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The Zohar teaches that we are obligated to praise Hashem for the miracles and kindnesses He shows us. Yet we often reserve the word miracle for splitting seas and dramatic rescues, while [...]

Howard Thurman, the twentieth-century theologian and civil rights leader, famously advised people not to ask only what the world needs, but to discover what makes them come alive. The world, he [...]

As we enter the Three Weeks, one of the most emotionally complex seasons of the Jewish calendar, we deliberately lower the volume of joy – “Mo’atim b’simcha.” We remember the breached walls of [...]

I feel deeply blessed that, for much of my life, I have been able to open my eyes and feel gratitude for what I see. Perhaps I was born with a certain native optimism, inherited from my witty, [...]

The other day, after a cold contrast shower, I chose not to warm up in the usual way. I did not stay under hot water, nor did I rush into getting dressed and returning to productivity. Instead, I [...]

This morning, I lasted just thirty seconds in my cold contrast shower. If you know Buffalo, you know the cold here isn’t subtle. By January, it’s not novel, it’s elemental. The water doesn’t [...]

There’s something delightfully innocent about a small child playing hide-and-seek. Sometimes, the child will simply cover their eyes and assume they’ve vanished: “If I can’t see you, you can’t [...]

This semester, I’ve been teaching Advanced Clinical Practice at Touro University. The course begins in an unusual way: the entire first quarter, what I call the “quadrester,” focuses not on [...]

There’s a folk saying: When you point a finger at someone, three fingers point back at you. Psychology calls this projection—the tendency to see in others what we cannot face in ourselves.

“Believe to Receive” is not about treating the universe like a personal ATM, dispensing goodies at the push of thought-buttons. Nor is it about twisting or manipulating reality to serve our [...]