Between Fate and Destiny The book of Esther turns fate into destiny. The pur, the cast lot, along with powerful forces influence our lives. There is so much of which we have no control. What will be? We do not know. However, there are moments when, if we are present and feel God’s presence within […]
We Are the Instrument Where God Dwells Whoever experiences the weekly parashah as the beating heart of the Jewish tribe knows that this week marks a sharp and surprising pivot. After the thunder and lightning of the Sinai revelation, the Torah suddenly seeks out wooden boards, spans of cloth and skins of the enigmatic teḥashim. […]
Songs and Stars When I was a girl in France, I discovered Mati Caspi’s songs, which became the threads that wove my connections to Eretz Yisrael. His words were the first ones in modern Hebrew that I wanted to understand, and his melodies charmed me — and stay with me even now. “How can it […]
An End and A Reckoning At the end of the day on which Ran Gvili z”l was returned to Israel, I came home and took off the yellow ribbon I had worn for two years and three months. Not ceremoniously, and without a prayer. I simply took it off. I did not feel relief, nor […]
A Song for Tu B’Shvat “When you come into the land, you shall plant every tree first / and the tree shall yield its fruit and the land its produce / a time to plant trees, a time to plant and to build.” (Popular Hebrew song for Tu B’Shvat) A time to plant and to […]
Boundaries, Not Walls A people is born! Tens of thousands of slaves are called to demonstrate: to slaughter a lamb, to smear its blood on the doorway of their home, and to roast it whole. This action is also an expression of their readiness to leave their familiar home and set off for the unknown […]
The Never Ending Story The Jewish tradition, to me, is a living, breathing path — not a closed book but rather the setting for an ongoing discussion. The tradition is not a canonized collection of answers, but a living, ever-renewing journey. Even as far back as the Torah, we encounter creativity: interpretation, debate, and moral […]
Strong Identities, Strength in Diversity The Torah teaches us the principle that it is great “to love your neighbor as yourself.” This teaching emphasizes mutual affection and respect and is essential for fostering a truly diverse society. Strengthening our personal identities through the lens of religious faith plays a vital role in this process. Religious […]
A Time of Transition Between Light and Bloom Between candles that burn out and the light that remains in the heart, Winter stands halfway along its path, and the imprint of Hanukkah still drifts across the windows. Yet already the pulse of a new soil is heard: the buds of Tu BiShvat whisper beneath the […]
This is The Way (?) … “Something within you will tell you: Continue … on your way.” Have you ever been asked, “What does it mean to be a Conservative Jew?” Since my path crossed and merged with the Masorti (Conservative) movement decades ago, I have been asked this question frequently. One of my teachers […]