Esther, the Mistress of Prayer

Not all supplications are the same. Some are mighty and pierce to the core, while others reach only the lower heavens and get processed there.

The Inner Search for Pure Oil

Our world view, our sense of truth, our vision of perfection, our vision of what’s possible… all this is tainted by our long years of exile and association with foreign cultures.

Tisha B’Av 5771 / 2011

How do we hope for mashiach with certain faith that he REALLY could materialize at any moment and yet also find a way to embrace our present moment with unconditional acceptance.

Shavuot 2011 / 5771

Every person and creature is hooked up to one or another of these 600,000 spiritual dynasties who received the Torah at Sinai.

Tikkun of Speech: Pesach 2011

On Pesach, our bodies were released from slavery and we literally exited the country, but a more fundamental deliverance unfolded beneath the surface.

Amalek is a Branch of Our Family Tree

A synchronicity of courage, grace and circumstance converge to produce a hero who turns his or her soul-wound into a mission of helping others and changing the world for good.

Tisha B’Av 5769 / 2009

In the month of Av, says Sefer Yetzira, the sense of listening is up for tikun. Our test is to not get hypnotized by voices that claim authority but do not embody Torat Emet.

Shavuot 2009 / 5769

Shavuot, the anniversary of the Torah’s revelation, is called the marriage ceremony between the Jewish people and HaShem. 

The Inevitable Fall From Grace: Pesach 2009

The sedar is a ritual meditation—a symbolic reenactment of our journey from exile to redemption. The whole point of a ritual is to bring light, fixing and healing into the deepest layers of the soul.

The Power of a Good Eye

PurimBurst 2009. Esther inspired affection in the eyes of all who saw her… (Megillat Esther 2:15). What was the secret of Esther’s extraordinary (even supernatural) grace?

Chanukka, Greece and Democracy

There is no person or nation that does not have at least a miniscule sliver of holiness. Otherwise it could not exist.

Tisha B’Av 5768 / 2008

The spies understood that crossing into the holy land would initiate a new era—now they were princes, but across the border, in the new world, they’d become obsolete.

Shavuot 2008 / 5768

The Torah’s revelation was the most profound manifestation of God that has ever transpired on the planet. Its impact continues to impel their generations to be seekers and servants of God and is certain to do so until the end of time.

Matzah: Bread of Humility

The Ari declares that “on sedar night a conception occurred, and seven days later was the birth.” Yet what is this Kenesset Yisrael that was “conceived” on sedar night and born at the sea?

Tu B’Shvat, 5767 / 2007

Although bringing tikun to eating is a practice and awareness that we should bring to every meal, the Tu B’Shvat meal is an especially propitious opportunity to do this work.

Anger Drives the Plot

Every moment is a story, and every story has a motor that propels its forward motion.  In the Book of Esther, rage drives each stage of the plot.

The Removal of Chametz

Everyone knows that on Pesach, the removal of all chametz (leavened grains) from our household mirrors the removal of inflated ego states from our personalities.

A Time for Silence, A Time for Speech

Since the genocidal decree would not take effect for close to a year, it did not justify a life-threatening exploit.  Yet Mordekhai insisted that Esther go now, unbidden.

“Pesach is the Conception”

On Pesach eve, the soul of Israel made contact with its body, i.e., the 600,000 families then under Moses’ charge. The Mystical Body of Israel was conceived on seder night.

I Am the First, I Am the Last

The Book of Esther is an historical narrative, that occurred between the years 367 – 357 BCE. Yet there are moments in time that are nearly transparent.