Elul, the month before Tishrei, is known as the month of preparation. Our season of introspection/preparation begins after Shavuot, continues through the Three Weeks, and concludes on Yom Kippur. During Elul our preparations intensify; reading Tehillim (Psalm) 27 (l’David) is part of our daily life from Rosh Ḥodesh Elul to Shmini Atzeret. There is much … Continue reading L’David by Roni Bernstein
As we approach the month of Elul we traditionally get ready to search our hearts and to turn to our G-d. When we look at the word "Elul," it is similar to the root of the verb "search" in Aramaic. The Rabbis usually connect "Elul" to the idea of searching our hearts and preparing ourselves … Continue reading The Search by Diana Levine
It’s time. I have been called out. I have been signaled. I have been awakened. It all started that first trip out of my homeland in May 2010. The Baptist Collegiate Ministry from UWF took a group of college kids out of their comfy, climate-controlled cubicles and plopped them into the sticky, buggy jungle of … Continue reading I Have Been Awakened by Catherine Currier
There are certain spiritual truths, verses, concepts that stick with you - things that have seeped down into the deep recesses of your heart. They become the foundation of your faith in G-d, the unshakeable knowledge that sees you through when the waters of life get rough. For me, it is the knowledge that G-d … Continue reading We are the Ravens
A friend of mine posted an article on Facebook the other day entitled, "Singled Out: How Churches Can Embrace Unmarried Adults." As a rebbitzen, I'm always trying to think outside my situation and looking to the needs within the congregational structure. Our synagogues are home to people of all walks and stages of life and … Continue reading Why Don’t We Revere Singleness?
You may or may not have heard the controversy swirling around a prominent pastor who recently taught a sermon series in which he basically said that we need to set aside Exodus through Malachi - that it was an old covenant that was replaced by Jesus. I'm not going to go into all the reasons … Continue reading The Shavuot Connection by Jennifer Caracelo
Anticipation. Eagerness. Expectation. Are these words we associate with the counting of the Omer? Now, I don't mean anticipation of cheesecake, blintzes, and kugel at Shavuot, although those are tasty. Maimonides said we should count the Omer "as one who expects his most intimate friend on a certain day counts the days and even the … Continue reading The Simple Act of Counting by Jennifer Nesbitt
