RJ Blog

by Shelly Christensen In parashat Bo, “Moses held out his arm toward the sky and thick darkness descended upon all the land of Egypt for three days. People could not see one another. For three days no one could move about; but all the Israelites enjoyed light in their dwellings.” God hardened Pharoah’s heart again leading up to the final plague. While the light glowed for the Israelites, the Egyptians were bound by darkness. It must have been terrifying to live in the thick, enveloping darkness. Imagine living in another kind of darkness; darkness where the light of God never [...]

by Cantor Florence Friedman My introduction to Jewish Mindfulness Meditation took place at a five-day retreat sponsored by the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. At that time, I had no idea that this practice would radically change the way I looked at the world and ultimately lead to a healthier me. Although there were many times I questioned the benefits of this practice and thought I was wasting my time, I persisted with my meditation exploration and felt its benefits. I learned to ride the vicissitudes of life with less angst, less control and more openness and acceptance. I learned to [...]

by Rabbi Michael Mellen “I am outraged,” cried Jewish Ethics after reports that some religious figures in the United States suggest girls should not receive the HPV vaccine. “Really, c’mon,” the notable Jewish leader exclaimed, “this is all about preserving life, caring for children, and stopping a killer when you have the opportunity.” “But what about the sexual implications?” cried out one attendee at a recent speaking engagement. “Sexual implications?” replied Jewish Ethics, perplexed for a moment by the connection. “Oh, you mean that getting the HPV vaccine implies that girls and women may have sexual relations outside of marriage?” [...]

Finding a middle path that allows us to savor life fully while also cultivating spiritual, emotional, and physical health is central to Jewish tradition. Perhaps the clearest expression of this Jewish approach to finding balance was articulated by the great Jewish thinker and physician Moses Maimonides (1135–1204), who taught that through study and cultivation of new actions and ways of thinking, each of us can be elevated to “walk in God’s ways.” Maimonides advocated the pursuit of a middle path in which one is “neither…easily angered” nor, like the dead, “does not feel.”

by Rabbi Andrew R. Sklarz, MSW It was hours before I would step on the bimah and conduct the Erev Rosh HaShanah service. As the nation was reeling from the cataclysmic events of 9/11, I lay upon the examination table of the cancer ward. Was it just weeks earlier that life was normal? Young, carefree, and naively certain of my invincibility, I had scheduled my annual physical. So smug was I upon entering my physician’s office, with no doubt that I would again be labeled “medically boring” and my doctor and I would wax philosophical about our lives, as usual. [...]

by Rabbi Mary L. Zamore Many people mistakenly believe that keeping kosher is linked to healthy eating. Clearly, these people have never experienced highly processed, fat-filled delights like kosher chicken nuggets or Bamba. Yet, throughout history, scholars have tried to rationalize the totality of the laws of kashrut (kosher) by connecting them to health. There have been theories from Philo of Alexandria (early 1st century C.E.) and Maimonides (late 12th century C.E.) who both spoke of kashrut as teaching us to master our appetites, for food and other things; to Rashbam (12th century) who also associated health with kashrut; to [...]

by Rabbi Jonathan Aaron I am a little obsessed with the idea of positive thinking. I have done sermons over the years about not complaining, about speaking nicely to each other (instead of gossiping), and about plain positive thinking. Especially in our era, I believe thinking positively, and expressing joy in life is crucial to our well-being. Jewish tradition has spoken about living life with appreciative joy for thousands of years; the subject is found in our liturgy, in the Torah, in rabbinic literature, modern rabbinical thinking, and every era in between. But it is very difficult to live with [...]

by Craig Taubman How do we keep the introspection of the High Holy Days going throughout the year? Ironically it might happen if we don’t think too much. Abraham Joshua Heschel said, “A Jew is asked to take a leap of action rather than a leap of thought.” Ours is a religion that asks us to act, to do, maybe before we even necessarily understand what we are doing. We recently completed more than six weeks of introspection, thinking, and rethinking. Perhaps the best way we can keep the spirit of the holy days alive is by taking a break [...]

I’ll never forget Sarah. Sarah was a young woman who sought me out for guidance and support during a very troubling time. She had had sexual intercourse for the first time. Not only was she devastated that afterward the guy revealed that he didn’t really like her as much as she liked him, but also she was nervous about being pregnant. They had had unprotected sex. As her rabbi, I held Sarah’s hand as she waited for the at-home pregnancy test to reveal its results. (Thankfully, it was negative.) As her rabbi, I counseled her about opening up to her [...]

by Dr. Susan Klugman, MD I caught her before her head hit the ground. It was close, though. She was about to get her blood drawn at a college screening for Jewish genetic diseases. She met with the genetic counselor, understood the procedure and was just sitting at a chair as the phlebotomist readied the materials to draw the four tubes of blood. Her eyes were fixated on the needle; she felt extremely dizzy and slid out of the chair. As she lay on the floor and was able to speak after a few whiffs of smelling salt, she said, [...]

by Cantor Susan Caro A tale is told of a well-known 17th-century Chasidic rabbi named Zusya, who, when he died, went to stand before the judgment seat of God. As he waited for God to appear, he grew nervous thinking about his life and how little he had done. He began to imagine that God was going to ask him, “Why weren’t you more like Moses, a great leader?” Or, “Why were you not wiser, like King Solomon, or braver, like King David?” But when he faced the accounting before God of his life, God simply asked him, “Why were [...]

by Dr. Noah Nesin “Whoever destroys a soul, it is considered as if he destroyed an entire world. And whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world.” -Jerusalem Talmud, Sanhedrin 4:1 (22a) This is perhaps one of our tradition’s most familiar and most often quoted teachings. I can certainly attest to its frequent citation among Jewish doctors who must take calls on Shabbat, who care about the granting of exception from the Sabbath’s usual proscriptions, and whose healthy egos enjoy the whole “save the entire world” thing. The Babylonian Talmud actually uses more specific [...]

By Dr. Madelyn M. Katz In raising my two daughters, I had always hoped they would have courage to face life challenges with confidence and character. When they were young, I anticipated that those challenges would be the normal – difficult teachers, college rejections, and boyfriends who dumped them. Little did I know… My husband and I have two wonderful daughters, ages 21 and 17. They are caring, funny, insightful, respectful, and, yes, courageous. They have had courage in the face of a whole host of their own mental health and addiction challenges – any one of which might have [...]

Every woman on my mother’s side of the family has died from breast cancer. Each one did everything “right” – yearly mammograms, self and physician check-ups, and, upon diagnosis, the “best doctors,” “best hospitals” and most up-to-date treatments – all to little or no avail. Although my family and I have not been tested, the likelihood is that they carried – and I inherited – the BRCA gene mutation, which means I have a significant risk of developing breast and/or ovarian cancer. What, then, am I to do to increases my chances of never getting breast cancer?