Today is Day 12 of the Omer Counting, and in so many ways, it reflects powerful lessons that resonate with my own journey out of my gender closet, and indeed, all of the colonial closets that teach us to hide our true self so that we can conform with this world. In many ways, this … Continue reading Omer Day 12: the Torah of emerging from our colonial and intersectional closets
Tag: #healing
Decolonizing the Omer Counting: Day 5 Reflections on Healing
Today is day 5 of the Omer count as we seek to integrate the following two spiritual qualities: hod (humility) and hesed (loving-kindness or compassion). The theme of this week is to begin integrate "hesed" or Loving-Kindness into every aspect of ourselves and, in so doing, in the Universe. In this we understand the idea … Continue reading Decolonizing the Omer Counting: Day 5 Reflections on Healing
Counting the Omer: Day One of the Healing Journey
Tonight is the first night of the counting of the Omer, a spiritual practice designed to help us in our healing journey from the liberation of Passover to the revelation of Shavuot. For the next 49 days we will reflect upon the ways that G!d's Light shines through us and into this world. The extent … Continue reading Counting the Omer: Day One of the Healing Journey
My six month prayer for healing
It has been six months since October 7th. Six months ago: everything changed. Our broken, traumatized/traumatizing and divisive world became even more terrifying and polarizing. We have turned on one another and on ourselves and against others in ways that are splitting and dissociative and lethal. Our hearts and souls have been crushed... our trauma … Continue reading My six month prayer for healing
Our Evolving Understanding of G!d and Gender: Reflections on the healing power of Joy
I am honored and grateful for to have been invited to speak at Kolot Mayim Reform Temple's Building Bridges virtual speaker series on the theme of L'dor V'dor: From Generation to Generation. I hope you will join me on Sunday, March 3rd at 3PM Atlantic (3:30 PM NFLD/2PM Eastern/11 AM Pacific Time), on "Our Evolving Understanding of G!d and Gender". I look forward … Continue reading Our Evolving Understanding of G!d and Gender: Reflections on the healing power of Joy
Healing our upside down world: Tu Bishvat Sabbath Prayer Service
Last Friday night, our growing Chavurah Collective gathered, some together over a potluck, with the services streaming over a crowded dinner table, while others, chilling comfortably with a glass of wine or a cup of tea, on their sofas or gathered at their computers and chatting with one another during the worship service... reveling in … Continue reading Healing our upside down world: Tu Bishvat Sabbath Prayer Service
The Two-Year Anniversary of the Conversion Ban
Today is the two-year anniversary of the criminalization of conversion “therapy” in Canada. I use the word “therapy” in quotation marks because it is NOT therapy, although therapists and others may try to use that term. Calling it “therapy” actually makes the profoundly dangerous practice even more potentially lethal. It is part of a broader … Continue reading The Two-Year Anniversary of the Conversion Ban
A Blueprint for Healing: The Holiness of the Words we use and the Liberating/Decolonizing Questions we ask
This past Shabbat, Jews around the world began studying the biblical book of Exodus, by immersing ourselves in the Torah Portion (assigned biblical reading) of the week. The first section is called: Shemot, which literally means "names" and corresponds to the beginning of the story of Exodus, as the Children of Israel awaken to their … Continue reading A Blueprint for Healing: The Holiness of the Words we use and the Liberating/Decolonizing Questions we ask
A Hanukkah Meditation for Light, miracles and healing
At a time of brokenness, we often need extra help to kindle Light and allow Light to shine through us and into this world. This guided meditation is intended to help. May it become a vessel for healing miracles for you, and through you, our world. https://videopress.com/v/Teo384zX?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true
Praying for canaries in coal mines
This Shabbat, the Jewish world's sacred text was Noach (Genesis 6:9-11:32; Isaiah 54:1-10) which describes the story of Noah and the story of Babel. Noah built an ark to survive the great flood, and as soon as the earth was dry, he planted a vineyard, got drunk and engaged in incest. The moral of the … Continue reading Praying for canaries in coal mines
Introducing the Chevruta Project
The Hebrew language is called "Lashon HaKodesh" (=the holy language). Jews believe that G!d used Hebrew words to create the universe: as the book of Genesis says, "G!d spoke and the world came into being". According to the rabbis, words have the power to create or destroy. If we use our words to cause someone's … Continue reading Introducing the Chevruta Project
Emerging Torah as Rabbi Nachshon emerges 