray? Spontaneously?

Occasionally, a book about Jewish prayer will tell you that Judaism discourages spontaneous prayer. That magic of Jewish prayer, the ...

Reflecting in the Rothko Chapel

Today’s reflective post comes from Education Fellow Lex Rofes.The end of summer can be a whirlwind for ISJL Education Fellows, ...

In praise of the boring

I admit that I’ve never been particularly hip.Even as a teenager, at best I was probably pretty geeky, and what’s ...

Fourteen Prayers for Peace

In 2009, President Obama accepted the Nobel Peace Prize, with a simple, moving speech. He spoke of the challenge of ...

Do We Go to High Holiday Services for the Comfort of the Boredom?

At the conclusion of Yom Kippur services, the rabbi was standing at the door shaking hands as the congregation departed. ...