Halakha, theology, practice, and the inner life of Jewish observance.
“Falling upon one’s face” in supplication and confession after the standing prayer/guided meditation is an essential part of the ancient Jewish way of prayer Bring the body into the moment and the heart out of its shell It may not be advisable in your synagogue, depending on how educated the crowd is, but it’s definitely … Read more
Is prayer broken? Do you find the act of praying meaningful, or even coherent? Do you connect to the text of prayer? Does the melody of prayer resonate with you? Do you have a praying community? Do you have a relationship with the one to whom you pray? Do you find yourself in prayer? They … Read more
Morning meditation on political Zionism: The political component to Zionism is not Jewish sovereignty over the land. According to Jewish tradition, the Creator was, is, and forever will be the sovereign over this land and all lands. We are just migrants, tenants granted the right to reside here and the responsibility to live with the … Read more
People (especially those from a certain North American country) are obsessed with politics, especially partisan politics. Everything must be explainable by reference to your political ideology or better yet, your party affiliation. My concern for the welfare of the poor, of immigrants, of queer people, of Palestinians, of strangers within my community and outside its … Read more
Really felt theזה היום עשה ייינגילה ונשמחה בוvibe during Hallel today Last Hallel of Sukkoth Last day of captivity
Jewish Religion: A Rough Sketch At the heart of our practices, theories, and forms lies חסידות, a word translated variously as piety, loving-kindness, and mysticism. For reasons that I hope will become clear, I prefer the somewhat clunky translation “benevolent sensitivity.” The first usage of חסיד in the Torah is in Moshe rabbenu’s blessing of … Read more
All year long we avoid our shadow, we avert our gaze from the many ways in which it falls upon others and robs them of the light… All year long we hide in the very tree we were warned against, we pretend to ourselves that our maker will not see us, does not want to … Read more
Whew. Said the prayers. Blew the shophar. Ate the honey. Let my wife rest through the night. I showed up, I did my part, I stood with every single being in creation and crowned my King. Despite everything, Rosh Hashana was, thank God, a success in my little corner of the cosmos. Barukh Hashem. Mammash. … Read more
Due to a mishap in my prescription fulfillment, this Rosh Hashana, I’ll be without my OCD medication for the first time since I started taking it. For those who don’t live with OCD, all they know of it – all they see of it – are some odd behaviors and preferences, some rigidity in personal … Read more
(trigger warning: suicide decades ago) Just found out that Rabbi Yosef Adler z”l of Teaneck has passed on to his world. The mark of a good rabbi, imho, is not merely their erudition (that is a sine qua non) but their capacity to successfully lead a Jewish community. To shepherd, not just educate. The mark … Read more