Leigh explains how he translates the shema into American Sign Language and teaches his ASL version.

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By Darby Jared Leigh from Ritualwell.org

"The State of the Jewish Union is… Meh, we’ll see. Education is the beating heart of Judaism. Where the secular world sees wisdom as a means to power, Judaism sees wisdom as an end unto itself. ‘Torah L’ishma, Torah study, learning for it’s own sake,’ for the sheer holiness of the endeavor, is a distinctly Jewish goal..."

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"Many Jews have ambivalent feelings about the Occupy Wall Street Movement ... Americans are not upset that there is income inequality in this country, but rather they are upset that it seems that now those in the lower economic echelons do not get a fair chance at raising themselves out of their current state ... We have a lot to teach about sustaining hope and the power the simple act of hope has to propel people forward to achieve great things..."

A mezuzah, no matter how small or how grand, is the essential marker of a Jewish home.

Rabba Kaya Stern-Kaufman of Great Barrington MA founded The Interfaith Peace Chant. The Chant group meets monthly at the Quaker Meeting House in Great Barrington,MA to pray together from all faith traditions, for Peace. We have had spiritual leaders attending and leading chants from the Christian, Sufi, Sikh, Native American, Buddhist and Jewish traditions so far.
The vision statement is:

Being a Rabbi without Borders means looking at the rabbinate in ways not grounded in any movement. It means that we must concentrate on ideologies and actions that unite us — and fight against the forces that seek to disjoin us. It means looking at new ways and avenues to bring healing to a world. Working with the Good People Fund for the past three years, our congregation has been involved with McRoberts, Kentucky — a community in the heart of Appalachia.

"The public discourse about Jewish education reform has given birth to many innovative and often highly creative solutions to the Hebrew afternoon school of the twenty first century. We have been rewriting curriculum, revising textbooks, and restructuring the very foundation of synagogue learning. However, the Jewish community of educators and administrators have paid little attention to the heart and soul of good teaching: the teacher!..."

"...Perhaps we can find a way to at least weigh the options when a new technology is introduced rather than just use it because we can. Apparently the Amish would have a community process and weigh the pros and cons of each new technology...They made technology a conscious choice, not some force that was foisted on them without a peep of resistance.

"...This year, perhaps we could all benefit by not only rebalancing our financial portfolios, but also our life portfolios..." More...

Opinion by Steven M. Sheldon and Rabbi Brian Strauss, published in Chron.com, Houston Chronicle, 12/30/11

"Rabbi (Drew)Kaplan, who travels around Long Beach, Riverside and Orange County on behalf of SoCal Jewish Student Services, was also selected to participate in Rabbis Without Borders. Rabbis Without Borders (RWB), a landmark initiative from Clal..."

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by Ilene Schneider, from Orange County Jewish Life, January 2012