I ended yesterday's post with the words "I find that hopeful, don't you?", and here is today's theme, hope. I love it. So today's thought about hope is going to be a little less cosmic than the one in yesterday's blog post. I'll start with a remarkable quote from the great Dr. Brené Brown: Hope … Continue reading #BlogElul 24: Hope
Category: Personal Growth
#BlogElul 23: Begin
After every ending, there must be a new beginning. That is how the Universe is set up. In the Jewish calendar, every day starts with sundown - so in a sense, we always begin with an ending. The sun goes down, we sleep, and in the morning we face a new day, full of glorious … Continue reading #BlogElul 23: Begin
#BlogElul 22: End (Video)
A quick little FaceBook Live from this morning, talking about the end of life, and the hopefulness of the Mourner's Kaddish. At a Jewish funeral, we eulogise the person we have lost, we grieve, and then we say the beautiful words of the Mourner's Kaddish. The Mourner's Kaddish does not speak about death, grief, or … Continue reading #BlogElul 22: End (Video)
#BlogElul 21: Love
What a perfect theme for today, when a group of loving people gathered to wish bon voyage to our favourite yoga teacher. The inimitable Debbie Lewis has been our teacher at Temple Shalom for several years now - we all padded into the windowless room in the basement, winter and summer, to spread out our … Continue reading #BlogElul 21: Love
#BlogElul 20: Fill
This one had me a little stumped. I'm really not sure what Rabbi Sommer means by it - but that's OK, it's up to me to imbue it with meaning anyway. There are many possible interpretations of the word "fill" - we can eat our fill, we can fill our hearts or our hands, we … Continue reading #BlogElul 20: Fill
#BlogElul 19: Speak (video)
One of my kids' favourite music videos is called "Brave", by Sara Bareilles. It's about having the courage to speak out. It is just too easy sometimes to not say anything, to slink away, to avoid responsibility. We avert our gaze and pretend not to see the injustice, the bullying, whatever it is that we … Continue reading #BlogElul 19: Speak (video)
#BlogElul 18: Ask
Asking questions is absolutely the heart of all that I do. When I first became a teacher, I thought I needed to tell people things. This goes back to when I was a graduate student teaching undergraduates, on to becoming a university instructor and later a high school math and physics teacher. I thought I … Continue reading #BlogElul 18: Ask
#BlogElul 17: Awaken
It's Friday again! The theme is Awaken - so appropriate, when the newness of getting up for school has worn off, yet we still need to get up on time. Awakening can be a challenge. At minyan each weekday morning during the month of Elul, we blow the shofar at the end of the service, … Continue reading #BlogElul 17: Awaken
#BlogElul 16: Pray
Oy. I made it halfway through Elul without missing a day, and I was so proud of myself, I promptly missed Thursday. That'll larn me to get too pleased with myself. So the theme for Elul 16 was Pray. Maybe that's why I missed it - it can be such a personal topic, and yet … Continue reading #BlogElul 16: Pray
#BlogElul 15: Intend (video)
I am so thrilled that Rabbi Sommer has given us this theme for today, halfway through Elul. Thinking about intentionality is one of my favourite things to do these days. I recorded this Facebook Live video in my van this morning, all sweaty and hot (and with blinding sunlight on half of my face), with … Continue reading #BlogElul 15: Intend (video)