I am convinced we are seeing the hand of the Divine hand in hurricanes like Harvey and Irma. Not the cartoonish, fire and brimstone retribution that some evangelicals are pronouncing. Rather, the Divine is being realized through natural laws that were put in place during creation. Science predicted stronger hurricanes if carbon levels continued to rise. Carbon levels are higher, and we are seeing stronger hurricanes. If you are unsure of the Divinity, I suspect that you believe in the laws of … [Read more...]
Cherish Your Non-Jewish Partner This Rosh Hashanah
In 2004 Rabbi Janet Marder at Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos sent shockwaves through the Jewish world by blessing the non-Jewish spouses who were members of the congregation on Yom Kippur. The message was clear: Cherish your non-Jewish partner.Rabbi Marder said, "What we want to thank you for today is your decision to cast your lot with the Jewish people by becoming part of this congregation, and the love and support you give to your Jewish partner." You can read the entire blessing … [Read more...]
Mussar Practice For Work Life Balance
It is no secret that I am a recovering workaholic. At my low point, I worked 90 hours a week, which was destroying my health, relationships, and my career. I brought balance to my life, but it took me a long time. Mussar helped me understand the root cause of my overwork. Here, I'll share with you a mussar practice for work life balance. Lets be clear: Work itself is not the issue. Pirkei Avot teaches us to “Love work” [1:10]. After all, the covenant gave us six days to work, … [Read more...]
Spiritual Responsibility: I Am Responsible For The Health Care Vote
When there is a public catastrophe, who has spiritual responsibility? It is hard to think of the votes to repeal Obamacare as anything but a catastrophe in the making. In Judaism, we place the highest value on human life. And make no mistake, if these bills become law, tens of millions of people will lose their health insurance. And without health insurance, many of these people will die prematurely. As it says in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 4:5) “Whoever destroys a soul, it is considered as if he … [Read more...]
Slabadka Mussar Practice: Three Key Principles According to Rabbi Avi Fertig
Recently, I watched a delightful webinar by Rabbi Avi Fertig about the Slabodka Mussar Practice. Rabbi Fertig is the Associate Dean of the Mussar Institute, and this webinar was a members only event, so I cannot share a link to it here. Background: Rabbi Yisroel Salanter, the founder of the 19th Century Mussar Movement, had three key disciples, each of whom started their own school of Mussar. Slabodka was started by Rabbi Nosson Zvi Finkel, who was known as the Alter of Slabodka.I … [Read more...]