Today is May 8, 2024 /
Today is May 8, 2024 /
The intense hours of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur are behind us; days are cooler, evenings come earlier. Sukkot arrives and leads us to the door — to dwell outside, in a makeshift home, with a roof so flimsy it might easily blow away. Exposed to the elements, outside of our daily comfort zones, we Continue Reading »
I have a new hero, and it’s a bit embarrassing. Embarrassing to admit that I’ve studied and taught this character for decades and always assumed he was the anti-hero, the person we shouldn’t become, the epitome of someone who was impelled by a mistaken zeal to lead a mistaken life. My anti-hero has become heroic. Continue Reading »
When I heard her compliment, I said to myself, incredulously: “Me?! If she really knew me, she wouldn’t have said that.” And just like that －I became a grasshopper. According to the midrash, the spies returned from checking out the Land of Israel on the 9th of Av. Standing in front of the nation, they argued against entering Continue Reading »
At Ayeka, we believe that Jewish education must be broadened to engage the whole student in his or her uniqueness: mind, body, heart, and imagination. Only when students personally connect with the material will they find it truly meaningful. We partner with six day schools of different denominations across the country to train teachers in our Continue Reading »
An educational consultant recently told me that teachers often teach what they feel most comfortable teaching, and not necessarily what their students need to learn. I know I was guilty of this for many years, though I always rationalized to myself that what I was doing was for the well-being of my students. I think Continue Reading »
Well-being has become the god of today. Everything we do is evaluated in terms of whether it promotes or diminishes our personal well-being. Does our daily routine offer us more health, happiness, and prosperity? Will it maximize our sense of personal satisfaction, diminish stress, and enhance our sense of meaning? Does it detract from or Continue Reading »
I once asked a rabbi: “How is your personal relationship with God?” Speechless, his face went white. Then, before he answered, I asked him a second question: “When was the last time you were asked that question?” This time he could answer: “Never.” I have raised this question countless times with rabbis over the past Continue Reading »
For almost 20 years, I’ve been taken by the idea that the Haggadah is constructed as the movement from silence to words to song – the enactment of freedom through the very modality through which we express it. Meaning, at the beginning of the Haggadah, there are no stories, no tales, no history lessons. There Continue Reading »
Becoming a Soulful Parent’s Director Dasee Berkowitz and Pardes Institute’s long-time educator Tovah Leah Nachmani invite you to learn about some of their most meaningful ideas they have used at their seders in these new Pesach-themed episodes of their podcast, Inspired Parenting. We hope it can inspire your own! How often do we share our Continue Reading »
