Few ideas in Judaism have caused as much tension, misunderstanding, and resentment as the phrase  “the Chosen People.”  To many looking in from the outside, it can sound like arrogance — as though the Jewish people believe themselves to be superior, elevated, or somehow more valuable than the rest of humanity. But this interpretation fundamentally misses the point. The Western Wall from The Second Temple Being “chosen” in the Torah does  not  mean chosen  for privilege  — it

Practices to Deepen Your Sabbath and Restore Your Soul A true day of rest doesn’t mean simply “not working.” It means  letting the body repair, letting the mind quiet, letting the heart soften, and letting the soul breathe again. Here are ways to deepen your Sabbath rest — practices that restore the nervous system, revive the spirit, and help you enter into the true meaning of Shabbat: 1. Partial or Full Fasting — Letting the Body Heal A 24-hour fast  (or even a slowed, simpl

Shabbat (a day of rest) — the original Sabbath — begins  every Friday night at sunset  and lasts a full  24 hours . It is the weekly invitation to step out of the world and step into yourself. It is the rhythm of creation, the heartbeat of Torah, and the ancient technology that reconnects you to your  ikigai  — your reason for being. And yet few have ever truly experienced it. The Sabbath as the Weekly Portal into Purpose Shabbat is a profound spiritual and psychological to

Ikigai — a Japanese word meaning “that which makes life worth living” — is not something you chase. It is something you hear inside yourself when the noise of the world quiets. It comes from alignment, not effort. And the Sabbath is God’s ancient design for helping you hear that inner calling. 1. The world is too loud to hear your purpose In daily life, most people are: rushed distracted overstimulated pressured overworked emotionally drained There is no space for reflec

Healing does not happen when you are busy. It does not happen when you are stressed. It does not happen when you are constantly “on,” grinding, striving, thinking, producing, worrying, or running. Healing — emotional, psychological, physical, and spiritual — can only occur when you shift into a state of deep rest . Here’s why: 1. The Nervous System Has Two Modes — and Only One Heals The human nervous system has two primary branches: A. Fight-or-flight (sympathetic nervou

If Shabbat Were Truly Lived: Imagine a world where, once every seven days, human beings collectively stop. No work. No shopping. No travel. No screens. No phones. No noise. No striving. No pressure. Just peace. Just presence. Just rest. That is the world the Torah envisioned when God gave the Sabbath — before Sinai, before commandments, before religion itself — as the first healing practice of a traumatized people. Shabbat was meant to be the great equalizer, the uni

The Sabbath, as God designed it, is the most powerful healing practice in Torah — and perhaps in human civilization. When observed properly — meaning rest , not busyness — it changes everything. Here’s how: A. Shabbat heals the nervous system Modern people live in perpetual fight-or-flight.Phones, schedules, errands, pressures, screens, commitments — constant stimulation. Shabbat, as originally given, is a weekly full-body reset : no travel no work no planning no obligations

There was no synagogue in the Torah. During the Exodus, the wilderness journey, and well into the period of the Judges and early monarchy, Jews did not gather weekly in a synagogue. There were no synagogues yet . The holy gathering place was the Mishkan (Tabernacle), and later the Temple — but it was not a weekly meeting hall. It was for: sacrifices pilgrimage festivals (3 times a year) national moments priestly functions The Torah’s Shabbat command is home-based . Synagog

Exodus 16:29 Most people assume the Sabbath began with the Ten Commandments, spoken at Mount Sinai. The very first explicit Sabbath commandment appears earlier, in Exodus 16:29 , during the manna story — before the revelation at Sinai. “Remain each of you in your place; let no one go out of his dwelling on the seventh day.” (Exodus 16:29) This is before the Ten Commandments, before the tablets, before Moses ascends the mountain. God introduces the Sabbath not with ritual

The Sabbath is not merely one mitzvah among many — it is the doorway into the entire spirit of Judaism. It is the weekly cathedral of rest, the sanctuary in time, the invitation to step out of the world and step into God. Many have called it the most important “holiday” in the Jewish calendar. Yet unlike Passover or Sukkot or Yom Kippur — which come once a year — the Sabbath returns every week , fifty-two times a year. It is by far the most frequent, most accessible, and m

It was, in many ways, far easier to guide people through the wilderness of nature than through the wilderness of life. In the backcountry, the challenges were visible — rapids to be scouted, storms to be waited out, portages to be endured. With a map, a compass, and teamwork, most obstacles could be overcome. But in the wilderness of life, the terrain is unseen. The dangers are inward — fear, grief, loneliness, confusion. There are no physical maps to show the way, and the st

You have to wonder when a child or teenager in school seems to have a hard time paying attention — is the problem really attention, or simply boredom? Perhaps what we label as “inattention” is, in truth, a sign of deep intelligence, curiosity, or sensitivity that isn’t being met by the environment. To diagnose such a child with ADD or ADHD and prescribe pharmaceuticals can sometimes create far greater problems than the original one.Rather than dulling their spirit, we might l

Fly Away Home is based on a true story and is a deeply touching film about love, care, and our connection with other species. It’s a truly heart-warming reminder to cherish and pay attention to those who are closest to us—both human and animal alike. The theme song, “10,000 Miles” by Mary Chapin Carpenter, is truly mystical and fits the spirit of the movie perfectly, carrying the viewer gently on the wings of its emotion long after the film ends.

There’s a famous poster that summarizes the book All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. Simple lessons, really—share everything, play fair, don’t hit people, say sorry, clean up your mess, take a nap when you need one, and hold hands when you cross the street. It’s almost as though life begins on a gentle slope, surrounded by crayons, kindness, and curiosity—and then, slowly, the hill steepens. After kindergarten comes the long march: Years of schooling, higher

Each season has its beauty and its wisdom. Just as nature moves through cycles of growth, rest, change, and renewal, so do we. The seasons are like gentle teachers, guiding us to live in rhythm with life itself. When we pause long enough to listen, we discover that every time of year holds lessons for the heart — reminders of what it means to be alive, to grow, to let go, and to begin again. Winter — Stillness & Completion Winter invites us to slow down, to rest, to turn inwa

To say  “I love you”  to a family member who has hurt or disappointed us can feel like lifting a mountain with our bare hands. Those three words are simple on the surface, but they carry the weight of every unspoken pain, every unmet need, every moment we felt unseen or unloved. When we’ve been hurt, our hearts instinctively build walls to protect themselves. Those walls become stories —  “They don’t deserve my love.”   “They never said it to me.”   “They wouldn’t understand.

There’s a saying that’s been echoing in my heart lately:  grow where you are planted. For so much of my life, I was drawn to the romantic notion of travel — the open road, distant shores, far-off adventures that promised meaning or renewal. But what I’ve come to see is that there are two kinds of travel. There’s the journey across landscapes, and then there’s the journey into other people’s worlds. The second kind doesn’t require a plane ticket. It can happen right by an outd

I recently read about a friend who decided to leave the corporate world to pursue her passion for wine. It struck me how you rarely, if ever, hear of someone leaving the passion world to join the corporate world. No one ever says, “I left painting to work in accounting,” or “I gave up writing music to climb the corporate ladder.” It’s always the other way around — people awakening from the trance of “success” to rediscover what once made their heart beat faster. The corporat

“Social media killed being social," one friend recently said. Few sentences capture the paradox of our times so perfectly. We have never been more connected—hundreds of “friends,” thousands of “followers,” instant access to anyone, anywhere—and yet the human race is lonelier than ever. What used to be shared in person—meals, laughter, stories, tears—has been reduced to scrolling, posting, and “liking” from behind glass screens. The result is a collective emotional famine: sur

Waiting is one of life’s simplest experiences — and one of its most revealing.When we are forced to wait — in a line, for a call, for a person to respond, for our “big break” — we are stripped of distractions and left face-to-face with our inner world. The way we react in those moments is a window into our psyche. If waiting brings up anxiety , it may show how deeply our nervous system has been conditioned to equate stillness with danger. If impatience arises , it can reveal