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: achieving success, creating change, goals, human potential, intention, living fully, living life fully, Making holidays meaning-full and spirit-full, new year, Non-Jewish Holidays | Leave a comment

Ever wonder why you keep turning over a new leaf-the same leaf-year after year? Ever wonder why you keep asking for forgiveness-for the same sins-year after year?  Ever wonder why your targets never change even though you keep resetting them and trying harder to hit a bull’s eye-the same bull’s eye-year after year? On the [...]

September 27th, 2009 | Tags: bull's eye, change, creating change, how to change, how to create positive change, payoffs, personal growth, self-help, sins, t'shuvah, targets, turning over a new leaf, why am I stuck, why we don't change, why we stay the same | Category: achieving success, creating change, Days of Awe, new year, Rosh Hashanah, Uncategorized, Yom Kippur | Comments (1)

I graduated from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communication. I still remember one of the first lessons I learned there: Communication-real communication-requires a broadcaster or transmitter and a receiver. In other words, someone has to speak and someone has to listen. Today, on the eight Day of Awe, with Yom Kippur just a [...]

September 26th, 2009 | Tags: body language, broadcaster, communication, Days of Awe, forgiveness, High Holidays, High Holy Days, how actions communicate, how faces communiate, how words communate, Kabbalah, Kabbalist, listening, receiver, repentance, sins, talking, transmitter, Yom Kippur | Category: Days of Awe, Jewish holidays, Jewish mysticism, Kabbalah, repentance, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur | Comments (2)

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 [...]

September 22nd, 2009 | Tags: authenticity, being your true self, commandments, Days of Awe, essence, express yourself, expressing yourself, good deeds, mitzvot, return, return to best self, return to spiritual practice, riturn to God, Shiviti, sins, soul's purpose, t'shuvah, targets, to turn, turing away from, turn away from sins, turning, turning towards, what are you here to accomplish, who are you really | Category: Days of Awe, new year, religious practice, Rosh Hashanah, transformation, Yom Kippur | Leave a comment

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 [...]

September 21st, 2009 | Tags: commandments, Days of Awe, forgiveness, good deeds, mitzvot, rectification, Shabbat, sins, sins against God, transgressions | Category: Days of Awe, God's hand, Prayer, Rosh Chodesh, Shabbat, spiritual practice, Yom Kippur | Leave a comment