When Pain Begins to Define Tomorrow Introduction There are times when suffering changes more than how we feel. It begins to shape what we believe is possible. After years of disappointment, a person may stop expecting things to improve. After watching someone they love struggle for so long, they may find it increasingly difficult to imagine that things could ever be different. Such conclusions do not necessarily arise from a lack of faith. They can emerge from the accumulated

Fear That Protects and Fear That Confines Introduction Avraham's journey begins with a command to leave behind his land, his birthplace, and his father's house, without knowing where Hashem will lead him. His willingness to follow reflects an extraordinary commitment to Hashem, one that will continue to be tested through circumstances he could neither anticipate nor control. Throughout Parshat Lech Lecha, Avraham encounters situations that require difficult decisions. As he a

Understanding the Struggle That Can Continue After a Crisis Introduction The Torah does not conclude its account of the Mabul when the rain stops or the waters begin to recede. It follows the gradual return of the earth, recording the appearance of the mountain peaks, the birds Noach sends from the teivah, and the changing condition of the ground. Even when Noach removes the covering of the teivah and sees that the surface of the earth has dried, he remains inside. Only later

Understanding the Struggle We May Not Be Able to See Introduction The Torah begins its account of creation in an unexpected place. Before יְהִי אוֹר, before the separation of heaven and earth, sea and dry land, day and night, it describes a world that is difficult even to picture: וְהָאָרֶץ הָיְתָה תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ וְחֹשֶׁךְ עַל פְּנֵי תְהוֹם וְרוּחַ אֱלֹקים מְרַחֶפֶת עַל פְּנֵי הַמָּיִם — “The earth was unformed and empty, with darkness over the surface of the deep, and the spi

The Blessing That Continues Beyond Us Introduction At the end of Parshat Ha’azinu, Hashem tells Moshe that his time has come. He is to ascend Har Nevo, look upon the land that Am Yisrael is about to enter, and die there. After forty years of leading the people through the wilderness, Moshe knows that his journey with them is about to end. We might therefore expect the Torah’s final parsha to turn toward Moshe himself. He has led a nation out of Egypt, brought them to Har Sina

Living Fully When the Story Is Still Unfinished Introduction Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur ask a great deal of us. We look carefully at the year that has passed, at choices we are proud of and others we wish we had made differently, at relationships that have grown stronger and those that have become strained. We confess, ask forgiveness, make commitments, and consider what still needs to change. The Yamim Noraim call us to take responsibility for what requires our attention.

Responsibility, Belonging, and the Gift of Yom Kippur Introduction — The Part No One Else Can Do There is something deeply personal about entering Yom Kippur. We may stand in a crowded shul, surrounded by familiar faces and joining in the same tefillot, but each of us arrives carrying a year that no one else fully knows. There are conversations that still trouble us, decisions we wish we could revisit, relationships that remain unresolved, and parts of ourselves we had hoped

The Limits of What We Can Know from Where We Stand Introduction — Some Stories Cannot Be Told in a Straight Line There are times when one chapter of a story becomes so consuming that it begins to explain everything else. A painful present can change the way we remember what came before it and convince us that we already know what will come next. What was once meaningful begins to feel as though it never really mattered, while what is difficult now begins to feel permanent. Wi

What Zichronot Teaches Us About Being Fully Known Introduction There are moments from a year that remain with us long after they have passed. We may think about a decision we wish we could make again, words we would take back if we could, or a time when we knew what was right and still chose differently. Other memories involve what we failed to do: something we avoided, someone we disappointed, or a commitment we made but did not keep. As Rosh Hashanah approaches, some of the