As the Spirit Moves Me

Most people don’t realize that through its choice of words, the Old Testament places emphasis on goal setting. In fact, it seems that God expects us to set targets for ourselves and at least to try to hit them. In other words, we are supposed to take the time to come up with resolutions or [...]

December 30th, 2009 | Tags: al chet, bull's eye, goals, hitting the target, intentions, new year, New Year's resolutions, setting goals, setting targets, sins, Torah | Category: Making holidays meaning-full and spirit-full, Non-Jewish Holidays, achieving success, creating change, goals, human potential, intention, living fully, living life fully, new year | Leave a comment

As Jews all around the world prepare for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, astrologers are watching as the new moon rises and six planets align in Virgo. What does this mean to us?
It means that not only are we entering into the most holy 10 days of the Jewish year, a time of introspection, soul [...]

September 18th, 2009 | Tags: astrology, High Holidays, High Holy Days, new moon, Rosh Hashanah, six planets line up with Virgo on Rosh Hashanah, Virgo | Category: Jewish holidays, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, conscious creation, creative thought, human potential, intention, manifestation | Leave a comment

While I was at the Aleph Kallah I had the opportunity to participate in a Red Heifer ritual led by Rabbi Shefa Gold. This ritual is not one normally performed…at least not that I know of, and it likely has not been performed since the days of the temple. We, of course, in Jewish renewal [...]

July 7th, 2009 | Tags: chok, faith, fear, Golden Calf, idol worship, Moses, moving through fear, Mt. Sinai, purification ritual, Rabbi Shefa Gold, Red Heifer, ritual | Category: creating change, human potential, intention, living fully, moving through fear, personal growth, priestess, ritual | Leave a comment

Today while I was on Twitter, I watched video someone posted called “How Jews Pray.” I found it very interesting.
(Wait for the commercial to end and you’ll be able to watch the WeJew.com video.)

I’ve often thought about how we, as Jews, pray…or how anyone, for that matter, prays. Most religions have prescribed prayers, those written [...]

June 24th, 2009 | Tags: God, hitbodedut, how we pray, intention, kavanah, personal prayers, prescribed prayers, Rebbe Nachman, speaking to God, traditional prayers | Category: Prayer, Rebbe Nachman, intention, religious practice, spiritual practice | Leave a comment

Today was April Fool’s Day. No one played a joke on me. I didn’t play a joke on anyone else. Well, maybe God played one on me…All I know for sure is that despite the name of the day, yesterday I was a fool, but today I am wiser.
You see, I did something foolish. I [...]

April 1st, 2009 | Tags: apology, April Fool's Day, becoming wise, being a fool, Egypt, fool, forgiveness, forgiving self, grape when pressed produces wine, humans when challenged come forth with wisdom, Mitzraim, narrow place, olive when pounded produces oil, Passover, tight place, wisdom | Category: God's hand, Passover, intention, personal growth, seeing clearly | Leave a comment

It’s Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath.  Technically, religiously, halachic-ly (by Jewish law), I shouldn’t be writing, since writing constitutes work, and work is forbidden on the Sabbath. But I’m not that observant. I’m a spiritually observant Jew…but these days, despite the fact that I write about Shabbat and how to make it meaningful and spiritual, I’m [...]

September 26th, 2008 | Tags: loneliness, Shabbat shalom | Category: Judaism, Shabbat, intention | Leave a comment