Coming out of Shabbat is a good time to reflect on our power to choose. This post will be brief, as it is late and I choose to honour my health with adequate sleep. In today's Torah reading, I told the congregation about various transgressions that were punishable by death - idolatry, refusing to accept … Continue reading #BlogElul 4: Choose
Category: Personal Growth
#BlogElul 3: Prepare
I'm sure it's no coincidence that Rabbi Sommer put this theme on a Friday. This post will be brief, because I am not only preparing for the High Holy Day season, today I am preparing for Shabbat. Shabbat is a weekly recurring holiday, in which observant Jews take the day off from the world. Wouldn't … Continue reading #BlogElul 3: Prepare
#BlogElul 2: Search
If you look at the graphic that Rabbi Sommer has kindly provided for this project, you'll notice that several of the themes come in pairs - Hear and See, End and Begin. You'd expect today's theme, Search, to be paired with Find, but it isn't. During the High Holy Day season, we search our souls, … Continue reading #BlogElul 2: Search
#BlogElul 1: Act (video)
The High Holy Day liturgy describes the Day of Judgement, on which we will stand before the Almighty and be judged for what we did in our life. Not what we thought, not how we felt, but what action we took. How will you be judged on that day?
#BlogElul: It’s That Time of Year Again!!
I'm sure you also find that the older you get, the faster time passes ... it seems like just a few months since I last did this project, and here it has come around again. I am very grateful to Rabbi Phyllis Sommer, who puts this list together for us every year. Elul is the … Continue reading #BlogElul: It’s That Time of Year Again!!
Are Your Goals Big Enough? (video)
Do your goals make you sick to your stomach? If not, they may not be big enough!
No More Can’t! (video)
Celebration and Beyond
I'm currently sitting in McCarran International Airport, Las Vegas, waiting for my flight to Edmonton, my first leg on the way home. I've been to Celebration before - last year was a wonderful extravaganza, new products, wonderful friends I otherwise see only on Zoom or Facebook, training sessions by skilled leaders, capped by a private … Continue reading Celebration and Beyond
#blogExodus 9: Perplex
Today I tried to explain some of the Passover rules to a non-Jewish person, and yes, she was perplexed. "Well, you see, the prohibition is on leaven, and there are these five traditional grains that will puff up if they are exposed to water and air, so we can't eat any of their products unless … Continue reading #blogExodus 9: Perplex
#blogExodus 8: Expand
There are several different ways to interpret this word - is it the expansion of our minds and spirituality during Passover, or is it the expansion of our bodies during the same time period? The weeks before Passover are very busy and stressful for many people, and there's a tendency to collapse once the Seders … Continue reading #blogExodus 8: Expand