Sidesteps

Can you be more authentically present in the place you already are? What's stopping you from embracing the life you have now? The Book of Esther says "Who knows whether you may have come to your position for such a time as this?" The Persian poet Hafiz said "This place where you are now, God circled on a map for you." And, Saint Francis de Sales and Mary Engelbreit say, "Bloom where you are planted!" Imagine it happening to you, by setting roots while sprouting buds.

In this guided visualization, we'll explore the places in our bodies that hold anger, fear, sadness, joy, and love; with each aspect of self, we'll take time to examine the feeling, clean and clear it, and put it back for better use later.

Delight in what makes you uniquely you. Scan through your body, reflecting on what is special, amazing, and beautiful about each part. Great for self-image and before bed!

Where Leviticus and Charles Dickens meet: "Useless to change institutions without a change of heart"

On Refugee Shabbat, the Torah shares its wisdom for resisting tyrants.

C.S. Lewis said, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less.” It's also a piece of Giving Up and Letting Go - Thomas Friedman, America 2022: Where Everyone Has Rights and No One Has Responsibilities

Claim your identity, but be open to review

Returning to our Heska Amuna Synagogue, what lessons can we begin to piece together? What do we keep and what do we give up?

Inhale your authentic self, and exhale your superficial self. Based on Robert Alter's translation of Ecclesiastes, "Merest breath."

Is "Brit" a (a) compact, (b) contract, (c) covenant, or (d) none of the above?