I returned to Van Cortland Park today for the first time since the winter began. A four and half mile walk is, well, a walk in the park compared to an hour on a treadmill. (On My Terms) It’s not simply that I can fool...
Nemesis is lame; but she is of colossal stature, like the gods, and sometimes, while her sword is not yet unsheathed, she stretches out her huge left arm and grasps her victim. The mighty hand is invisible, but the victim totters under the dire clutch. [George Eliot;...
No longer forward nor behind I look in hope or fear, But, grateful, take the good I find, The best of now and here. John Greenleaf Whittier 1859 These words struck me as I was reflecting on the Haggadah. Much of the Pesach Seder is either looking forward or behind....
The Sages taught that when one does Teshuva from fear, he could transform his deliberate sins into mistakes, which demand a lower level of forgiveness. However, when one returns to God in love and a desire to be close and repair any damage to the relationship,
Based on the Kavanot for Rosh Chodesh Shevat: Teshuva: We begin our Returning in Love by: “Give thanks to God Who is good, for His kindness is forever! Let Israel declare that His Kindness is forever! Let the House of Aaron declare that His kindness is forever! Let...
“All you nations; Praise God! Sing compliments, all you peoples! For His kindness overpowers us, and God’s Truth is forever. Hallelukah!” Based on Kavanot for Rosh Chodesh Shevat The Impact of Our Choices: Our expression of gratitude in the Amida in the 18th blessing – Modim – is immediately followed...
[caption id="attachment_5150" align="alignleft" width="218" caption="Hallel"][/caption]“What can I respond to God for all the good He has given to make me independent? I will lift up the cup of salvation and I will call out in God’s Name. I will fulfill my promises to God in front of...
“God remembered us and will bless – Bless the House of Israel – Bless the House of Aaron – Bless those who are in awe of God, the insignificant with the great. God will enhance you – you and your children. You are blessed to God Who...
“When Israel left Egypt, Jacob’s family from among a people who spoke a strange language, Judah became God’s Holy Place, Israel, His realm. The Sea saw it and ran away. The Jordan River reversed course. The mountains danced like deer, the hills like lambs. What’s with you,...
“Hallelukah! Praise, you who serve God! Praise the Name of God. Let the Name of God be blessed from now and forever. From sunrise to sundown, the Name of God is praised. God is above all the nations. His Glory is beyond the sky. Who is like God, our Lord,...
The most poignant part of sitting Shiva for my mother a”h was observing my nieces and nephews and their children caring for us, the older generation. I envied these people for being able to honor their parents by bringing food and drinks, and doing all...
I was fluctuating between sadness and inspiration when I finished reading Rohinton Mistry’s.”A Fine Balance.” I have yet to shed the horrible cruelties powerfully described. The caste system, misuse of power, the desperate search for work, forced castration, and the hopeless lives of the masses...