Learn to Acknowledge Defeat by Rabbi Paul Plotkin ~I have been a vegetable and herb gardener for the last 30 years. That means that I have had the pleasure of tasting wonderful tomatoes and carrots, snow peas, peppers and eggplants that had real flavor and something mysterious called freshness. It...

I COME HOME by Lisa M. Miller ~walk my wild rocky woodland—indigo bunting familieskatydids, a woodpecker,the rushing creek timbre.God. In tones solstice goldmoss thick, hardwood sentries and baby sapsline my edgesway far out. I’m bigger here, resilient, and only a speck.Soaring thank yous with feet.I know myself. I knowhow to...

Earth Etude for Elul 8 by ©Rabbi Robin Damsky ~In his book, This is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared, Alan Lew, of blessed memory, teaches us that the arc of the High Holy Days begins with the grief of Tisha B’Av, even before we approach Elul. As we mourn...

You likely support former President Donald Trump because he has done some positive things for Israel, including recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, moving the US consulate there, recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, and helping form the Abraham Accords. This is certainly understandable.  However, have you considered the two...

Earth Etude for Elul 5 by Rabbi Ora Nitkin-Kaner ~The Chasidic Rabbi Nachman of Braslav (1772-1810) was a lifelong sufferer of what was likely depression. When, towards the end of his life, he told his followers that “it is forbidden to despair” (Likutei Moharan II 78:7), it was because he...

Earth Etude for Elul 4 by Rabbi Katy Z. Allen Arise / לָקוּם Enough!Too long have youstood still. Arise! Draw nearand walk the verdant woodland trailswith Me. אָז רַבלָכֶם שֶׁבֶתלְבַד. עַכְשָׁו לָקוּם. בֹּאוּ לְתוֹךְ חֹרֶשׁ קָסוּםאִיתִי. Inspired by Devarim 1:6 Rabbi Katy Z. Allen is the founder and spiritual leader of Ma'yan...

Earth Etude for Elul 3 by Rabbi Janet Madden Midrash Tehilim 65:4: “Teshuvah is like the sea which is never barred, so that whoever desires to bathe in it can do so whenever they desire.” As the moon draws the tides,so this month pulls our souls to the way of...

Earth Etude for Elul 2 by Enid C. Lader ~I walked on the pier above the Saint Lawrence River It happened to be across the street from a grand cathedral built in honor of Saint Anne… To become a saint, people must attest to miracles performed… As you walk into...

Turning Earthward by Rabbi Asher Chaim Sofman ~ I sit in my backyard on a cool and beautiful August day. Cicadas and crickets buzz. It’s a workday, but if my laptop’s on, even hours I spend lounging outside can be productive. I’m working, of course. I have multiple programs open...

Connecting the Meaning of our Lives to the Spirit of Judaism: Tikkun Olam - Repairing our World Elul is almost here--by Rabbi Katy Allen: The moon is waning once again, this time telling us that we are approaching the Jewish month of Elul. READ MORE... ~Earth Etude for Rosh Hodesh...

by Rabbi Katy Z. Allen Elul is almost here! The moon is waning once again, this time telling us that we are approaching the Jewish month of Elul, and this year, the American holiday of Labor Day. It’s tough to let the summer go, but the sun keeps rising and...