From the Rabbi

Words of the Spirit, by Rabbi Liz Bolton, Or Haneshamah's rabbi and spiritual leader

Toward the end of the Torah portion Hayyei Sarah, which is read this week in synagogues, we encounter the adult Isaac, who “went out meditating [lasu’ah] in the field towards the evening” (Genesis 24:63).

Rashi, an early medieval commentator, interprets the verb lasu’ah as implying prayer, drawing also from the rabbinic tradition that identifies Isaac with the minhah/afternoon prayer service.

How about Isaac as a...Read more...

Have you ever said, out loud, “I have no time to rest?” We think that resting is something to do, to do later, that resting is a waste of time, or a frivolous indulgence.

And how about that frivolous indulgence thing? Hosting lovely dinners, trying new places – among many others – I mean, who has time??

Torah and Judaism offer a radically different perspective on rest, and on joy. We say: just do it. And just do it...Read more...

What do we do with ourselves during these ordinary-yet-distinctive days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur?

Tradition offers a few liturgical hints: the recitation of Psalm 27, designated for the penitential season; the selihot/confessional prayers; a repeated word in the Mourner’s Kaddish (l’elah/higher); the insertion of “remember us for life” and other Days of Awe phrases.

Mainly, we’re called to focus on...Read more...

What does the Jewish New Year mean – for us at OrH, for our families, for our extended networks of kin and friends from diverse backgrounds?

At its best and highest expression, the New Year can mean growth through introspection, celebration through renewal and Recommitment to core values.

When we celebrate the last Shabbat of the outgoing year, hear the shofar on selihot night, toss our crumbs into the moving waters on the...Read more...

Master of the Universe, grant me the ability to be alone;
May it be my custom to go outdoors each day
Among the trees and grass - among all growing things

So begins a beautiful text attributed to Reb Nahman of Breslav, and although it’s hard to imagine encountering trees and grass outdoors at this very moment, we are coming up to Tu B’Shvat on the Jewish calendar, the New Year of the trees. Just as Reconstructionist rabbis...Read more...