WORDS THAT BREATHE

Rabbi Paul Kipnes and Father Ross Porter opened an interfaith series at Congregation Or Ami asking where God is when life hurts. Here's what happened.

What happens when strangers gather for Shabbat? Around candlelight, challah, and conversation, homes become sacred space and community begin

When life feels faru’a - unrestrained and uncertain - Torah invites us to gather ourselves again. A reflection on Ki Tissa, leadership, the golden calf, grief, and the grounding wisdom of Rabbi Dr. Andrea Weiss.

Jazz was my sanctuary that night in Chicago. Michelle and I had slipped into the Jazz Showcase , where saxophonist Bobby Watson , the...

A 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.

“Wow! God was in this place, and I did not know it.” So declared our biblical ancestor Jacob as he awoke from a dream. Once a deceiver...

Wow! 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.

A guided meditation on the notion that we are not alone, created to respond to the pervasive isolation people have been feeling in the Covid-19 pandemic.

By Rabbi Paul Kipnes and Rabbi Julia Weisz Let’s take a moment And turn inward. And enjoy a few moments Of guided meditation. Sit up as...

Teen Dani Klinenberg reflects on Sh'ma. With six short words, we can recognize God’s greatness.

This simple meditation by Alden Solovy is a reminder that making space for spiritual renewal is vital to a life of love and service.

Each Rosh Hashanah, we read the horrid tale of the Akedah (Genesis 22), the almost sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham. Commentators throughout the ages characterize this story as an example of the heights of faith. Abraham loved God so much he was willing to give up the child he waited so long to bear. But in as much as this might have been a test of Abraham, I read the story as a clear indication that Abraham failed the test. Consider this: Did God really command Abraham to sacri

Ever have one of those moments when your child reaches out to you and all you really want to do is collapse from exhaustion? It happens at home and it happens at camp. So what do you do? I am up here at URJ Camp Newman , the Reform movement camp in Santa Rosa, CA, leading our delegation of 42 people from Congregation Or Ami (Calabasas, CA) for Jewish summer fun. After a full fantastic day of spiritual hikes, meditation teaching, service planning and camper counseling, I was

Where is God, and what does the Holy One want from us? These timeless questions animate so many of us spiritual seekers. Of course, there are better places to look for an answer than in this week’s Torah portion, (Leviticus 6:1-8:36), unless you consider barbecuing as divine service. If you read Tzav literally, you come away with a clear sense that the Holy One has a soft spot for a good steak and some grain (perhaps baked into a delicious loaf of bread) to dip in some warm

I just began meditating again, this time with Oprah and Deepak Chopra. They personally invited me to join them for a 21-day meditation experience and I just couldn't refuse. So daily I have been meditating again, guided by Oprah and Deepak. The meditation comes at an opportune time. The adventure in daily silence meshes smoothly with my experiences during five recent days of vacation. Seeking the Silence After investing an intense summer of synagogue administration focused o

I am getting tired of this conversation: Jewish Person: But rabbi, I don't believe in God.Rabbi: That's okay, but what kind of God don't you believe in? So many God conversations seem to include this refrain. It's time to change the conversation. I yearn to hear this conversation: Rabbi: So what do you believe about God?Jew: While I don't believe in the God of "reward and punishment," I am drawn to the God-concepts of Martin Buber's I-Thou and Milton Steinberg's Limited Theis

The Pew Research Center’s Portrait of Jewish Americans , its survey and analysis of American Jewish attitudes and beliefs, has emerged as THE topic of conversation in the Jewish world. Some celebrate the survey ; some wring their hands over what it says about us Jewish Americans. The Union for Reform Judaism released a preliminary analysis for the Reform Movement . Jewish Religiosity or Lack Thereof Most fascinating are questions about the religiosity or lack thereof of our

Have you ever been to the Grand Tetons, our National Park in Wyoming? I did a few years back on a family road trip. It was magnificent. The jagged peaks of the Grand Tetons mountain range, rise up more than 7,000 feet above the valley floor, in a way that is just stunning. The lush green fields are beautiful, as are the rainbows of wildflowers that paint the meadows in vivid colors. Noisy streams cascade down the rocky canyons to fill larger lakes at the foot of the range.

Each Rosh Hashanah, we read the horrid tale of the Akedah (Genesis 22), the almost sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham. Commentators throughout the ages characterize this story as an example of the heights of faith. Abraham loved God so much he was willing to give up the child he waited so long to bear. But in as much as this might have been a test of Abraham, I read the story as a clear indication that Abraham failed the test. Consider this: Did God really command Abraham to sacri

How do we talk about God when so many of us have such conflicted, confused and challenging concepts or relationships of/with God? As a community about to jump into major community-wide conversations about God, Congregation Or Ami necessarily will face this conundrum. When at Yom Kippur Kol Nidre services Rabbi Julia Weisz, Cantor Doug Cotler and I deliver a collaborative, multimedia sermon about God, we will strive to speak openly about what we know and what we do not know, w