Shabbat Reflection – Shelach 5785
A few months ago, my dear friend and synagogue rabbi Ari Hart delivered a sermon that opened with a critique of an aspect of some (perhaps a lot?) of contemporary mindfulness practice: nonjudgmental acceptance. Now, I hasten to add that Ari is a participant in our Clergy Leadership Program cohort that launches next month, and he was not offering this critique to knock Jewish spiritual practices grounded in mindfulness. He was pointing out something on which, frankly, I agree with him: The Torah and Judaism aren't simply about accepting what is, but about changing our lives and the world to what they can and should be. If we're going to practice mindfulness, it should be in the service not...
Rabbis, Cantors, and Kohanot Seek Spiritual Renewal in Mindful Practice
Announcing the 2025-2026 Cohort of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality’s Clergy Leadership ProgramOn July 20, 42 Jewish spiritual leaders from around the world will gather at the Pearlstone Retreat Center to meditate, pray, sing, study, and practice mindful movement, kicking off the Institute for Jewish Spirituality (IJS) 2025-2026 Clergy Leadership Program (CLP). With nearly 600 alumni now bringing mindfulness practices to synagogues, campuses, schools, organizations, and communities throughout the country, IJS’s flagship course has been reshaping the landscape of American Judaism—one “mindful moment” at a time.The clergy of the CLP will spend the next 18 months together, in person and...
To Be Carried as a Child: Yom Kippur 5785
Years ago, when he was 7 years old, my son Micah couldn’t sleep. (He's now 19.) After a fitful hour of tossing and turning, he finally came downstairs and lay down on the sofa. And of course he was asleep within seconds. Half an hour later I picked him up to carry him back upstairs to his bed. At age 7, Micah was reaching the point where I could no longer comfortably carry him. But, perhaps...
Josh Feigelson in Conversation with Rabbi Irving “Yitz” Greenberg
We are grateful to Rabbi Irving “Yitz” Greenberg for sharing his wisdom with us. Please enjoy the conversation recording.Rabbi Irving (Yitz) Greenberg serves as the President of the J.J. Greenberg Institute for the Advancement of Jewish Life (JJGI) and as Senior Scholar in Residence at Hadar. Together with Elie Wiesel, he founded CLAL: The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership and...
On Grief and Solace: Rosh Hashanah 5785
About ten years ago, I discovered an album of the poet David Whyte called "Solace: The Art of the Beautiful Question." At the time I was leading Ask Big Questions, an initiative of Hillel International I had helped to found, and so the title intrigued me. Yet even as I've transitioned to new work and new stages of life, listening to this album has become an annual ritual, part of my practice of...
Coming Home (Ki Tavo 5784)
My father, may he rest in peace, used to say that there were two vistas, two views on the road, which made him feel like he was coming home. One was driving south on US-23 towards Ann Arbor, where he lived most of his adult life, as the road slopes down towards the Huron River yielding a view of downtown and the University of Michigan. The other was heading east on Highway 1 in Israel, coming up...
A Prayer For Those Not Ready To Forgive
by Rabbi Jill Berkson Zimmerman, graduate of the IJS Clergy Leadership Program The design of this season compels us to forgive, to open our hearts, and sometimes to re-experience wounds. Some of us have suffered profound trauma, at the hand of parents, partners, or friends, They might be fresh bruises or from many years ago –They bubble below the surface, having been pushed away, but now...
Practicing Forgiveness as Surrender
by Rabbi Leora Kaye, graduate of the IJS Clergy Leadership Program (full version published on Sefaria) Why would you want to forgive someone who has wronged you? Is there any benefit to forgiving? Is there a “right” time to forgive? And what does religion have to do with it? Come to think of it, does religion have anything to do with it? Thousands of years of Jewish text and wisdom offer us...
In God We Trust (Shoftim 5784)
One of the leadership teacher Stephen Covey's most famous observations is that "relationships operate at the speed of trust." It's a line that has resonated with me for a long time. To me, trust is everything--at work, at home, in life. When I keep my promises, I feel like I'm upholding trust, depositing it in my account; when I fail to do so, I feel like I'm reducing the balance. When I have...
Open Your Hand (Re’eh 5784)
There's a neighborhood grocery store two blocks from my house. It's called Village Marketplace and, to many of us who reside in Skokie, it's one of the best things about living here. It's not a big chain, it's independently owned, and best of all, I can walk there and back in 5 minutes when we need a dozen eggs. Occasionally there are folks standing outside Village Market (locals drop the...
Politics (Ekev 5784)
Like many of you reading this, I expect, the most powerful moment of this week's Democratic National Convention for me was the speech of Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, one of the 109 remaining hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Jon, and especially Rachel, have tragically become the most recognizable spokespeople for the hostage families. Seeing the tears in...
Totally Awesome (Vaetchanan 5784)
One of the inside jokes my wife Natalie and I have shared over 23 years of marriage is what we lovingly call the "Really, you needed research to tell you that?" phenomenon. You might be familiar with it yourself. In our experience, it most regularly occurs reading articles in The New York Times in which scientific research demonstrates something that it seems like someone with common sense could...
Practicing in Elul with the Shofar, the Spiritual Tuning Fork of the Cosmos
Our core spiritual practice throughout Elul, the final month of the Jewish year, is attending to the call of the shofar. As we anticipate the upcoming holidays, the anniversary of the October 7 attacks, and the American presidential election, our tradition offers a powerful tool for supporting ourselves and responding wisely to this unsettling time: the shofar, an instrument that helps us...
Attuning to the Song of Creation
Rebecca Schisler offers a practice for the season of teshuva, returning. Watch for her reflection on how relating to life as a song might guide us in this renewed awakening.
Alone, Together: Devarim 5784
I was blessed to spend this week at the Chautauqua Institution in upstate New York, during its 150th anniversary season. When I've had to explain what Chautauqua is to friends and loved ones, I've described it as some combination of Brigadoon, Mackinac Island, and adult summer camp for people who listen to National Public Radio. There are lectures and classes and cultural events galore, families...
Only Connect (Matot-Masei 5784)
In the past month I've had two really troubling conversations with young adults. One was with someone I know in their 20s. We were talking about the presidential campaign. And this very intelligent, caring person said, "Honestly, I just can't get excited about politics. The damage we have done to the planet is irreversible, and it feels like we only have a few years left no matter who's in...
Shabbat Reflection – Pinchas 5784
I will admit that I wasn’t prepared for the emotional response I experienced upon reading President Biden’s letter announcing his decision to turn down renomination this week. I was really moved. Upon reflection, what touched me most was the rarity of witnessing the most politically powerful person in the world acknowledge his limitations and, after some reluctance, ultimately volunteer an act...
The Long and Winding Road (Balak 5784)
A couple of friends sent me David Brooks’s column in the New York Times last Friday. While the headline made it seem that the column was about “Trump’s enduring appeal,” the column itself might more accurately be summarized as a reflection on, as Brooks put it, “the deeper roots of our current dysfunction.” As one of my friends said, they thought I might resonate with Brooks’s analysis, and...
Don’t Have a Cow (Chukat 5784)
This isn’t a political space and I don’t intend to make it one here. But I also feel a need to talk about politics this week. Wish me luck. For the last couple of weeks I’ve been experiencing a deep feeling of unease. I have found it hard to focus. I’m more easily distracted than usual. My sleep hasn’t been as good. And it’s not about anything in my personal life–everyone is more or less okay,...
Modern/Ancient Family (Shlakh 5784)
In the weeks before he left for camp, my youngest son, Toby, and I started watching the sitcom “Modern Family” together. It has been a delight to rediscover this show that I remember being stupendously funny the first time around and to share it with my kid now. (It’s also really interesting to see which parts of the show hold up 15 years later and which ones could use a rewrite.) Like any good...