Conversations with the Rabbi

Dr Marc Dollinger is CSK's Federation Shabbat Limmud Scholar in Residence Feb 14-16, 2020. He has been inspiring Rabbi Scott since he was a teenager (literally) and more importantly, he is a renowned scholar on subjects that pave new understandings of Jewish self-understanding in our day and age.

Take 5 minutes, whatever your family's normal dinner table ritual is, and share your thoughts and prayers with each other. Maybe play this for all to listen to.

Don't pay much attention to the dangers lurking in your home? Consider it! Its a truly spiritual pursuit!

Chanukah and well, Judaism can be confusing. Here is a little primer to help you out! For the full text of the blog and the link to the video referred to, click here: https://www.cskhouston.com/hearourvoice?post_id=966690

Don't hand-wring over what you did wrong, you did nothing wrong. You raised your Jewish child in a vastly non-Jewish world and they are achieving remarkable success and now they have fallen in love with someone who loves them back! Be joyous! Be hopeful! And remember the measure of your Jewish parenting "success" is not the existence of Jewish grandchildren, it is the existence and promotion of Jewish values of love, connection and hope.

Leave your MAGA Hat and your "Indigenous Peoples' Day swag at home this year for Thanksgiving if you really want to feel the joy.

What if this year, your focus on Thanksgiving was fully targeted towards gratitude, keeping your "triggers" holstered? You mostly know the kinds of challenges you will be presented with by family members who rub you the wrong way. It'll be no surprise. So what if you went into T-giving knowing this? Imagine what it might feel like NOT to respond the way you usually find yourself doing when confronted with a difficult family situation. You might very well find a greater deal of joy than you ever expected. It's worth a try, right?

The themes of the High Holy days are to follow us throughout the year. Allow this meditation on "Return" to remind you of the best of your intentions that arose for you during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

Find a quiet spot in the park, in your home or on the beach, pop your ear buds into your ears and hit play. For the next 16ish minutes, Rabbi Scott will guide you - The forgiveness we can offer ourselves for not being perfect, even as we strive for excellence in our professional and personal lives, is a requirement for this journey. No there is no "arrival," but along the way, forgiveness paves safe paths for discovering and building places where we belong.

This "Kosher Pretzel" meditation is a way in towards the peace of your soul. Our ability to love deeply, forgive and connect others is absolutely reliant on our ability to love deeply, forgive and connect with our selves.

The best work on the crucial role of self-compassion can best be fond through the work of Kristin Neff, check it out at https://self-compassion.org/