Shame and Sinat Chinam–Tisha B’Av, 2021
This is a video of Sarah Yehudit’s teaching on Tisha B’Av evening after
Category: Holiday Teachings
ZOOM EICHA READING FOR WOMEN PLUS CLASS AFTERWARDS
WOMEN’S EICHA READING by Hanna Yaffe CLASS afterwards by Sarah Yehudit Schneider Given
Videos/Audio of Sarah Yehudit’s Tisha B’Av Teaching, 2020
This first video is Sarah Yehudit’s teaching, itself. The second video is the
The Temple for Which We Are Supposed to Yearn
Illustrated Video Teaching: On Tisha B’Av we mourn the loss of our House of Holy Presence (aka Bet HaMikdash), the heart of our people, that turns us from a throng into a higher order unity called Kenesset Yisrael, a synonymous term for Shekhina. Without our holy hub it is hard to contain the ricochet of our clashing extremes that produce the causeless hatred that prevents our inner peace. But what is it, really, that we are missing? It is probably not what most assume.
Sifra, Sefer, Sippur
The Torah, says Sefer Yetzira, is really three in one. There’s the Torah of Bereshit, the Torah of Sinai, and the Torah of souls. Our job, says the Baal Shem Tov, is to unify these three Torot with every word we speak and breath we take.
A Kabbalistic Kavanna for Eating Matzah at the Seder
Pesach 2021 / 5781 by Sarah Yehudit Schneider Matzah on Pesach is a powerful remedy that penetrates to the soul’s depths and heals ancient wounds.
Purim 2021–Who is Charvonah…
Charvonah is a seemingly insignificant character in the Purim story. He is one of the king’s attendants who appears at the beginning with those who convey the kings fateful summons to Vashti and then again at Haman’s demise. It is here, in this second mention, that he delivers his single line:
Purim High Council Prayer and Meditation Happening for Women
We are Inviting women from around the world to join the actual Jerusalem-based event via zoom (enabled by Shifra Hendrie who has offered her expanded zoom link for the occasion). And…
Sharing the nusach/script of the ceremony so you can prepare for the event and, if you are unable to join our Jerusalem ceremony, you can create your own High Council, either on your own or with friends.
Purim High Council Prayer and Meditation Happening for Women–2
We are Inviting women from around the world to join the actual Jerusalem-based event via zoom (enabled by Shifra Hendrie who has offered her expanded zoom link for the occasion). And…
Sharing the nusach/script of the ceremony so you can prepare for the event and, if you are unable to join our Jerusalem ceremony, you can create your own High Council, either on your own or with friends.
Purim High Council Prayer and Meditation Happening for Women
We are Inviting women from around the world to join the actual Jerusalem-based event via zoom (enabled by Shifra Hendrie who has offered her expanded zoom link for the occasion). And…
Sharing the nusach/script of the ceremony so you can prepare for the event and, if you are unable to join our Jerusalem ceremony, you can create your own High Council, either on your own or with friends.
Our Fruit Tree and Vegetable Kingdom Role Models
On Tu B’Shvat we celebrate our generous and magnificent fruit trees that selflessly nourish the world for no other reason than that it’s what they are designed to do. May we honor them back by preserving their habitat, mulching their soil, protecting their pollinators, providing fresh water, repelling their pests and (on their new year’s day) praying for them to enjoy a healthy, lush and fruitful year.
Tu B’Shvat Hagada for sale
The Still Small VoiceTu B'Shvat Hagada, fifteen years in the making, is finally available for public enjoyment.
The Chinukh of Chanukka
Since Chanukka and Purim reference toward the future, R. Luria associates them with Mashiach ben David, and the 7th marriage blessing when “the woman of valor becomes the crown to her husband.” R. Luria brings fascinating evidence of the gender shifts that weave through the messianic lineage and narrative.
Chanukka through the years
Just as eyes are windows to the soul, so the Chanukka lights are windows into the soul of the chag.
The Coveted Sukkah of Sodom
"Anyone who fulfills the mitzvah of sukkah in this world, will get a perpetual share (are you ready for this) in the Sukkah of Sodom” [Pesikta d'Rav Kahana].
Video–Rosh HaShana and the Kabbalistic Mystery of Nesira
R. Tsadok notes that Rosh Hashana (humanity's birthday) is actually a very strange Yom Tov given the debate between Hillel and Shamai about whether its better to be born...or not.
Chai Elul—A Rosh HaShana Teaching for the Baal Shem Tov’s Birthday
R. Tsadok notes that Rosh Hashana (humanity's birthday) is actually a very strange Yom Tov given the debate between Hillel and Shamai about whether its better to be born...or not.
The Key to Sorting Truth From Lie
The chink that precipitated our Tisha B'Av fiasco was a defect in our ability to distinguish truth from falsehood. It was a flaw in our listening skills. As soon as we manage to fix that fault and only take truth to heart, we will meet the condition of “heeding [HaShem’s] voice (אם בקולו תשמעו) and Mashiach will come, today (היום).
The Reward of a Mitzvah
The Zohar is teaching that HaShem (so to speak) looked into Him/Her/Itself and articulated a will for a creation that would revel in the glory of G-d. That vision and all the myriad ways it could materialize and all the laws that define its parameters…that is the primordial Torah.
The Seder as a Meditation on MATZAH
The matzah itself is a neutral object. It is simple flat bread that sits at the center of the table and doesn’t talk or move and yet, even still, it goes through changes. As we evolve and enlighten in the course of the evening we project a whole string of meanings and transformations onto that matzah, just like we do in real life vis a vis the world around us (and also vis a vis our conception of G-d).
