What We Had and What We Lost: In the times of the Beis HaMikdash, when there was prophecy and open miracles, a tangible experience of a relationship with G-d was available to everyone. Once the
At the heart of great leadership is influence, as in the ability to influence others to do what needs to get done. In a piece written for Forbes, Kevin Kruse defines leadership as “a process of social influence, which
When is the last time you sat and did nothing? I don’t mean the type of nothing as in you just played on your phone, read a book or sat listening to music and didn’t really “do” anything. I mean absolutely nothing. When is the last time you sat still with no technology, without
What’s in a letter? When it comes to leadership, quite a bit. The letter “I” expresses our essence. It represents who we are and how we choose to show up each day. When we refer to ourselves in this way, as in, “I am” or “I did,” we make ourselves the primary focus, the
Despite what you may have been told as a child, sharing is not always caring. In fact, oversharing with everyone, shows a lack of caring to the people we claim to want to feel closest to. We are living in a transparent generation where the trend is towards sharing
One of the defining aspects of the Sefirah period is the expression of mourning in commemoration of the death of Rabbi Akiva’s 24,000 students during the early-second century CE. The Gemara (Yevamos 62b) states that all of these great men died between Pesach and
For many of us, the immediate, desperate reaction from Jews worldwide in the aftermath of Pesach was Cookie Monster-esque. After eight days (not including pre-Pesach) of going leaven-free, the appeal of “chametz!” was most enticing. (Not sure if anyone broke into the “C is for
While all of “us” may have differing views on certain issues, one issue which has (unfortunately) always united us is death. I have never been at a funeral where one part of the family refused to attend because of hashkafic differences. I never heard of someone not paying a Shiva visit
It was a warm and sunny January winter day in Los Angeles. The temperature topped 81 degrees and even the native “Angelinos” were surprised by the unusually balmy mid-winter weather. I was spending this sunny Shabbos in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood as I was honored by being a scholar in residence for Shabbos Parshas Vaeira at... Read more »
In every tragic story there’s a villain and a hero. Some people like to talk about the villain, I prefer to focus on the hero. This is Lori. Lori Gilbert Kaye was murdered yesterday in her safe, sacred space, while davening in her shul in Poway, San Diego.
