…To Women Far and Wideto Participate in a Ground-Breaking, Soul-Awakening Event:The 31st Annual “Purim High Council Prayer and Meditation Happening for Women”(that, for the second time, will be available to the world, via Zoom) Because Shushan Purim is on Erev Shabbat this year which makes it difficult for even Yerushalmim to get back and forth from the Rova, and because people are still concerned about Corona, we are hoping to conduct a zoom Purim High Council Prayer Ceremon

Inspired by R. YY Safrin—Komarna Rebbeכתם אופיר—ביאור משולב Every moment is a communication between HaShem and our soul. Yet, in the fuzzy interface of transmitter and receiver, an enmeshment occurs which makes it sometimes difficult to discern who’s mashpia and who’s mekabel anymore. “The king is entangled in the tresses…” [SHS 7:6]המלך אסור ברהיטים… “King” indicates the lowest aspect of Divine transcendence—the end of a progressive sequence of constriction and concealment,

Every month comes with a bounty of lights, blessings and challenges that are its particular gift to the year. And this fourth month of Tammuz is filled with paradox, in part because of its infamous distinction as the beginning of our fall from grace. The Torah starts its counting of months with Nissan (and Pesach), for that was our birthday as a people. And so, the year begins with a surge of exhilaration, we escape 210 years of slavery and witness the most mighty and corr

On Tisha B’Av we mourn the loss of our House of Holy Presence (aka Bet HaMikdash), the heart of our people, that turns us from a throng into a higher order unity called Kenesset Yisrael, a synonymous term for Shekhina. Without our holy hub it is hard to contain the ricochet of our clashing extremes that produce the causeless hatred that prevents our inner peace. But what is it, really, that we are missing? It is probably not what most assume.

Tisha B’Av, 2022 Sarah Yehudit Schneider This year we have an awkward convergence. Tisha B’Av—the day for mourning the woes of our nation—falls on Shabbos—our day of spiritual delight when it is generally forbidden to mourn (at least publically, as we’ll see). There is a range of opinions about how to negotiate this tension. On one extreme is Rebbi who would recite the traditional Tisha B’Av kinot (dirges) even on Shabbat.[1] Then there’s the Mishna Brura who also emphasizes

Sukkot 5783 / 2022 Sarah Yehudit SchneiderBased on Sod Yesharim, Sukkot #4 Yaakov leaves Aram with his wives, children and livestock. His scouts report that Essav (his aggrieved brother) is approaching with murderous intent. Before these two actually meet, a spiritual battle ensues in which Yaacov wrestles with Essav’s guardian spirit—the angel samekh-mem, who we depict as evil (because he’s always pointing out our failings), but who’s actually more like HaShem’s “justice mi