by RabbiOlivier | Nov 26, 2016 | General, Torah Reflections
I can’t believe we are already coming to the end of our trip. What an amazing experience once again! We have done so much; it is really hard to fathom. I owe a great debt of gratitude to Jana for making it all happen for us, and to Marla, our guide, for making every...
by RabbiOlivier | Nov 23, 2016 | General, Torah Reflections
There is a beautiful parable in the story of Jesus that takes place in the Garden of Gethsemane that we visited today. The story goes that during Jesus’ celebration of Passover as he and his disciples are drinking the four cups of wine, sharing the matzah and eating...
by RabbiOlivier | Nov 22, 2016 | General, Torah Reflections
I have always had a complicated relationship with Masada. The site itself is remarkable. King Herod’s narcissistic paranoia brought him to build seven magnificent fortresses in different parts of Israel, and, if anything else, Masada has to be his crown jewel. The...
by RabbiOlivier | Nov 21, 2016 | Adult Learning, Interfatith, Israel, Torah Reflections
There was a time in my life when I was powerfully attracted by the possibility of living on a kibbutz. When I was 16, I spent a summer in Israel working on a kibbutz in the northern part of the country called Beit HaShitah. I fell in love with the place and the way of...
by RabbiOlivier | Nov 20, 2016 | Adult Learning, Greater Community, Interfatith, Israel, Torah Reflections
How do we heal our world? How do we move past what divides us to create, together, a tomorrow that will be richer because of the pain of yesterday? How do we stand strong for what we believe in without demonizing those others who stand strong for what they believe in?...