.יוֹם זֶה לְיִשְׂרַאֵל אוֹרָה וְשִׂמְחָה שַׁבָּת מְנוּחָה Yom zeh l’yisrsel orah v’simcha Shabbat menucha. Your gift to those who strive with You is joy and light: Shabbat Menucha. As we approach the Sabbath we are reminded of creation, the Exodus from Egypt, and the holiness of the day itself. It brings us closer to the Divine and refreshes our souls. The gift of the Shabbat brings the light of God's presence into our lives, it warms our souls and opens our hearts to the “midot”—attributes of compassion, forgiveness, love, and partnership with God in repairing the world. Shabbat is a window looking into the “world to come,” the olam habah, a vision of a world healed, at peace, with justice and freedom as its foundation—the Garden of Eden, resurrected from the story of the beginnings of our universe. Shabbat is a lesson in how we might be able to live joyously basking [...]

Yisrael (Jacob): We struggle with God and prevail.  The concept of struggling with God—and prevailing—is in our name, our history, our collective DNA, and in our very soul as a People. To think that we Jews are one thing—that we think alike, act alike, vote alike, live alike, or even die alike—is not the true picture of who we have been, who we are, and who we will become in the future. Our collective name is B’nai Yisrael, the children of Israel. We are the spiritual descendants of Sarah and Abraham; Rebecca and Isaac; Leah, Rachel, and Jacob. The children of Israel, all tribes and generations, are like any other family: we will disagree, fight, estrange ourselves from one another, and we may not always heal the wounds inflicted upon each other. But our definitive characteristic—struggling with God—means that we are inquisitive, that we constantly question what we and others do, we [...]

Look around and see miracles. As we’ve just celebrated Thanksgiving and Hanukkah is on the horizon, I am reminded of my childhood and how excited I always was during this time of the year. I loved the way that Jews embraced the annual American holiday of gratitude. My mother and I would walk to the bus stop on Laurel Canyon Blvd. to take the 15-minute ride to Adat Ari El so that I could attend Religious School. She would drop me off and then continue to my aunt’s and grandmother’s house to await my 6:10 p.m. arrival for dinner. That 10-minute walk from Adat Ari El to their house was filled with wonder. Already dark outside due to the daylight savings time change, I would look up to the night sky and the stars would talk to me. I would let my mind wander, thinking that Hanukkah would be coming [...]

What’s in a name? This week’s Torah portion is rich with stories of our ancestors, their families, and their growth as a People. We learn about jealousy, hatred, companionship, revenge, and spiritual growth. We learn that even our very names can define who and what we shall become. Jacob is alone the night before he meets his brother Esau for a reconciliation. We are told of his dream with a supernatural force. An angel appears before him. They struggle, they fight, and Jacob prevails. After this battle, his name will change from Jacob to Yisrael, which means “one who struggles with God and survives.” At this pivotal moment Jacob transforms. He is no longer the trickster, the selfish brother we’ve learned about. Now he is a person who has come face to face with the Almighty and has walked away changed; he is a new man. “Jacob” means “heel”—stubborn, hardened, [...]