Posts by Asher Gottesman

After watching the most recent debates on television, I am so saddened by the state of our country, and really, by the state of the world as a whole. We are all so divided, with such strong feelings toward opposing positions and viewpoints, that it seems as though we are living in a world that…

It always seems like bad things happen to good people, and good things happen to bad people. When we look at the world through this perspective, it can be especially hard for us to look at the world as a truly just place. Is the world a just place? I mean— if we look today…

In the past, I have mentioned to you that I have struggled with anxiety for some time now. This anxiety is uncomfortable to deal with— as I often feel tense, and there is also another major drawback to it, in that it often leads me to having a real lack of patience. The ultimate struggle…

Rosh Hashana— the Jewish New Year, falls on this coming Friday evening, and has never had more meaning to me than it does this year. Traditionally, it has been taught to me that on the Jewish New Year, all that will happen in the coming year is decided, both for the world in general, as…

Yesterday evening, I had the opportunity to participate in a Native American sweat lodge, and it was truly an eye-opening experience. The ritual that the guide performed prior to us entering the lodge really reaffirmed for me the knowledge that we are all truly connected to one another. The Native American elder blew sounds from…

Have you ever found that when someone is speaking to you– especially when their viewpoint is different than yours– while listening to them, you will immediately begin crafting your response? Rather than listening to what the other person is saying, and determining why they are saying it, we are often so quick to go on…

“Love is the highest of emotions. We are commanded to love God with all our heart, soul, and might. But it is also, in family contexts, fraught with danger. Love brings joy. It also brings tears. It brings some people close, but makes others feel distanced, rejected.” The wise words of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks always give…

Last week, I was taking an outdoor cycling class, and the instructor kept telling us to listen to the beat, and to do our best to stay on the same foot as one another. The instructor wasn’t so much interested in the choreography of what we were doing— he was interested in reminding us that…

Sometimes, the simplest epiphanies are the ones that have the most massive impact on us. And sometimes, these insights and realizations are centered around something we already know, yet thus far have chosen not to practice. When we experience these epiphanies, and set out to put our realizations into play, these minor shifts in our thinking…

I have been reflecting on a conversation I recently had with a friend of mine, who suffered the terrible, unthinkable misfortune of losing a child to cancer. This friend endured a massive, life-changing loss, yet they still always seem to be happy and upbeat, despite their misfortune.   I was speaking to him the other…