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Jewish Spiritual ParentingRabbi Kipnes’ new book — co-authored with his wife, Michelle November, MSSW — is available now. How do we guide children to be spiritually balanced, emotionally whole, Jewishly connected individuals? |
Latest Blog Posts
Passover in Full Color: Blacks and Jews Broke (Unleavened) Bread
April 18, 2025Each seder gathered a constellation of color and courage: Blacks and Jews, Black Jews and people of color—Bishops and Rabbis, churches and synagogues, choir singing, and the cacophony of connection and contemplation— We were a veritable mosaic of Moses’ people, linking arms, lifting hearts, lamenting and loving in equal measure. Read more
Remembering Rabbi Stanley M. Davids
April 4, 2025A tribute to my rabbi, mentor, and friend, Stanley M. Davids, who died recently. Read more
Sanctuary in a Jazz Club
March 29, 2025A jazz club. A Torah whisper. A T-shirt with a prophet’s promise. Reflections from the CCAR rabbinic convention on listening for the sacred in unexpected places—and improvising our way toward hope. Read more
From Tohu VaVohu to Tikvah
March 29, 2025A spoken word poem about facing the reality before our world Read more
The Things We Do for Love
March 21, 2025Love lives in the details—the small, intentional acts that show we care. Vayakhel teaches us that just as the Israelites built the Mishkan with devotion, we create holiness in our own lives through everyday gestures, like getting the right mustard and mayonnaise for my wife—because love, like faith, is best… Read more
Prayer for When a Loved One Faces Dementia (or Alzheimer’s)
March 16, 2025A heartfelt prayer for those caring for a loved one with dementia or Alzheimer’s, offering words of compassion, strength, and hope. It asks for patience in the face of loss, love that endures beyond memory, and the grace to cherish what remains. Read more
From Lockdown to Legislation: Our Teens Demand Change
February 26, 2025What does it take for a teenager to stand in a senator’s office, look a legislative aide in the eye, and say, “This is personal”? For the remarkable teens of Congregation Or Ami (Calabasas, California), it took courage, conviction, and a deep belief in the power of their own voices.… Read more
A Prayer for the Secular New Year
December 30, 2024As we step into the tides of tomorrow, this prayer invites us to treasure the gift of time, uncover holiness in the everyday, and return to kindness, generosity, and wisdom. May the new year be one of gratitude, growth, and peace in all its forms. Read more
Finding the Holy in the Everyday: Lessons from Sand Dollars and Nature’s Wonders
December 29, 2024Wow! God was in this place, and I did not know it.” Like Jacob, we often miss the Divine Presence all around us. This article explores how sand dollars, mezuzot, and nature help us rediscover the sacred in daily life. Read more