Khag Sukkot Sameakh

Greetings this Jewish holiday season. I love Tishrei (the current Jewish month) and its never-ending series of holidays.

Today I began building my very first personal sukkah. I lived in apartments for many years and couldn't have my own Sukkah. Now that I'm in a house, I bought a Sukkah kit. I can't wait to finish it over lunch tomorrow and use it for all of Sukkot.

You can learn about many different aspects of Sukkot from basic to indepth on My Jewish Learning.

Sukkot challenges us to reflect on the meanings of shelter and the fragility of shelter. This year, with the recent devestating earthquakes, mudslides, hurricanes and storms all over the world, the message seems especially poignant. Each of us is responsible to help the homeless, the displaced and all for whom fragile housing is a daily event.

May the Holy One shelter all, whatever our ethnicity, our faith, our status or orientation.

Beautiful Post on Yom Kippur

Velvateen Rabbi has done it again - a lyrical, beautiful and meaningful post. This time it is on her Yom Kippur retreat at Elat Chayyim and the Isabella Freedman Center. Her thoughts on her exprience flow along with information on Yom Kippur itself. It is a long post, but worth the time.

Yom Kippur

Wishing all my Jewish readers a meaningful Yom Kippur and a realatively easy fast.

May you and yours be sealed in the Book of Life.

Praticing Teshuvah, Living Repentance

I spoke with a friend this evening and we talked through some rough moments in our friendship. It was a long and sometimes difficult conversation. In the end, I we improved our friendship and repaired some past hurts. This is part of what teshuvah (turning inward and bettering the ways where we have missed the mark) is all about.

I pray that your process of teshuvah, growth, reflection and repair is going well.

G'mar khatimah tovah,
May you and yours be sealed in the Book of Life.

Interfaith Site

Shalom and shavuah tov. (Greetings to all as we enter this new week.)

Sister Scorpion emailed me (thanks!) about an inspiring new interfaith internt venture called Children of Abraham. Their site seeks to bring together interfaith youth toward learning, sharing, cultural exchange and growth - great stuff!

I wish them well and I look forward to reading the site.

Shanah Tovah & Ramadan Mubarak

Tishrei and Ramadan are here. On this third day of the month, as we glimpse only a sliver of the new moon, I pray that our lives are waxing as well. Waxing, growing and filling with hope, health, joy, learning and faith.

May the Eternal Wellspring of life grant those celebrating the New Year blessings, hope, joy, health in this New Year.

May the One of Blessing bring depth and meaning to all living the daily fast/feast cycle of Ramadan.

May all of us and the world soon know peace.