Nina Amir's Thoughts on Spirituality, Judaism, Human Potential, Personal Growth, and Living Fully
Do you think your prayers fall on deaf ears? Do you pray and pray and pray, all the while thinking that no one hears your words? Do you look around and see that nothing changes despite your prayers? Do you wonder why you can’t hear God responding to your requests?
Today, get really quiet. Listen hard. [...]
As Jews around the world usher in the Sabbath with the candle lighting ritual, they ask God to spread over them “wings of peace…sukkat shalom.” They ask for “Shabbat shalom…Sabbath peace.” While some Jews actually will feel that peace during the 25 hours of this week’s Shabbat, I’m sure the survivors of the earthquake in [...]
To me, all sins come down to sins against God. If you believe a spark of Divinity exists in all things, then any sin you commit against something or someone constitutes a sin against God.
Additionally, other actions are sins against our Creator as well. What might these be? They could be different for different people [...]
I’m determined to put spiritual practice back into my life. I’ve been struggling for a year at least to find the time for a sustainable practice. I know…I teach and write about practical spirituality, by which I mean short, easy, sustainable practices that fit into our busy lives. However, I have failed to practice what [...]
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 [...]
As my daughter left this morning to attend Easter Sunday services with her non-Jewish boyfriend, I thought about what she might take away from that service. I know she won’t be thinking about Easter from a personal growth standpoint as I do. And, despite my own Jewish leanings and upbringing, as always, I look at [...]
Have you ever noticed how we create huge tangles of our lives? Maybe we just take one strand – a relationship or a job or a particular way of thinking or a small lie or a debt that gets larger over time – and we knot it up until its a total mess. Or maybe [...]
We are told that on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, “it is written” and on Yom Kippur, the Day of Repentance, “it is sealed.” What is “it”? Our fate for the next year. With Erev Yom Kippur, the beginning of this awe inspiring day, almost upon us, it is important to think about who [...]
Jews say the Shema and V’ahavta twice a day. The Shema, which actually includes theV’ahavta, represents the cornerstone of Jewish belief. In the Jewish renewal world, and elsewhere, I’ve seen an interest in providing new translations for this prayer. The Reform Movement recently published a new prayer book, which provides a very nice translation of the [...]
Here in California, we have just a few more hours until the start of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. I’m hurrying to finish my work. I’ve already purchased my round challah from the local Jewish bakery. My brisket is made. I need to shower and get dressed and make it to services early, because [...]
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