Personal Stories
What champagne is to celebration; what flowers are to romance; what music is to joy – a story is to life.
There are those that know the place. There are those that know the time. There are those that know the ritual. There are those that know the prayers. And there are those that know how to light the fire. We may not know the place, the time, the ritual, the prayer, or the fire. So we tell the story. A story, more than a recollection, is the bridge spanning past, present and future. A story reminds us, reignites us, and inspires us. A story isn’t merely told. A story is lived. Welcome to once upon a time.
Behar-Bechukotei: Jerusalem 2009
Take the “scoundrel” by its throat and strangle it. Not with your hands or with violence, but with light. Strangle darkness with light. Asphyxiate pain with joy.
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Beshalach: Moscow 2009
Yesterday, Moscow was destroying lives, today it is building them. Yesterday, Moscow all but annihilated Jewish life and morale. Today Jewish life is thriving here.
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Toldot: Beyond Life And Death
My granddaughter just arrived from another world, and has brought us a message of hope. Despite the tragic losses and senseless pain, beyond the incomprehension of it all, life is born yet again.
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The Destruction and Restoration of Dignity
He is still controlled by the dark demon within. He lives in world of shadows, seemingly always on the run. Escaping what? Himself above all. Why they call it “substance abuse” seems odd; it’s not abuse of the substance, but of yours.
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Balak: The Ultimate Stand
A personal story of 2 events on the same day in 1927 and 1967 that shaped the spiritual commitment to Jewish life and history revealing G-d’s Divine plan.
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Noach: Raging Waters
Not only are we never given a challenge we cannot overcome, but from Parshat Noach we learn that every challenge brings us to an even greater height.
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Simchat Torah: Bizarre Journeys
Wherever you go, as difficult as the journey may be it is all for a higher purpose: to redeem the Divine sparks that can only be found in that dark place.
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Yom Kippur: The Kittel
Comforts and freedom often lead to complacency, but Yom Kippur reminds us simultaneously of our troubles and our triumphs, encouraging us to reflect on the mysterious cycle of life.
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Chaya Sarah: Tattoos
Man can transcend seemingly permanent scars or wounds – both physical and psychological – and access the inner recesses of his soul.
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