Category: Gratitude

Shabbat Shalom

Sing a New Song is Psalm 96 that we sing as part of the welcoming of Shabbat in our Kabbalat Shabbat Service every Friday evening.

At this time, we are staying apart to guard against spreading the Corona Virus.  But we will emerge, hopefully using this time to reflect on who we are and what is truly important.  We will be singing a new song!

Enjoy Moshav’s rendition of Carelbach’s tune to the special words of the poem that is Psalm 96.

Shabbat Shalom!

What are you grateful for?

A friend and rabbi introduced me to this question at the Friday night Shabbat dinner table.  She asked everyone there to share the highlight of their week, that thing, person, or event for which they were most grateful.

We have since embraced this beautiful tradition at our Shabbat Table.  It gives us a chance to welcome Shabbat with gratitude and a fuller heart at the end of what is often a very tumultuous week.

Each day the news seems overwhelmed with negative stories about how we are in decline as a culture, a nation, a world.  War, famine, climate change; we are, to quote Barry McGuire, on the eve of destruction. But the world is filled with beautiful things.  Good people acting with love and selfless generosity.  The beauty and majesty of our planet. And many other things that often get overlooked by the current crisis or calamity.  We need to find space to appreciate the good so we can help it to spread.

As we enter Shabbat, take a moment to embrace that special thing that happened this week worthy of gratitude.    Welcome Shabbat with something special.

What are you grateful for?

Shabbat Shalom

I/Thou and a parking ticket

I saw the meter maid stepping towards the back of my car to get license plate info.  The meter had expired a few minutes before and like clockwork, she was there at the ready to write the ticket.  I called out “Excuse me Ma’am!” and started to cross the street hopefully catching her in time.  As I stepped off the curb, I felt a snap in my knee and down I went.  The pain was excruciating.  She looked up and saw me.  I knew I had to get to her so I limped over as best I could, needing to catch my breath before I could say anything.  She reached out to me to help me and asked if I was okay.  We started to talk and she made it clear that she would not leave me until I was safely in my car.

She went from “meter maid” or “traffic enforcement officer” to caring human being.  Actually, she was a lovely caring human being all along.  It took me a while to realize that.

I do not know who she is.  I never got her name.  I reached out to the Parking Authority to try to find her and say thank you.  They likely do not get too many of those kinds of letters.

And as I was sitting in my car, gaining my composure, I could not help but notice the person a couple of cars behind me frantically waving a ticket in his hand as he ran towards a confrontation with my good Samaritan.

So thank you my nameless good Samaritan.  Thank you for sharing your humanity when I needed it.

 

 

 

A year-end message from Rabbi David Levin

Thank you for your support. Since our launch, Jewish Relationships Initiative has connected with thousands. It is an astounding number and I am deeply gratified that our message of Helping Seekers find Meaning using Jewish Wisdom has been successful for so many. But we have so much more to do. It is an ongoing process. New people are always welcome to connect so they can continue on their journey. Veterans of our site come and go as they find the need. Jewish Relationships Initiative is committed to the personal connections we make and the connections we make to community.

We thank you for your support and ask that you donate to Jewish Relationships Initiative so we can continue to do our important outreach work Helping Seekers find Meaning. Please click on the Donate button to help us in our work.

Todah M’rosh,

Rabbi David

Happy Thanksgiving 2017

Wishing everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving.

This is an interesting year indeed. It seems that each day brings new issues testing us in new and often uncomfortable ways. However, this Thursday is Thanksgiving. Let us take time to celebrate our many blessings. For many of us enjoy a bounty. Try to use this time to gather loved ones, families and friends, and recognize the many reasons you have to be grateful.

Let us also use the time to acknowledge we have a long way to go on the journey to fully realize the values that guide us. For there are too many in our country who do not fully enjoy all of its blessings. This is the time to rededicate our efforts to make this a kinder, gentler and fairer place for all.