ASHER YATZAR: A BLESSING FOR EVERY BODY
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 [...]
Generating Joy: The Energy That Helps The World Become
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 [...]
ADAM GRANT’S GIVE AND TAKE: A Torah Reflection on Giving, Taking, Receiving and Overgiving
Some books offer information. Others change our moral eyesight. Adam Grant’s Give and Take belongs to the latter category. Grant describes three relational styles. Takers seek advantage. Matchers [...]
THE STIFF-NECKED ADVANTAGE – CHUTZPAH D’KEDUSHA?
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 [...]
THE OPTIMISM GAUGE How Hashgocho Protis, Neuroscience, and Therapy Teach Us to See
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, [...]
PAS B’SALO: OVERFLOW THE CUP BEFORE IT’S EMPTY
Pas b’salo appears in the Talmud (Yoma 18a), which teaches that a person who has bread within reach is fundamentally more at ease than one without. This isn't just about food. It’s about mindset, [...]
