When we look back at our lives, we can probably count on both hands and feet the number of times we did something that we wish you could take back. Hopefully, most are minor, but still, crawl under your skin. Like the time when I was 10ish, and...

This week marks the 30th anniversary of my becoming a bat mitzvah at Temple Israel. I’m a bit embarrassed to say that my memories of the event are rather cloudy.  I remember my Laura Ashley dress with the row of pink bows at the waist, I remember...

This week’s Torah portion, Parashat Noach, tells the story of the eponymous Noah. Over six chapters (Genesis 6:9-11:32) and 153 verses, we read of Noah, the flood, the dove and olive branch, God’s promise to never again destroy the world and,...

Parashat Bereishit rolls in this week to remind us that we humans are all works in progress who need each other and probably a little divine care to live into our fullest selves.  We see this clearly when we take a closer look at the sections of this...

Despite the fact that I grew up in Denver in the semiarid state of Colorado, where there were few biting insects (except for chiggers!), my family never went camping. We would have picnics in the foothills of the mountains, usually around Buffalo Bill’s...

On the way to Yom Kippur services, I began the following sentence, "Girls, Sukkot starts on Sunday…." I would have completed this sentence by saying, "We're really not going to be at home much next week," " It always blows over," or, "The weather never...

Just before his death, G-d allowed Moses to ascend Mount Nebo and view the land of Israel from a distance. Can you picture it?  An elderly Moses, in long white robes, leaning on a staff atop a mountain, content and looking out over the land G-d promised...

Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, is coming up on the evening of October 4, 2023. If Yom Kippur feels extra heavy for you this year, we’ve got some good news: Emmy-nominated actress, neuroscientist, and Jewish mama Mayim Bialik is here to bring...

Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, starts at sundown on Friday, October. 11. Traditionally one of the most somber days on the Jewish calendar, it’s known for fasting and repentance — not to mention killer caffeine withdrawal headaches. However,...

Each year before the High Holidays, my grandmother washed and ironed my father and grandfather’s kittels, the plain, white, robe-like garments that men wear for Yom Kippur and the Passover seder. She didn’t trust the washer and dryer with...