"I love this quote, not just because it is from the great English novelist Charles Dickens, at the opening of a Tale of Two Cities and not just because it could so easily be describing our world, our country today, but also because of the acknowledgement of the paradox of it all; hope and despair dancing together obliviously. It reminds me in a bizarre way of this scene from Fiddler on the Roof:

"I am a born again Jew – at least I hope to be by the conclusion of Yom Kippur this Wednesday night. Of course, when most people hear the words ‘born again,’ they assume the next word they will hear is, ‘Christian.’ While that is an entirely reasonable assumption, it misses the fact that one can be a born again Jew as well, and the promise of that possibility is central to understanding the holiest day in the Jewish calendar — Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement...."

Rabbi Irwin Kula talks about Yom Kippur, the day of atonement and the opportunity we have to examine the the palette, texture, composition and perspective that shapes our lives. It is also a time to increase our awareness of the artist...

The Wisdom of the Holidays series was made possible by a grant from Odyssey Networks.
Produced and directed by Diva Communications.
9/19/12

Rabbi Irwin Kula talks about the significance of Rosh Hashana; the Shofar calls out to each of us to wake up and attend to our lives, to make sure that we become aware of the other levels of meaning in our lives.

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The Wisdom of the Holidays series was made possible by a grant from Odyssey Networks.
Produced and directed by Diva Communications.
9/12/12

"Six things that will help you make sense of the Jewish New Year, which begins sundown on Sunday...."

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From Brad Hirschfield’s blog in the Washington Post’s "On Faith" Column — For God’s Sake

"Judaism is all about life – love of life, reverence for life, building new life. But life also brings death. The pessimist says, “You begin dying the moment you are born,” not only referring to the steady decline of our own lives but also the universe around us. We consume resources to clothe, feed, educate, and protect; we use up animals, plants, water and air as we spiral along the continuum from birth to death.

"...What I found then, and see unfolding today in the wake of the attack in Libya, is a verbal war between those who think that religion, or Islam in particular, is the problem, and those who insist that there is no problem of violence in Islam or religion in general. Essentially, we have reductionist haters lining up against dangerous apologists.

Michael Stock interviews Irwin Kula in anticipation of the September 9th American Jewish New Year performance. Rabbi Kula speaks about religion in 21st century north America and asks the question: Does your religion help you flourish in your life?

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Folk and Acoustic Music with Michael Stock, WLRN (Public Radio, Miami-Dade)

"Rabbi Owen Gottlieb believes that the future of Jewish education is in games — both video and analog, like card and board games. Gottlieb, 38, is a doctoral candidate in education and Jewish studies at New York University and is the director and founder of ConverJent, which designs and develops games for Jewish learning and is incubated at Clal...When asked about the video games he’d like to see, he said: ‘I hope to spread the practice of hevruta, the study of sacred text in pairs,

You deserve a second chance, even if it's your hundredth one.

This Rosh Hashanah give yourself that next second chance, and perhaps even offer one to others in your life.

Download the Rosh Hashanah Card as a .pdf file