Rabbi Samantha Natov

“We are either rushing or resting. One or the other,” Rabbi Samantha Natov observes. But dwelling in our sukkahs, being both outdoors and indoors, teaches us to “dwell in contradiction,” she says. “Instead of running from one moment to another, we can strive to integrate peace into whatever moment we find ourselves in.”

“Hayom, the sound of the shofar implores us to wake up,” says Rabbi Sam Natov. “This is the time to allow our hearts to break open. It is only when we are present to that which causes us pain that we can move with it and grow…”

In an increasingly digital world, “we have flattened and simplified our interactions with one another and even, at times, our expectations for ourselves,” says Rabbi Samantha Natov, imagining a world where we always choose community, connection and life… On Erev Rosh Hashanah, she says: “Tonight, we engage in the work of teshuvah as a community. The energy of our prayers is exponentially enhanced by being together. We are spiritually enriched by each other’s presence.”

Each day after we wake, “we ask God to open our eyes,” says Rabbi Samantha Natov. What are we missing because we’re too busy looking at our phones or our feet? As we approach the High Holy Days, “may we open ourselves up to new avenues of perception.”

“Loving can be challenging,” says Rabbi Samantha Natov — as evidenced by the internal strife that threatens to pull Israel apart. “May love guide us and reunite us.”

In this week’s parashah, Zelophehad’s five daughters win their appeal to Moses — and God — to inherit their late father’s land, blazing a new trail for all the daughters of Israel. “We can only imagine how this momentous event shifted their sense of who they were within society and what was possible for them,” says Rabbi Samantha Natov. “This struggle against injustice never ends — yet from struggle, blessings may come.”

“It’s amazing how we can be so immersed in our own selves that we don’t see what’s right in front of us,” says Rabbi Sam Natov. In this week’s parashah, even Balam — a prophet — is unable to see the angel blocking his path until God opens his eyes. “To see means being humble enough to open ourselves to a different perspective.”

“We usually count up when we don’t know what to expect,” says Rabbi Samantha Natov as we mark off the 49 days of the Omer, the time between the second day of Passover and the start of Shavuot. “The rabbis, in their wisdom, had us count this way in order to embody the experience of the Israelites — walking into the unknown.” Who knows what our journeys will bring?

Rabbi Samantha Natov turns to this week’s Parashat Kedoshim (Holiness Code) to answer this important question. The code “may at first glance seem to be hopping from topic to topic,” she says. “But if we look carefully we can see how these laws work together to implement boundaries that honor the dignity of each person, fostering healthy relationships.”

Rabbi Samantha Natov ponders why the high priest Aaron remained silent following the untimely death of his sons Nadav and Avihu. Amidst the rise in shootings and violence in our country, she asks, “What about our silence? When is our silence complicit in enabling tragedy?”