This is the week in which Jews all over the world will be celebrating Passover, the Feast of Freedom. We remember that we were enslaved in Egypt, and that we were rescued from that slavery, with signs and miracles. Because of this memory, and the annual reenactment of that redemption, we are required to love … Continue reading Dreaming of Freedom

This past Sunday, I had the privilege of being interviewed, together with my friend Ramsey Zeid, on CBC Manitoba's Weekend Morning Show, with our friend and host Nadia Kidwai. Here is a clip of our conversation. The iftar in question has been and gone, and it was lovely, but I wanted to share the thoughts. … Continue reading The Importance of Eating Together

In Western culture, we are accustomed to considering learning as a means to an end, especially as adults. We learn a skill to get a better job, or a language because we plan to travel somewhere. Rarely do we talk about learning for its own sake, for no outside purpose other than the pure joy … Continue reading In Praise of Adult Learning

Are you wrestling with the Divine? Do you feel like the Jewish tradition isn't answering your questions in a way that works for you? Are you looking for a radically inclusive community of Godd*-wrestlers, where we can search together, with support and love and awesome tools? Then this class may be for you. What is … Continue reading Come Learn With Me!

Image credit: Pixabay As I write this, I am in Toronto airport on my way home from an interfaith meeting of seminary students, titled the Dialogue of Abrahamic Faiths. It was organised by a group called the Washington Theological Consortium (WTC), a group of theological schools and partners based in the DC area. There were … Continue reading Meeting the Other Where They Are

This past Shabbat was the 10th anniversary of my kid’s Bat Mitzvah, and they shared some thoughts on the parasha. As you can see from the beautiful handmade tallit in the picture above, they were always focused on the reconciliation of the brothers that happens in the story. Ten years later, that has not changed. … Continue reading Some Torah from My Kid

Image by Photography and graphic design from Pixabay Praxis is a fascinating word, and it’s a fascinating process. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, the deceptively simple definition of praxis is “the process of using a theory or something that you have learned in a practical way”. As an example, a student might learn something about … Continue reading In Praise of Praxis

Image credit: Emma Fineblit A few weeks ago, the Manitoba Friends of Standing Together held its launch event - we were fortunate that 80 people came out to hear us in person, with another 10 on a quickly improvised livestream. While we had our share of rookie bumps and glitches, on the whole, I think … Continue reading Where I’ve Been

I am so excited to share that our event registration is live. If you are local, we would love to see you there - if not, there may be a livestream, we are still working on it, can’t promise … but we will do our best. If you are interested in hearing local Jews and … Continue reading Our Event Registration is Live!

Image by Susan Cipriano from Pixabay This week we end the (seemingly endless!) cycle of Jewish fall holidays - starting with Rosh HaShanah, the head of the year, on the first of the Hebrew month of Tishrei, and going through Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the seven days of Sukkot, the Feast of Booths, … Continue reading Let’s Talk About Joy