We've been talking about change, about daring, and by extension about fear. What is the opposite of fear? To quote the great Steven Pressfield, the opposite of fear is love. If you follow this blog, you know that I have mixed feelings about Steven Pressfield. I love much of what he says, especially the quote … Continue reading #BlogElul 23 – Love
Category: Blogging
#BlogElul 22 – Dare
You'll notice that I have a badge right next to this blog post (and all others), which says "I am daring greatly" and has a link to Dr. Brené Brown's website. I am a great fan of her work - she's a researcher who writes amazing books on shame and resilience. If you are local, … Continue reading #BlogElul 22 – Dare
#BlogElul 21 – Change (II)
It's been a very rough year for Rabbi Phyllis Sommer and her family. As you read this blog post on August 27, her 7-year-old son Sam will be undergoing a bone marrow transplant to treat his persistent leukemia. It's a parent's nightmare. Sam can use all of our good thoughts and prayers, so please send … Continue reading #BlogElul 21 – Change (II)
#BlogElul 20 – Judge
"Baby, don't judge me." G-d knows I'm not a Chris Brown fan, but how much more Millennial can you get? We are coming up on our yearly Day of Judgement. Our Torah portion from just a few weeks ago told us that we should "appoint judges" everywhere we live. In the same portion, we are … Continue reading #BlogElul 20 – Judge
#BlogElul 18 – Pray
Another Shabbat post, written on Friday as part of the overall preparations - cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, writing blog posts. Doesn't everybody do that? So the verb of the day is Pray. Appropriate for Shabbat, of course, as we spend a good part of the day in shul, conversing with the Almighty. We use words … Continue reading #BlogElul 18 – Pray
#BlogElul 17 – Awaken
Since I don't have to get anybody out to school in the morning during the summer, I've been going to morning minyan more often. That means that I've been hearing the sound of the Shofar, as it is blown every morning during Elul, at the end of the morning service. What does the Shofar have … Continue reading #BlogElul 17 – Awaken
#BlogElul 16 – Change
As I mentioned yesterday, learning leads to change. Change is probably the scariest thing in the world, to many people. Others restlessly seek it out, bored with the everyday. What is it about change? The need for security and safety is very fundamental to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, just above such basics such as food … Continue reading #BlogElul 16 – Change
#BlogElul 15 – Learn
Oh my, Rabbi Sommer. I have so much to say about this, I don't know where to start. Learning is my absolutely favourite thing to do, and this High Holy Day season is no exception. We begin learning in the womb, when we become familiar with our mother's heartbeat and voice. If we're lucky, we … Continue reading #BlogElul 15 – Learn
#BlogElul 14 – Remember
One of the names of Rosh HaShanah is Yom HaZikaron, the Day of Remembrance. What is it that we need to remember during this time of year? Another name for the day (which is not called Rosh HaShanah anywhere in the Torah) is Yom Teru'ah, the day of shofar blowing. On Shabbat, we don't blow … Continue reading #BlogElul 14 – Remember
#BlogElul 13 – Forgive
Wow. Maybe it's time to accuse Rabbi Sommer of some serious prescience. Not only is the transition from Trust to Forgive pretty darned seamless, I wrote a blog post about Not Doing Mean in between. I've posted many times on this blog about David Wood - in particular this post about kindness and forgiveness comes to … Continue reading #BlogElul 13 – Forgive