I have a Ph.D. in philosophy from a philosophy department that espoused analytic philosophy, which focuses on the meaning of words. I am therefore probably the last person you know who would tell you to ignore the words of Yom Kippur – the words of the liturgy and the words spoken in sermons during the day. Read more...

Dear Friends,  In just a few days we'll all stand together on Yom Kippur, physically distant from one another, but powerfully connected by the shared openness in our hearts - to deeply loving, intentionally living, and thoughtfully forgiving. Kol Yisra'el Aravin Zeh La-Zeh. All Jews - that were, that are, that will be - are inextricably bound together in service of God, Torah, and Israel. We feel much gratitude for being able to share in this journey together with you, imagining a present and future that is worthy of our rich past.  Read more...

Erev Yom Kippur is a special night for many reasons, one of which is that it is the only service for which nearly all Jews arrive on time. We hurry to synagogue and rush to take our seats because we don't want to miss the liturgical highlight of the year, the majestic and heartbreaking Kol Nidre chant, which must be completed in the twilight moments before the sun sets. For those magical minutes of Kol Nidre, as we are elevated from the routine sphere of our day-to-day lives to a higher spiritual plane, we sense that something solemn and awesome is taking place. Read more...

Dear Friends, We now find ourselves completely enmeshed in the Aseret Y'mei Teshuvah, The 10 Days of Repentance. These sacred days leading up to Yom Kippur encourage us to look deeply at our lives, our actions, and our dreams for the future. No problem, right? We thought we would offer some help in directing you to a few of the major things worth thinking about this year.  Below you'll find our latest DVD, Choose Life IV: Holy Day Conversations.  Read more...

"The people you know the most, you know the least" and "If you blink at the wrong moments you can miss the whole movie" are two of the one-liners of my friend and teacher, Rabbi David Zeller (of blessed memory, d.2007) that I hold on to forever. In the first he reminds me to stop and listen to what is being said, perhaps my friend or sibling are saying something I never heard them say, never could imagine they could actually say such a thing. The second statement reminds me to be conscious as to when I keep my eyes open when I turn away from what is in front of me. Read more...