Thought of the Week

For most of my life I have put people on pedestals, only to knock them off when they behaved as humans do. Additionally, I have watched how dangerous it is to be a leader who assumes the role and puts themselves on a pedestal. I have spent many years soul searching to understand why I…

Leadership, morality, ethics and beliefs are not always transmitted to the next generation by example. We can be great leaders, we can be moral, and we can be ethical; however, if we don’t spend time with our children and we aren’t present for the next generation, it isn’t a given that they will continue our…

This is a very sensitive topic, yet I think it’s really important to discuss, and even more important, to take the needed action. I’m a part of a mental health community striving to help people help themselves, and I believe we have failed miserably when it comes to treating suicide. Suicide has such a strong…

How do you handle situations when you have changed your mind, when you have decided, after sometime, to institute a boundary that you haven’t before? How do you explain to someone that the behavior that you seemed to be okay with for so long, just isn’t okay?  I have found that communication is the key…

God, prayer, spiritual practice, and soul connection are all ideas I think about daily.  I begin each day with gratitude, thanking God for all the good in my life while turning it over and surrendering the uncomfortable.  Even with this practice, it took me a very long time to come to terms with what I…

I’m extremely curious how each individual—regardless of belief—makes sense of the non sensical in this world. How do people process these things? Furthermore, what are we doing here on earth, and lastly, is this it? I was having a conversation with a friend last night and she was saying that her friends believe in the…

Music is such an important part of my life. It makes me feel spiritually connected, helps me connect with myself and to God, and lifts my spirits. Music enhances my mood, and it’s the way I feel closest to my creator.  In the Jewish religion, almost all prayer has some sort of tune, whether it…

Great leaders have many qualities, but humility is usually not one of them. With rare exceptions, they tend to be ambitious, with a high measure of self-regard. They expect to be obeyed, honored, respected, even feared. They may wear their superiority effortlessly—Eleanor Roosevelt called this “wearing an invisible crown”—but there is a difference between this…

In the portion of the week, the Torah discusses the idea of commandments which don’t make sense, yet we are still obligated to keep them. The Torah isn’t superfluous or controlling—it’s not looking for ways to play mind games—so why must we do things which don’t make sense?! With modern science, we have become acutely…

I have been noticing in my personal life that there are certain habits that are so obvious to me—whether they be physical habits like eating and exercise, spiritual practices such as meditation and prayer, or personal commitments to speak kindly and respectfully and not engage in gossip. While these are all areas I know I…