Pray
A Prayer For Paris
On Saturday night, my husband and I went to a local pub to listen to music. Then we came home ...
Jamming in Jerusalem with My Landlady’s Husband
My name is Sandra Lawson, and I am rabbinical student at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. I’m spending this semester in ...
I’m Too Broken to Write This Blog
Rarely have I been so deeply affected, so deeply wounded inside, so utterly shattered.
Overcoming Obstacles to Recite Mourner’s Kaddish with Dignity
My father died on Rosh Hashanah 5764. He died at home, in a clean white bed, surrounded by his wife ...
Rediscovering Prayer with the New Reform Movement Machzor
This is the time of year that rabbis and cantors are busy preparing for the High Holy Days. Time taken ...
It’s Time for a New Calendar
I have a rich undergraduate memory of a professor teaching about communities. She said that one of the key aspects ...
Blessed Are Thou Lord Who Multitasks
Rosh Hashanah is a magical time. Or at least, we seem to think so. According to the Mishnah (Rosh Hashanah ...
A Powerful Woman
As this summer, and this Jewish year wind down, I’m completing the painting and writing for my fourth illuminated book ...
To Feel More Connected, Get Physically Closer to the Torah
When you see an adorable baby, a stunning gem, or an intricately illustrated medieval Hagaddah, don’t you feel a yearning to ...
Mourning & Action
Our hearts are heavy.This past Thursday evening marked the onset of Tu B’Av, the traditional Jewish holiday celebrating love. Yet ...
Yes, She Wore a Kippah, But Not to the Kotel
She wore a kippah as she opened her gemara. We were a somewhat diverse group–I come from an Orthodox background, ...
Praying For My Children After Charleston
Week after week, I light two small candles. I move behind my children and put one hand on each of ...