Episode 5: The Power of Habits in Business and Religion w/Rabbi Jevin Eagle

““We are born with innate needs for love, for food, for shelter, for intimacy, and for spiritual meaning… All human beings are programmed genetically with a need for purpose and meaning and connection to the ineffable.””

— Jevin Eagle, Executive Director of BU Hillel

Joining me in conversation for this episode is Rabbi Jevin Eagle. Jevin is a former business executive and is a graduate of Hebrew College Rabbinical School student. He is also currently the executive director of Boston University Hillel. Prior to that, Jevin was the CEO of DavidsTea, a senior executive at Staples, and a partner at Mckinsey and company. Jevin has an MBA from Harvard business school and a bachelor’s from Dartmouth. Before Harvard business school, he helped found Jewish Lights Publishing. He currently serves on the board of directors for Carter’s Inc, the leading brands at apparel marketer for babies and young children. Continue reading “Episode 5: The Power of Habits in Business and Religion w/Rabbi Jevin Eagle”

December 19, 2018October 18, 2019

Dreams do come true (kind of)

Leviticus 25:4 – “But in the seventh year the land shall have a sabbath of complete rest, a sabbath of the Lord: you shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard.”

Leviticus 25 and Deuteronomy 15 spell out the logistics of the utopian dream of the shemitah (Sabbatical) and the yovel (Jubilee) years. Continue reading “Dreams do come true (kind of)”

December 14, 2018October 18, 2019

Episode 4: The Struggles Of Being Religious

“In this episode I talk about the moments in my life where I doubted everything. I kept asking myself why bother continue going forward with.. prayer if it doesn’t help me feel, with Torah if it isn’t historically true, etc. Have you had moments like this?”

When challenges arise in your life, whether they pop up in your dating life, or in your friendships, do you ever have the feeling of just quitting and running away. I know I’ve had those feelings. That feeling of wanting to break away and to just start from scratch has popped up more than a few times in my religious life. Continue reading “Episode 4: The Struggles Of Being Religious”

December 6, 2018October 18, 2019

Body positivity; what goes in and what goes out.

“What it means to be a human being is kind of a fusion between those two things, between the soul and the body, that you can’t actually take the two of them apart”

— Reb Misha Clebaner

In this week’s 929 weekly roundup I focus on Leviticus chapters 11 and 15.

Leviticus 11 talks about Kosher food laws. So I reflect on what the origins of those food laws were. Is it all really just about a lack of refrigerators in biblical times or is it about child sacrifice (see below)? Honestly, nobody knows. But the ways in which Jews are relating to how we are eating our food is changing nowadays with regards to the “why” behind our food choices. Continue reading “Body positivity; what goes in and what goes out.”

December 5, 2018October 18, 2019

From Embarrassment to Empowerment

Lev 15:19 “When a woman has a discharge, her discharge being blood from her body, she shall remain in her impurity seven days; whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening.”

Jewish tradition has mixed feelings about what it means to come into adulthood. On the one hand, there is a ceremony put together to celebrate when children become b’nai mitzvah as they are now legally adults. Continue reading “From Embarrassment to Empowerment”

November 30, 2018October 18, 2019

Being able to share our gifts with others, religious fanaticism, and much more.

“The purpose of religious teachings is that you shall live by them, not be sacrificed on their altar.”

— Reb Misha Clebaner

The reflection on these chapters is part of the broader 929 project where you read a chapter-a-day (weekends excluded – so only 5 chapters per week) of the Tanakh/Hebrew Bible.

We are working our way towards February 2, 2022 – when we will have read the whole Hebrew Bible by then! Ahhh! Continue reading “Being able to share our gifts with others, religious fanaticism, and much more.”

November 22, 2018October 18, 2019

Episode 3: Resources and tools for spiritual seekers

“There are so many fantastic resources, programs, and tools available to the modern-day spiritual seeker. In this episode I share some of my favorite resources that contributed the most to my spiritual journey.”

Benefiting from all those that came before me I have learned a lot about what are the different mechanisms that I can use to plug into the universe and to feel that sense of wonder or peace. I hope to share some of those gems with you and that they will be helpful to your journey as well. Continue reading “Episode 3: Resources and tools for spiritual seekers”

November 21, 2018October 18, 2019

Breaking down hierarchies, holding leaders accountable, and much more.

“What are you being called to bring forth into this world?”

— Reb Misha Clebaner

The reflection on these chapters is part of the broader 929 project where you read a chapter-a-day (weekends excluded – so only 5 chapters per week) of the Tanakh/Hebrew Bible.

We are working our way towards February 2, 2022 – when we will have read the whole Hebrew Bible by then! Ahhh! Continue reading “Breaking down hierarchies, holding leaders accountable, and much more.”

November 21, 2018October 18, 2019

No Hypocrites: God Asks You To Walk The Walk

The leading voice of political commentary at the beginning of the 21st century was probably none other than Jon Stewart (and Rush Limbaugh on the right – but with noticeably less cultural sway).

If the core message of his nightly searing commentary had to be boiled down to a few words, it would be this: “the following people are hypocrites,” and then they would cue their patented video clips demonstrating the hypocrisy of said individuals. Continue reading “No Hypocrites: God Asks You To Walk The Walk”

November 14, 2018October 18, 2019

Elevating the stories of women, sharing our light with others, plus much more.

“If we were only able to see, the whole earth would appear to us like a tree on fire, and we would see a tree on fire in every human frame.”

— Rachel Adler

The reflection on these chapters is part of the broader 929 project where you read a chapter-a-day (weekends excluded – so only 5 chapters per week) of the Tanakh/Hebrew Bible.

We are working our way towards February 2, 2022 – when we will have read the whole Hebrew Bible by then! Ahhh! Continue reading “Elevating the stories of women, sharing our light with others, plus much more.”