by RabbiOlivier | Dec 15, 2012 | Community, Events, General, Israel
We spent part of the day at the beach in Tel Aviv today. It was good, on this second day, to be able to bathe in the sun, get our feet buried in the sand and dip our toes in the Mediterranean Sea. To me, these moments are a doorway to a deeper presence, to a relaxed...
by RabbiOlivier | Dec 14, 2012 | Community, Events, General, Israel
How do you measure time? Is it by watching your kids growing up, your parents growing old, or the wrinkles on your face growing deep? Our tradition measures time from one Shabbat to the next and from one Torah reading cycle to the next. Some measure time by following...
by RabbiOlivier | Dec 13, 2012 | Community, Events, General, Holidays, Israel, Press
Could you pinch me please? I am having a hard time believing it, but we are here—we are all here—in Israel, ready to embark on a new journey of self-discovery through the landscape and the people of this magical land. I took a taxi from the airport to Jerusalem on...
by RabbiOlivier | Nov 30, 2012 | Torah Reflections
Vayishlach Genesis 32:4 – 36:43 Being Present to Our Fear In the previous Torah portion we read about Jacob’s vision of the ladder that came to him in a dream. At the end of that vision God appears to him to say: “And here I am, with you. I will...
by RabbiOlivier | Nov 28, 2012 | Torah Reflections
Tol’dot Genesis 25:19 – 28:9 Why We Need Conflict The twin brothers, Esau and Jacob, wrestled each other since before they were born. At the beginning of this week’s Torah portion we learn that: “Rebekah became pregnant. But the children almost...