Moving from Narrow Spaces Toward Freedom and Full Expression

Can you bring your full self to this life?

Last night my husband I hosted two other couples for a Passover seder. In the traditional Jewish tradition, we spent the evening “reliving” the Israelites journey from slavery to freedom. At our table, the theme of our discussions revolved around the passage through the Red Sea. The Hebrew name for Egypt, Mitzrayim, means “narrow place,” [...]

How Do You Get Unstuck

stuck, Passover, narrow place, Mercury

On Friday night during our Passover seder, someone mentioned that Mercury was moving out of retrograde. I was happy to hear this, since that typically means the things that are stuck will get unstuck. I don’t normally follow astrology. I like it, don’t get me wrong. I believe it. I just don’t read about it [...]

There Is An Order to Life

order, seder, Passover, chaos, life

I’m about to go downstairs and start our Passover seder. The sun is setting over the ocean. I can see it from my office window. Seder means order. The service we conduct on Passover has a specific order. However, it strikes me that life has an order, too. And that much like the Israelites as [...]

Sometimes You Just Have to Let Go

People come into our lives in all sorts of ways. Some are born into our lives. We are born into the lives of others, thus they become part of our lives. And some walk into our lives due to the places we go and and the experiences we have. In all cases, we have to [...]

The Worst Pharaoh of Them All–Our Thoughts

Each year during the Passover holiday Jews tell the story of how the Pharaoh in Egypt enslaved the Israelites. Sometimes we talk about what modern day pharaohs exist in the world. I, however, think most of  us live with personal pharaohs every day–those in our minds. I know I struggle with the chains put on [...]

Are You Feeling Squeezed?

It’s almost Passover, and for me this always makes me feel squeezed. Actually, it just makes me more aware of the areas of my life that give me that sense of the walls closing in or getting tight. You don’t have to be Jewish to understand this even though Passover is a Jewish holiday. Passover [...]

Finding Consolation in a New Translation of Psalm 23

On Erev Yom Kippur, my rabbi, Eli Cohen, gave a moving sermon about Psalm 23. This psalm is most often read after someone dies, so for most of us it bears a negative connotation. Yet, it is meant to offer us consolation during difficult times in general, not just when someone has passed on. If [...]

Refining Your Character in 49 Days

Do you count the Omer? If you are Jewish, you may know about this practice. If you aren’t, you likely have no idea to what I’m referring. However, anyone can count the Omer, and in the process you can refine your character. The process of receiving the Torah at Mt. Sinai began 49 days before [...]

Were You Reborn During Passover?

Today marked the last day of Passover. I think of the week of Pesach like a seven day birth period during which I have the chance to be reborn free of at least one the things I feel constrain me. We are told that the Israelites left Mitzrayyim, the Hebrew word for Egypt, which all [...]

Does Your Life Enslave You? Learn How to Free Yourself!

Horseradish usually is eaten as the bitter herb on Passover.

Today, I will look at the last seder plate symbol: maror. These are the bitter herbs that represent slavery. Of course, during Passover the issue of slavery comes up big time. We discuss how the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt and how Moses asked the Pharaoh to let free them. When Pharaoh said, “No,” God [...]