Two Prayers for Hanukkah Hanukkah focuses on the miracle of the oil, which allowed Jerusalem's Jewish community to keep the Temple candelabra burning for eight nights while having barely enough oil for one. The feast commemorates the rededication of the Holy Temple (the Second Temple) in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt against Greek oppression in the 2nd century BCE. During each evening of Hanukkah, a candle is added to the menorah. Here is the blessing over the...
After fifteen years in my beloved al-Hadiyah (the Gift) hermitage in Colorado’s San Luis Valley, I moved into a one-bedroom apartment in Tucson, Arizona. I knew the shift to city living would be a jolt, and it was a comfort to hang familiar art on the walls. You step into my living...
In our digital age, I am amazed at how much we have to say, and how quickly, about persons or events. Just as we have a slow-food movement to counter fast-food culture, we need a slow reaction movement. Sometimes speed is essential, and sometimes speed kills. We need discernment. That takes time and discipline. For...
Simple children’s books are sometimes deep inspiration for adults. This is true of Jerusalem Sky, written and illustrated by Dr. Mark Podwal. This beautiful book begins, “With wonders and miracles, the sky over Jerusalem touches the world below.…...