“Everything that the Merciful One does is good.”[1] That means everything, without exception. Our job is to find that good…and proclaim it. From this perspective complaints with providence expose the chinks in our faith. If we don’t get what we want, then we just need to reprogram ourselves to want what we get. It’s all good, be happy. But if that were the only truth, then what’s the point of our three long weeks of mourning and semi-depression between the 17th of Tammuz and

Rosh HaShana 2013/5774 Sarah Yehudit Schneider Our Rosh Hashana avoda—its soul-searching, lengthy prayers, and special mitzvot—is all directed toward one mysterious aim called “sweetening the dinim”, a holy endeavor that serves both man and G‑d alike. The obvious question is what are these dinim and how do you go about sweetening them and why is it so important at this time of year? The simplistic answer is that dinim are harsh judgments—punitive decrees from on high—that w

by Sarah Yehudit Schneider In Jewish symbology, the masculine archetype conflates with the sun and the feminine with the moon. Based on this equation the Ari maps out a seven-stage sequence from waning to waxing—from diminishment to fullness of stature—that is the secret (and the prototype) of the archetypal feminine. Our messianic goal, says the Ari, is for he and she “to become completely equal.”[1] These teachings apply on every scale, from the inner feminine inside us all

Sarah Yehudit Schneider It is customary to eat fruits and drink wine in celebration of Tu B’Shvat, the Rosh HaShana of fruit trees. And it is fitting to admire each fruit and speak its praises before you eat it. In that spirit A Still Small Voice presents a tribute to wheat. Wheat has a special status in the Jewish tradition. As the staff of life, it is the most important food. A person could live on bread and water for an extended period of time. The thanksgiving prayer rec

PurimBurst 2014 Sarah Yehudit Schneider (1) Remember [1]….(2) to blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under the heavens [2]….(3) Do not forget! [2] Who is this Amalek that three of our 613 mitzvot revolve around him? And how do we “remember to eliminate the memory of something while also never forgetting it?” Isn’t that self-contradictory? The Torah accords Amalek the mysterious distinction as “First of the nations…” [ראשית גוים עמלק…][4]. The midrash explains that this i

Pesach 2014 / 5774 Sarah Yehudit Schneider Rabbi Yosi the Gallilean said: The Egyptians were struck by ten plagues in Egypt, and fifty plagues at the sea…Rabbi Eliezer said: …In Egypt they were struck by forty plagues, and at the sea by two hundred plagues. Rabbi Akiva said: …In Egypt they were struck by fifty plagues, and at the sea by two hundred and fifty plagues. This is the most obscure passage in the Hagada. The rabbis culled our vast body of teachings and created a