This past summer I had the pleasure of officiating the wedding of a wonderful couple named Robin and Jonathan. I had the pleasure of officiating weddings of many wonderful couples but it was particularly meaningful to officiate Robin and Jonathan’s wedding because it was intended to occur in the summer of 2020 but was delayed… Read More from Rabbi Amanda Schwartz’s 2022 Rosh Hashanah Sermon
As I was dancing with my wife and closest friends, seeing one of our favorite bands, The String Cheese Incident, on a perfect Sunday evening at Red Rocks for our annual tradition of catching their July Colorado run, I looked around, took a big deep breath and smiled. I saw friends and family dressed in… Read More from Rabbinic Intern Dan Yolles’ 2022 Erev Rosh Hashanah Sermon
Shana Tova, happy new year, it’s so good to be back together this year. I’d like to share a personal story that relates to the themes of Kol Nidre. This past winter during the Omicron wave, I realized, yet again, that living through the pandemic was taking a toll on my physical and mental health…. Read More from Rabbi Caryn Aviv’s 2022 Kol Nidre Sermon
Hi everyone, I’m Rabbi Caryn Aviv at Judaism Your Way. Can you BELIEVE it’s almost August? How did that happen? We might be in the fullness of summer, and yet, here at Judaism Your Way, we’re deep into planning the High Holidays for late September. Also, I just scheduled my daughter’s first visit to a… Read More from Gam V’Gam – Both-And
Irish poet and former priest, John O’Donahue, used the word “threshold” to describe a transition from one life moment to another. He wrote that “to acknowledge and cross a threshold is always a challenge…. this is one of the reasons that such vital crossings were always clothed in ritual.” A few weeks ago, my family… Read More from Transitions, rituals, and an unveiling
The idea of transitions and how we deal with them is found throughout religions and cultures. The following is an excerpt from a Book called “To Bless the Space Between Us.” It was written by John O’Donohue, an Irish Priest. He was a poet, philosopher and scholar, a native Gaelic speaker from County Clare, Ireland…. Read More from To Bless the Space Between Us
Love Is In The AirBy Rabbi Amanda Schwartz “It’s summer and love is in the air!” It’s summer and love is in the air! One of my favorite responsibilities as a rabbi is getting to officiate weddings. It is such a sacred moment standing with a couple under a chuppah, a Jewish wedding canopy, as… Read More from Love is in the air
Good Jewish Education is ExperientialAmy Kopkin Atkins Reb Zalman Schacter-Shalomi z’l once said, “Our ancient faiths have become oververbalized and underexperienced. We talk too much and feel too little.” The Passover seder that many Jews just observed is a way to get back to the essence of our Judaism. We taste, touch, and sing to… Read More from Good Jewish Education is Experiential
Religious Freedom Day RemarksRabbi Caryn AvivThursday, April 21 at the Colorado State Capital Good morning, thank you for being here, and thank you to the organizers of this event. This week, Jews and our loved ones are celebrating Passover around the world, where we retell the dramatic Exodus narrative from the Torah, also known as… Read More from Religious Freedom Day
THIS IS A REPOST FROM ejewishphilanthropy: OPED ProjectThe dangers of ‘default’ Jewish leadershipRabbi Amanda Schwartz The dangers of ‘default’ Jewish leadershipBy Rabbi Amanda Schwartz It’s been 50 years this year since the Reform movement began ordaining women as rabbis. Despite the fact that it’s been half a century, and in most liberal Jewish denominations there are… Read More from The dangers of ‘default’ Jewish leadership