By Salomon Gruenwald on October 12th, 2011
On Yom Kippur, I lead a discussion on fasting. We discussed the many lessons we can draw from the experience of fasting based on texts provided by the Rabbinical Assembly. The source sheet is available here: RA \”Fasting for Famine\” Source Sheet At our class, we discussed the need for a practical follow-up to our [...]
By Salomon Gruenwald on August 27th, 2011
Being able to acknowledge what we have in life is itself a blessing. Parashat Re’eh 5771 A few moments ago, the cantor chanted birkat ha-hodesh, a special blessing said on the Shabbat before the new moon to announce the advent of the coming month. Our Hazzan sings the blessing so beautifully. I happen to know [...]
By Salomon imported post on September 26th, 2009
Parashat Haazinu / Shabbat Shuvah 5770 After being here for over a year, the change in seasons still astounds me. On September 21 – the autumnal equinox – almost like clockwork, the weather changed drastically. We had a beautiful warm end of summer and now, all of a sudden, fall has arrived. This week it [...]