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Gratefulness connects us up to the great flow of receptivity and generosity. When we begin the day in gratefulness, we step on to the path of love. מוֹדֶה אֲנִי לְפָנֶיךָ רוח חַי וְקַיָּם שֶהֶחֱזַרְתָּ בִּי נִשְׁמָתִי בְחֶמְלָה, רַבָּה אֱמוּנָתֶךָ Modeh ah-nee lifanecha, Ru-ach chai v’kayam, she-hechezarta bee nishma-tee b’chemlah rabbah emunatecha!  I give thanks before you, living and eternal Spirit, for You have returned within me my soul with compassion; how great is Your faith in me!

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Praised are you, Source of Life Who has created the skies and the universe, The magic of darkness and light Blessed are the cycles that guide us Day and night, month and season Never missing their cue Blessed are the moon and stars The crowns of our earth Moving in splendid constellations May we accept the planetary wisdom To welcome time’s rhythm Of change and return May we shine with the stars And spread light to all beings Born from the...

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Kohenet Keshira haLev Fife (https://www.keshirahalev.com) offers eight questions to guide us in reflection as we wind down 2020 and look ahead to 2021. Inspired by the great teacher, Rabbi Shammai, who starts Hanukkah with eight candles lit and ends with just one candle, this ritual invites us to count down and release as we move toward (and embrace) the darkest part of the year.  8) What is something you're ready to leave in 2020?  7) What is something you have less...

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No touch football this Thanksgiving? No problem! Here are is a Zoom game that everyone can play! Just like with real-life games, it’s helpful if someone volunteers to be the organizer/leader in advance to help keep things moving! TWO SCAVENGER HUNTS! ONE WILL HAVE YOU RUNNING AROUND YOUR HOUSE AND THE OTHER WILL HAVE YOU GOOGLING LIKE CRAZY! IN REAL LIFE SCAVENGER HUNT: Below is a list of items you might have in your house. You may be thinking, “Sure I...

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Food that is eaten daily can be taken for granted. One of the ways Judaism helps us to keep our sense of appreciation alive is by instituting blessings to be said before and after eating. Wonder or radical amazement is the chief characteristic of the religious man’s attitude toward history and nature. One attitude is alien to his spirit: taking things for granted, regarding events as a natural course of things. To the prophets, wonder is a form of thinking. It...

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Wine or grape juice are also standards of nearly every Jewish holiday. Before we eat we take a moment to say a blessing over a glass of wine. In this special version Rosh Hashanah is called Yom HaZikaron, the Day of Remembering, and Yom Truah, the Day of Calling Out. Tonight during our meal we will do some remembering, and some calling out. We will also focus on the gratitude we feel for the past year, and all of the blessings...

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High Holidays in Five Senses  What do the High Holidays smell like?  They smell of freshly-baked sweet challah, the vanilla-y pages of an old book, your grandfather’s aftershave, the tang of the etrog and the perfume of lulav branches. What do the High Holidays feel like?   They feel like fists beating on chests, shifting your tush on a wooden pew in an unairconditioned sanctuary, running your fingers through the fringes of a tallit, dropping crumbs into the water as you cast...