Have you ever tried to change someone else? If your answer is yes (which it is probably for all of us), then you know it’s a trap which only leaves you feeling dis-empowered and frustrated. What can be even more painful is watching someone you love go through a difficult process and knowing that you...
Have you ever noticed how an interview sometimes says more about the person asking the questions than the one who is answering? I’ve been interviewed for a few magazines and news programs myself recently. I’m always grateful for the opportunity to speak about the things that are close to my heart: Kabbalah, Global Spirituality, and...
Have you ever spent any time with unruly children? I mean, really unruly children. I have. Now, don’t get me wrong – all children are beautiful, some are just shall we say… highly spirited? A friend of mine had a couple of kids like that. No matter what she and her husband seemed to do, they could...
This week’s portion of Acharei Mot-Kedoshim is so potent, we read it twice a year – once on Yom Kippur, and once during Shabbat in the month of Iyar (Taurus). There are countless lessons we can learn from the story and innumerable benefits from listening to its reading. One of the most important among them is the spiritual teaching...
The holiest of actions are the ones that come from the heart. Big or small, every turn of hand has the power to uplift all of humanity when done with love. This week’s portion of Tazria-Metzora deals largely in part with the repercussions of our actions. The portion reads like a list of rules and regulations for...
To show love to another human being is to show them the face of the Divine. Love is what we are made of. It is the definitive quality of the Creator, and so too is it the essence of our souls. I have to be honest. Many years ago, when I first came to read Vayakhel-Pekudei, I...
Millennials are special souls. They don’t just believe in God, they want to experience God. What they might not know is that it’s their very destiny is to do so. Google the word “millennial” and you are sure to find a deluge of disparaging articles: What’s Wrong with Millennials, Millennials: The Me, Me, Me Generation. As the Spiritual...
“This, above all, to thine own self be true.” These words of wisdom from William Shakespeare reflect the enduring truth for humanity. In our world of physicality where conformity is the norm, it is so difficult to be who we are, to express the innermost essence that is our heart, and yet this is all...
Laughter heals. For that which we can laugh at, can no longer hurt us. Actress and author Carrie Fisher, who recently passed away, may God rest her soul, once said: “If my life wasn’t funny, it would just be true – and that is completely unacceptable.” This coming from a woman whose father left her at 2...
“If I do all that I am supposed to do — pray, study, and attend services each weekend – why don’t I feel the Light?” This question was asked of me recently. It’s one I think many of us, regardless of our religious or spiritual paths, have asked from time to time, and so to...
