Elul Continues with R’fuah (Healing) by Rabbi Dusty Klass
If Elul begins with ahavah – love, it continues with r’fuah – healing. When we allow ourselves to build relationships grounded in love, be it pure unadulterated love, complicated nuanced love, or commanded and authentic love, we open ourselves up to the possibility of healing. We are all in need of healing, and we all […]
A Message from Rabbi Knight: How can we help the victims of Hurricane Harvey?
Dear Friends, If you are like me, you have read or watched the news about the unprecedented disaster developing in Texas. I have been in regular contact with colleagues, friends, and Jewish leaders in Houston and the areas affected by Hurricane Harvey. A few rabbis have lost their homes from flooding. We know of one […]
Stripes, Not Squares by Cantor Mary Rebecca Thomas
When I was a child, I often thought about infinity. I remember spending time imagining the vastness of the universe, of time and space, and my place within it as both infinitesimal, while still being at the center of my very own story. It was not until I grew older that my sense of life […]
Ahavah/Love by Howard Olshansky
We don’t often think of it in this way, but the Hebrew word Ahava has its roots in the concept of giving…giving at an intense level. And indeed, that is what love is really about. At our best, we show love by giving of ourselves at a level in which we put another first. The […]
Ahavah/Love by Sue Worrel
I love my husband. And my children. I love my job, and M&M’s, and blue hydrangeas. And shoes – I really love shoes. Love. Such a casual, every-day word. We banter it about easily enough, often overlooking the gravitas, the exceptionality, the rarity of the word. Many of us approach the High Holy Days the […]
Ahavah/Love by Steve Menaker
There are times when you step back from an experience, a moment, a challenge. You can be struck by many emotions, but one that strikes me is love. Sometimes love is hard, other times, it is easy – but more than all else, love is enduring. As Polly and I spent time with our two […]
Sometimes, the Person Who Most Needs My Love is Me by Rachel Campbell
I have a blessed life. I have a wonderful and supportive family, a secure job, a great dog, a comfortable home, sweet friends and a terrific husband. So why, then, in recent months, have I been so frequently overcome by sadness? This was a question I asked myself day after day after day. I have […]
Ahavah/Love by Frances Liss
Webster’s definition of Love is: “a deep and tender feeling of fondness and devotion, such as a parent’s love for their child.” And this is where it begins, with the birth of my children. Because of the love that I felt for them, I wanted to share the love I had for Judaism, the beautiful […]
Ahavah/Love by Rabbi Ana Bonnheim
It doesn’t seem like it would be intuitively true, but love features prominently in Jewish tradition. There are different kinds of love, all with the same Hebrew root (aleph, hey, bet, or ahavah). There is God’s love for Israel, the love we are commanded to feel for God, romantic love for a partner, love for […]
