Have you caught your breath yet? Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and regular life. There's something so exhilarating--and exhausting--about the Jewish autumn holiday cycle. As the end approaches, with Shimini Atzeret and Simchat Torah just around the corner, I want to alert you to a few upcoming events.
Can you believe we’ve reached the end of the Torah already? And the final parshah, V’zot Habracha, which is a helpful reminder to look back on all the blessings of the previous year, is also the perfect transition to my next video series. Later this year, we’ll begin a new journey together called Birkat Hashanah, in which we’ll be talking about blessings for all seasons and times in our lives. See you soon!
High Holy Days Sermons (text and audio) by Rabbi David Kosak and Rabbi Eve Posen
The King of Thailand died. King Bhumibol Adulyadej had been the world's longest reigning monarchy, a distinction that now goes to Queen Elizabeth II. That's the sort of piece of news I would have quickly noted, then turned my attention elsewhere. Except that on Wednesday, Laura was in a networking group for her life coaching services.
In times of trouble we often hear people talk about their “rock,” that person who stood by them as they weathered the storm that was upon them. It could have been any number of qualities that were helpful in that time of need. Your rock might have been someone who didn’t falter, was always positive, or always open-armed.
Between the baby feedings at 3 a.m. and the toddler tantrums over nothing at all, how can we as parents possibly see the big picture? As we learn from how Moshe changes his perspective, this too is Torah.
Ismar Schorsch was the previous Chancellor of JTS. He was a learned rabbi, and while he lived, I'm embarrassed to say that sometimes I found his teachings too academic or too source driven. At the time, his Torah left me dry. But you know, people improve over time--primarily as we do; and as we do, we can see them more clearly.
