The Five Languages of Apology- Yom Kippur 2020
A member of our community recently shared with me his frustration that he had apologized to someone, “I’m sorry, please forgive me,” and he sensed that [...]
Friendship and Holiness
Welcome back and I trust that you are enjoying a wonderful day of friendship and community. It’s great to see friends on Facebook, and even better to see our friends’ faces in person! The Rabbis [...]
Three Aspects of Forgiveness
WHY IS FORGIVENESS SO HARD? In Sue Monk Kidd’s fabulous book, The Secret Life of Bees. The author writes that, “If God said in plain language, ‘I’m giving you a choice, forgive or [...]
Counting the Omer- Day 7
Tonight is our first Shabbas together counting the omer. Since Passover began on a Friday night, each week as we come together for kabbalat Shabbat we will count in multiples of 7, [...]
Ten Strategies for Spiritual Resilience
Beginning this talk by saying thank you is not just an exercise in protocol. It speaks directly to the theme of this gathering, which is, Spiritual Fitness. Becoming an appreciative person is a [...]
Wait, Wait- What!
“Patience is a virtue,” or, as George Eliot expressed it more poetically, “The wine and the sun will make vinegar without any shouting to help them.”[1] My children think I’m the [...]
Entering the Yamim Noraim
Forgiveness means so many different things to each of us. However we understand forgiveness, however we approach forgiveness, it is never easy. In fact, for most of us it is the greatest [...]