Our Blog

When I am not with Or Shalom, I am working with individuals and groups who want to deepen their connection with their inner lives, their spirituality. This process is called Spiritual Direction, but it isn’t me that does the directing. I recently came across this beautiful blessing by Joel Kushner that guides our work.

Blessed are you, Source of Direction, who offers to whisper in our ears and hearts, guidance for our way. Allow us to quiet ourselves to hear and receive you fully, and enable us to be like a watered garden even in the parched places of our lives.

Our community is spiritually diverse. Each of us approaches spirituality in our own unique ways, while sharing a common love of Jewish life and community. I offer the above blessing as a reminder to quiet ourselves and listen. This is not an easy thing to do. And we don’t even know sometimes what we are listening for or the source of what we hear. And yet, the process of quieting and listening is compelling.

As we prepare to greet Rabbi Faryn at this tender and special time for Or Shalom, let us continue to listen deeply to that which guides our community and helps us be such a loving, generous, and mindful congregation. And when we make mistakes, let us embrace the process of teshuva. Let this return to wholeness help us grow and thrive, individually, and as a community, making us even stronger.

And let us say, Amen

Artwork by Rabbi Chaya Gusfield