“It is good for you to take time off your academic pursuits and professional responsibilities and reflect in synagogue on what you want to do with all the knowledge you have acquired,” Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch says.
“The secret of life is to fear what should be feared — but not allow fear to paralyze action and trample upon moral values,” says Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch.
The act of reflecting inwardly is woven into the very fabric of Jewish observance during this time of the year.” Rabbi Samantha Natov inspires us to look inward in the days leading up to the High Holy Days.
“Shame has more power in our lives than many of us realize,” says Rabbi Samantha Natov. When we understand shame as vulnerability, “it becomes about being brave and courageous, rather than timid and intimidated.”
Rabbi Samantha Natov asks: What do we do with a narrative that does not resonate with our values? “If we skip over what is most violent, painful, or repulsive to us, we are denying the truth of human experience.”
Rabbi Samantha Natov calls on us to “exercise hope” by embracing the Jewish values of community, positive thinking, and social justice.
