Thought of the Week

If we wish to live in harmony within our world, it is absolutely paramount that we reach a point of making peace with our dark selves. In my life, it has been a recurring negative self-appraisal— or might I say, a nightmare— that I have what I choose to call ‘impostor syndrome’. Very often, I…

It is undeniably important that we seek to practice empathy and kindness for others and their struggles, yet at what point does empathy become toxic, and kindness become inappropriate? On that note, we all want to make the people around us happy, but how do we know if we are really just people-pleasing? With so…

“Love can turn curses into blessings. It is the only force capable of defeating hate. Love heals the wounds of the world.” Maimonides, a 12th century philosopher (and so much more) made the above statement. His words carry so much weight, and I have spent a great deal of time reflecting on their substance and…

Raising children has to be one of the most difficult jobs we have on this earth, and while it can definitely be one of the most rewarding experiences, it can also be extremely devastating.  Last night, a family I know lost their child. You would be hard pressed to think of two more inclusive, kind,…

In this week’s Torah portion, we speak of the story of Korach; Korach was a man who was truly great in many ways, but he was a man who lost his way when he decided to act against Moses.  I once heard a story from a famous Rabbi, who told me that his former reincarnation…

Throughout my life, I have developed a fervent passion for the many causes that I feel are important, and like most people, I hold opinions about the countless issues that are plaguing both myself, and the world. Obviously, opinions do not necessarily always lead to action, and so I often question why I, and so…

I was reading an article today about all of the times America has attempted to bring democracy to war-torn areas, only to fail in its efforts. Only after the fact— and after some collective introspection— have we been able to see that the people in these areas do not always want what we have. The…

As human beings, it is crucial that we identify which of our many needs are most important and should take precedence. I believe that our two greatest needs in life are safety and connection, and while the identification of these two needs has been relatively simple for me, the question remains: How do we go…

Our ability to justify and rationalize our actions is truly immense and at times, astounding. In my life, I have found that when I want to do something– or for that matter, when I want to find a way out of doing something– I am extremely capable of coming up with a story that justifies my behavior…