Shabbat

The rabbis teach that Esther drew upon the words of Psalm 22 as she bravely went before King Achashverosh in an effort to save the Jews of ancient Persia.

The commandment not to oppress the stranger can refer to war refugees, for whom the Torah demands intense compassion.

I can choose to live anywhere I wish, but would I want to?

Instead of looking up to the heavens for holiness, what if instead we looked to the earth beneath our feet?

The Jewish new year for trees is the rare time where we celebrate potential — not product.

In Jewish folklore, mirrors are typically treated as portals to the spirit realm.

A Hasidic teaching suggests that power, rather than bringing about liberation, achieves just the opposite.

When we move too quickly or take big steps, we run the risk of losing our way.

In lighting the candles of Hanukkah and then Shabbat, we move from the very old to the positively ancient.

Darkness is often seen as inherently negative, but Jewish texts offer a more complex understanding.

Once Jews confront the mythic origins of our own past, it's much easier to be sensitive to the mythic origins of others.

This God-intoxicated Jew doesn't find much meaning in most synagogues. Here's what I would find meaningful.