Holidays

The Passages recited before the blowing of the Shofar

Lamnatzeiach In this powerful chapter of Psalms, the name of God, Elokim, appears seven times. Elokim is the screen that shields the receiver from the infinite overwhelming light of God, expressed in the essential four-letter name, the Tetragrammaton, which is spelled in Hebrew yud-hei-vav-hei, and which we are forbidden to pronounce.

The first day Haftarah: The Story of Chana

The dramatic story of Chana captures the essential nature of prayer on Rosh Hashanah. In fact, according to some opinions, it was on Rosh Hashanah that Chana first prayed for a child. As the story begins, we learn that Chana is bereft of children, and in her agony, she comes to

Lines, Circles, & Infinity: Meditations on the Seder Plate

LINES, CIRCLES AND INFINITY: Meditations on the Seder Plate. On Passover night we are given the power to tap into a space beyond the perpetual pendulum of cause and effect.

The Anguish of Love

Kedusha, holiness--and every truly positive phenomenon in the world--is eternal. A Yom Tov- a religious holiday is not merely a remembrance of a past miracle

The Four Cups & the Four Stages of Freedom

The number four resonates throughout the Seder. As we will review, the four cups of wine reveal our redemption from the four types of exile, the four questions inform us of the specific mitzvoth of the Seder, and the discussion among the four sons in the haggadah illustrates the archetypes of the four levels of consciousness and redemption.

Elements of Freedom: Dreams, Hopes and Vision

When we recite the Hagadah, we should take it personally--it should liberate us. Therefore, all of the characters depicted in it should be seen as reflections or representations of different parts of ourselves. We need all three elements, Moshe, Aharon, and Miriam, in order to bring about a redemption from our 'stuckness'.

Unmasking the Mystery

Olam â€” the Hebrew term for world, universe, creation â€” is rooted in the word helem (concealment). The way this material-based universe operates, the way it

Tu B’Shvat: The New Year of Trees

When the Outer reflects the Inner

Coming Home: Tears of Transformation

Over the years, a custom has developed that on Rosh Hashanah, during the course of the day, we go out to a living body of water with lively fish swimming therein and symbolically cast away our unwanted negative baggage. We take hold of our negativities, the devastating weight that presses

Holidays

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