We may want to experience only life's peaks, but there’s another valuable direction in life, too – into the valleys. Our upward movement is balanced by a downward movement, like the angels in Jacob’s dream. We need to embrace both.
Gathering in grief gives us a window into the blessings of life. Jewish tradition does this so well – which makes it all the more difficult to cope with loss in the time of COVID-19.
Rabbi Hillel famously taught, “What is hateful to you, do not do to others. That is the whole Torah. The rest is commentary. Now go and study.” So what does it really mean?
Soul-Making: Living in the Peaks, the Valleys, and Everything in Between
D'Var Torah By: Rabbi Rick Schechter