I was invited to do a guest post for the URJ's 10 Minutes of Torah liturgy series. You can read my post here: Psalm 116 Guest Post Enjoy!
My Guest Post
read more
Tisha B’Av
Hello blog readers. I know it’s been an age… I did a sermon this past Friday evening on the subject of Tisha B’Av. It’s the summer, so attendance at worship has been light. We’ve seen about 25-30 on average at services. This Friday, however, was the start of the...
The Eighth Candle
Today’s synonym for light is (last, but absolutely not least) inspiration / spirituality. There was a machloket (a disagreement) between the houses of Hillel and Shammai as to what order the candles on the Chanukiah should be lit on Chanukah. The house of Shammai...
The Sixth and Seventh Candles
I got caught up with family celebrating Chanukah this weekend, and so am posting candles six and seven together this evening. Watching my nephew squeal over the “wheel” toys we bought him was well worth it!! Synonym number six for light was “beacon.” A beacon is a...
The Fifth Candle
Today’s synonyms for light are clear / lucent. It has become a common practice today for people to greet one another throughout the month of December by saying, “Happy Holidays.” It is wonderful that we live in a culture that is so inclusive and...
The Fourth Candle
The fourth set of light synonyms is humorous / cheery. We can often bring light into our lives and that of others through humor. Adam Sandler knew it well when he wrote his Chanukah song. A quick Google or YouTube search will turn up a lot of funny and fun videos...
The Third Candle
One of the main themes of the holiday season in that of “spreading good cheer.” As we walk the public streets, malls, supermarkets, etc we hear its refrain. “’Tis the season to be jolly…” Now, I’ll grant that the demand for December mirth is geared...
The Second Candle
Some other synonyms for light are bright or brilliant. We often become so caught up in gift buying and the children’s version of the Chanukah story, that we forget what the real history of this holiday is. As I mentioned in last year’s Chanukah post, “The story of...
The First Candle
Last week, a group from our Women’s Club gathered to celebrate Chanukah (a little early). As part of my teaching, I prepared eight meditations on the theme of light. I looked up the word in a thesaurus and discovered that the many synonyms for this word made...
Synonyms for Inspired
I am writing these words onboard an Amtrak train returning from Washington DC where I attended the most moving, uplifting, and fulfilling URJ biennial conference that I have ever attended. At this largest URJ biennial ever, we heard inspiring words from world famous...