Nina Amir's Thoughts on Spirituality, Judaism, Human Potential, Personal Growth, and Living Fully
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, usually falling near the end of summer. Based on a lunar calendar, the dates of Ramadan vary, moving backwards about ten days each year. This year Ramadan begins on August 11th and continue for 30 days until September 9th. In North America, it begins on August [...]
Have you ever heard the saying, “Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it”? Sometimes the wish is fulfilled in usual ways. You have to be open to seeing the wish fulfilled no matter in what form it appears and to receive it even if it comes in a shape you didn’t [...]
On the right doorpost of almost every Jewish home you will find a small rectangular box positioned on a slight angle. This box serves as a reminder to live by God’s commandments.
Everyone can benefit from a spiritual yellow “post-it” note of some sort to remind them to live a spiritual or religious life, and that’s [...]
Starting today, about once a week you will find a practical spiritual practice here on As the Spirit Moves Me. The tip may come from the Jewish tradition or from other major religious tradition, such as from Christianity, Islam, or Buddhism. These practical spiritual practices are meant to be adaptable by anyone, and they also [...]
I turned 50 last week. Although I really don’t feel 50 and I didn’t have much psychological “stuff” around turning 50, I felt the need to mark this event in some way with a ritual. So, I asked a few friends if they might help me do so.
The first friend took me off to the [...]
Tonight many Jews around the world will participate in the observance Passover. They will take part in a first night seder, or service, that commemorates the Israelites freedom from slavery in Egypt. (The word “seder” actually means “order”; the service has a specific order.)
I see the seder—actually the whole week of Passover—as a time to [...]
It’s so easy to let the changes of modern day life eat away at tradition. Change happens, it seems, whether we like it or not. More often than not, however, we allow it to happen.
I had reason last night to consider this. My family went to see Fiddler on the Roof with Harvey Fierstein. I’ve seen the [...]
Today, after writing my most recent Jewish Issues Examiner column, I had to spend some time really considering how much I have allowed myself to become assimilated into secular culture. You see, my column was inspired by a JTA story I read about a Chabad rabbi in Russia trying to bring assimilated Jews there back [...]
The High Holy Days and the Days of Awe revolve around the theme of t’shuva, a Hebrew word that means “turning” or “to turn.” I often think of it as “returning” as well.
Today, we think about t’shuvah. Anyone can contemplate this subject. What you are turning towards at this time? From what are you turning [...]
In my San Jose Jewish Examiner column, I recently wrote about the 2008 American Religious Identification Survey. It reported that the number of American Jews who consider themselves religiously observant has declined by more than 20 percent over the last two decades while the number of Jews who consider themselves secular has risen. This survey, which included [...]
Posts
