Rabbi Menachem Creditor
A Morning Meditation for Caregivers
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Breathe. Experience the love you help others feel. Be right where you are. Silence the other inner voices for a moment. They can wait. Breathe.
VaYigash 5770: “Broken Words”
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Think back to a moment in which words failed you. What was it you were feeling? Anger? Joy? Pain? When Joseph reveals his identity to his brothers, it is because he can’t hold it back any more (“veLo Yachol Yosef”, Gen. 45:1). Judah, the eldest brother has demonstrated his growth by...
VaYeshev 5770: "Righteousness, Justice, and Reuben Fulfilled"
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I've found the multiple roles of citizen and rabbi difficult to untangle, despite a commitment to the separation of Religion and State. It is inappropriate to use my status as a religious leader to push a particular agenda in a civic debate. But, as I've encountered social ideas being shouted in...
Channukah 5770: "Holiday of Rights"
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in memory of Rabbi Yochanan Muffs, z"l My teacher, Rabbi Yochanan Muffs, was a very special person. He taught Bible with unconstrainable passion, and doggedly continued offering small classes for decades at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America despite his long struggle with Parkinson's...
Thanksgiving 2009: "Giving Thanks"
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The experience of Thanksgiving resonates with so much of Jewish tradition. Family, feast, gratitude, and harvest are part of many Jewish holidays, and some scholars believe that Thanksgiving is, at least in part, based on the holiday of Sukkot. There are even those who offer special Tefilot/Prayers...
Reflection: Being a Sacred Vessel in Moments of Tension
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The human body, according to Abraham ben Samuel Abulafia, is a fragile sacred vessel. His program of Jewish learning, therefore, involved altered modes of breathing and bodily vitality to prevent physical harm to the student of the spirit. For every human being is a bridge between this world and...
Toldot 5770: "Unbound"
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[*New Feature*: This Dvar Torah is available as a podcast! Click here for the link & to subscribe: http://tinyurl.com/rcpodcast] It's always bothered me that the Torah doesn't tell us more about Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob, and Eisav and the incredible sequence of events in Genesis, chapter 27. Why...
As One
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Have you ever seen a "flash mob?" (Youtube is full of them.) It is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform a coordinated action, and then disperse. For a brief, fleeting moment, they are one body in motion. I sat tonight in a packed room with others assembled...
A Prayer for Health
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God, may my work feel redemptive even when an ocean of need feels like it will pull me down. May I feel supported when I feel alone in my work. O God, remind me when I fail that I can learn, and that my life is more than my work. O God, remind me when I succeed that I can learn, and that deep...
Time
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Something about time passing makes me sad to be young, conscious of my time passing. Voice changes over time, deepening in tone and wisdom, gaining sadness learned over time. The world doesn't slow down; in fact it just moves faster and faster, and I'm trying to feel as much of it as I...
