This week’s Torah portion, Re’eh, begins with the verse: “See, I set before you today a blessing and a curse.” As we enter the Jewish month of Elul, a time of reflection before the High Holy Days, this verse serves as a reminder to “see” the choices we face on...
In this week’s Torah portion, Devarim, we are beginning the Book of Deuteronomy. Moses begins his final speech, recounting our journey and charging us to move forward, not to be afraid, and for each of us to take a part in the possession of our land. Just as Moses called...
This week at KI, our new kitchen floor is starting to be installed! It has been very exciting to see the process of the old becoming new again. Sometime this month, our kitchen floor will be gorgeous, bright, and new. We will begin creating new memories and moments in this space,...
This week we celebrate the holiday of Shavuot. Shavuot, meaning “weeks” in Hebrew, marks the culmination of a seven-week journey that begins with our liberation on Passover and commemorates the gift of the Torah at Mount Sinai. The meaning of Shavuot as “weeks” reminds us that meaningful experiences often require...
Last Shabbat, I taught a version of the song: “Am Yisrael Chai” (The Nation of Israel Lives) by Eyal Golan. The song was released on October 19, 2023 in the midst of Operation Swords of Iron, and remained the #1 song in Israel for several weeks. In addition, I compiled...
This weekend we will celebrate my 20th anniversary at KI, and our 20 years together sharing prayer, music, love, laughter, tears, friendship, holidays, life cycles and community together. It has been my great honor to share these years with you, and it is my great joy to be your Cantor...
Many of the healthy snacks I make at home tend to fall apart until I perfect the recipe. Healthy snacks, especially on a grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free diet, require a delicate balance. The importance of binding agents in baking often leaves me pondering how to perfect the science of creating...
There are so many Jewish smells that I love- the baking of challah being my favorite, especially before I became Gluten-Free. Scent is extremely important in our spiritual life because it changes our relationship with time and place. A scent can bring us back to memory. I remember my grandmother...
Next week, I will reach a huge milestone birthday!!!! When I came to KI, I was 30 years old. Next week I will be 50, and also this year we are celebrating our 20 years together. There is so much to celebrate and so many events and opportunities for you...
In the beginning of this week’s Torah portion, Vaera, we have doubts about ever being freed from the bondage of Egypt, and God reassures us by telling Moses: “Say to the Israelite people: I am Adonai, I will free you from the labors of the Egyptians and deliver you from...
