Can we practice joy? A gentle reflection for Adar on memory, mindfulness, and how small moments of presence can open the door to natural joy.

This week's Torah portion Shelach recounts the story of the spies sent by Moshe to scout the Land of Cana'an before Am Yisrael enter the...

What Mindfulness and Passover Can Teach Us About Freedom The holiday of Passover, also known as the Festival of Freedom, commemorates our...

Mindfulness and Gratitude Practice: The Song of Ha’azinu In this week’s Torah portion, Ha’azinu, Moses starts his farewell as the people’s leader with a song. Just as he sang a song of thanks and praise at the Red Sea after the Children of Israel were led out of Egypt, so he concludes his leadership with a song. The song is a history of the people of Israel and lessons that can be learned from all their experiences. He appeals to them to listen to these lessons, such as keepi

Free Will and Parshat Nitzavim In this week’s Torah portion, Nitzavim, we are told that there are blessings and curses before us, and we should choose life. R. Shimshon Rafael Hirsch explains that “choosing life” means that there must be effort and thought on our part. It doesn’t happen by chance. Free will is one of the cornerstones of Jewish belief. But are we really free to choose? Maimonides in his Mishneh Torah teaches that the question of free will is “longer than the