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)
Tag: blogging
#BlogElul 19 – Ask
In the days leading up to the High Holy Days, it is customary to ask forgiveness of anyone we may have wronged. The idea is that any sins we have committed towards other people can only be forgiven by the injured party, not by G-d. It's an interesting concept. While other religions might view absolution … Continue reading #BlogElul 19 – Ask
#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 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
#BlogElul 12 – Trust
Trust is a fragile commodity. Hard to achieve, easy to lose. Where does trust come from, and how do we decide whom to trust? If we are to believe the psychologists, the stage for answering these questions is set at a very young age, in the relationship between a baby and its caregivers. That's a … Continue reading #BlogElul 12 – Trust
#BlogElul 11 – Count
Ah, here is another ambiguous keyword that can go in so many different directions. I feel like wrapping myself in a cloak and declaiming numbers in a fake Romanian accent. But no. Today - a different kind of counting. Ah-ha-ha-ha! In particular, I want to talk about making your life count. So many of us … Continue reading #BlogElul 11 – Count
#BlogElul 9 – Hear
I wrote a very long and complicated blog post last night, scheduled it to appear today, and then this morning I deleted it. That's how it goes sometimes in this business - you spend hours on something, and then you jettison it. It just doesn't have the voice that you want, it doesn't say what … Continue reading #BlogElul 9 – Hear