beliefs

An African American Jew Journeys to Orthodoxy

Life is a journey for each of us. It’s full of twists and turns and sometimes things happen to us ...

What Makes A Rabbi A Rabbi?

Rabbis are rabbis in no small part by the work they do, pastoral, ritual, social justice, organizational, all informed by ...

Finding the Calling of My Soul, A Conversion Story

Sometimes your soul knows, before your mind, where it needs to go.

Can I Hear You Now?

“When the reception goes down, the volume goes up.” These were the sage words of one of my honored teachers ...

It’s Thanksgiving, But What if One Doesn’t Feel Thankful?

Happy Thanksgiving.Now, let’s get real: Some don’t feel thankful today. We might feel like the turkeys got us down. We might feel burdened ...

Accumulating Things Or, Then Again … Nothing

We read in Pirke Avot, the Ethics of the Sages: “Who is happy?” The answer: “The one who is satisfied ...

From Greatness Comes Mercy

I recently began studying a new book with my chevruta (study partner), Musar HaTorah v’aYahadut, written by Rabbi Aharon Shmuel ...

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

As an irrepressible, even relentless, optimist, I hold great hope for Jewish life in America. I wonder if that is because ...

What Are You Doing Tomorrow?

As a rabbi who is blessed with the humbling privilege of leading her congregation, after the High Holy Days have ...

Writing the Next Episode of Your Life

Do you ever watch British TV? I am a fan, a huge fan, especially of the stories that disclose, in episodes ...