Conversations with the Rabbi

Hey CSK, what are your plans for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur? Well, have you ever been to the circus?......

If you cannot read the Hebrew above, you should sign up for this class! If you can read the Hebrew above, but don't know what it means, you should sign up for this class! If you can read the Hebrew above and know what it means literally, you should sign up for this class! If you can read the Hebrew above and know what it means, literally and soulfully, you would be a great addition to this class a...

Do you believe that every good and bad thing that has happened to you in your life is a direct result of your own actions?

Breathing Is Easy Without A Knee On One’s Neck by Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

Freedom isn't enough.

Flying Into The Wilderness by Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

What songs are we writing and singing with our lives in this moment? Who do we wish to be? How do we wish to be remembered?

6 or 7 weeks into the "Q" as my sons call it, the novelty has worn off and now we wait. Try to keep safe, rally around those suffering from it or fighting it directly, and resolve our souls to mostly sit, contemplate and stay out of the way. How do we rise to the surface when it feels so dark and gloomy down here?

Weeks continue, in this for a longer haul than most of us fully understood, how do we make the best of it?

Michael Strassfeld, the author of the First, Second and Third Jewish Catalogs is the author of this "Dayeinu for our Time." Years ago, I had the privilege of studying with Michael at a rabbis retreat. He is a gifted scholar and spiritual teacher. May you find enhanced meaning in this wonderfully moving and heart-breaking Dayeinu. Our sages taught, "There is nothing more whole than a broken heart."

What is your essential drive? What makes you you? Because that is what the world needs right now.

Faith is used and abused, both by the "faithful" and the "faithless." Truth be told, I've never met a person who fits completely into either one of these delineations. Faith is indeed a human attribute meant to be "used" like courage or optimism or humility or love. Especially in a moment like this.

Dr Ann Friedman (https://www.mindfulbeinghouston.com/) is my dear friend, supporter of Shma Koleinu and a brilliant teacher of meditation. From her website: "COVID-19: We can all use a little stress reduction! All, due to the impact of COVID-19, we are announcing some changes to our classes and events: 1. Daily Noon Guided Meditations are moving to Facebook Live, effective March 23rd. Please follo...

In the craziness of our time, I wonder how children would direct us.

I had the privilege to hear Naomi Shihab Nye share her poetry at the On Being Conference a couple of years ago. She is radical and challenging and yet soothing and affirming. Her poetry touches me deeply and I wanted to share it with you. This poem, like many of hers, paints an alternate reality perceivable when we shift our perspective just a little bit.

Ok, its been a week since you may have found yourself staying at home or maybe even living with people whom you love but with whom you know, under normal circumstances, distance makes the heart grow fonder. Here's some unsolicited thoughts. If you like what you hear and you would like to make a donation to Congregation Shma Koleinu to help us continue to deliver this kind of content, click https:/...

Even in times like these, the first days are "exciting" or at least they are new. But soon enough they become tiresome and heavy. And we can lose ourselves. Listen to this meditation in striving to find yourself again.

Here's a two-step perfect for you as we enter into this upside down world.

Our wonderful cantorial soloist, Hannah Madeleine Goodman, has very lovingly recorded for all of us the Mi Shebeirach prayer. When the news, the worries and concerns overwhelm you, find a quiet spot, breathe into this moment, flood yourself with images of beauty and joy, and then let this recording wash over you.

For a moment of reflection before heading into the beautiful "sameness" of not getting to go to work or school, something we may very well have wished for a bunch of weeks back.

With Covid 19 in the news (and don't forget the Flu in general!) here's a little reminder about how hand washing is not only good for your body, its good for your soul!

Dr Marc Dollinger is CSK's Federation Shabbat Limmud Scholar in Residence Feb 14-16, 2020. He has been inspiring Rabbi Scott since he was a teenager (literally) and more importantly, he is a renowned scholar on subjects that pave new understandings of Jewish self-understanding in our day and age.

Take 5 minutes, whatever your family's normal dinner table ritual is, and share your thoughts and prayers with each other. Maybe play this for all to listen to.

Don't pay much attention to the dangers lurking in your home? Consider it! Its a truly spiritual pursuit!

Chanukah and well, Judaism can be confusing. Here is a little primer to help you out! For the full text of the blog and the link to the video referred to, click here: https://www.cskhouston.com/hearourvoice?post_id=966690