”With our youth and with our elders, with our sons and with our daughters we will go. For it is a feast of our Lord.”
-Exodus 10:9
Welcome to the new season of the ‘Raising Holy Sparks’ podcast. This year, we will be focusing on Jewish concepts and will be experimenting with ways to take them out of the theoretical and turn them into the practical.
Continue reading “Practical Judaism – Bo”
“The Israelites were led out of Egypt on account of three things: they did not change their names, language, or clothing.” -Midrash
Welcome to the new season of the ‘Raising Holy Sparks’ podcast. This year, we will be focusing on Jewish concepts and will be experimenting with ways to take them out of the theoretical and turn them into the practical.
Continue reading “Practical Judaism – Shemot”
“And Joseph saw that his father had placed his right hand on the head of Ephraim… and it was BAD in his eyes; so he took his father’s hand to remove it from the head of Ephraim to the head of Menasheh.”
-Genesis 48:17
Welcome to the new season of the ‘Raising Holy Sparks’ podcast. This year, we will be focusing on Jewish concepts and will be experimenting with ways to take them out of the theoretical and turn them into the practical.
Continue reading “Practical Judaism – Vayechi”
“Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come forward to me.” And when they came forward, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, he whom you sold into Egypt.”
-Genesis 45:4
Welcome to the new season of the ‘Raising Holy Sparks’ podcast. This year, we will be focusing on Jewish concepts and will be experimenting with ways to take them out of the theoretical and turn them into the practical.
Continue reading “Practical Judaism – Vayigash”
What is the difference between a ceremony and a holiday?
In a wedding ceremony, for example, you perform rituals and recite specific words with the intention that you will try your hardest to fulfill them. You are committing yourself to those ideas.
A holiday is a celebration of someone else that did the hard work of dedicating themselves to an idea. You are merely applauding their efforts.
Welcome to the new season of the ‘Raising Holy Sparks’ podcast. This year, we will be focusing on Jewish concepts and will be experimenting with ways to take them out of the theoretical and turn them into the practical.
Continue reading “Practical Judaism – Hanukkah”
“Once Joseph had a dream, he shared it with his brothers..”
-Genesis 37:5
Welcome to the new season of the ‘Raising Holy Sparks’ podcast. This year, we will be focusing on Jewish concepts and will be experimenting with ways to take them out of the theoretical and turn them into the practical.
Continue reading “Practical Judaism – Vayeshev”
“To wrestle with, or doubt, God is perhaps the strongest form of faith.
In the same manner that you may gently rebuke a loved one for not being there in a time of need, questioning the existence of God is about pointing out a lack for the sake of developing a stronger relationship.”
-Rabbi Misha Clebaner“Thy name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for thou hast wrestled with God (sar el) and with men, and hast prevailed.’
-Genesis 32:29
Welcome to the new season of the ‘Raising Holy Sparks’ podcast. This year, we will be focusing on Jewish concepts and will be experimenting with ways to take them out of the theoretical and turn them into the practical.
Continue reading “Practical Judaism – Vayishlach”
“Sleep, especially deep sleep, is like a balm for the brain,” says Dr. Joshi, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford.
“The better your sleep, the more clearly you can think while awake, and it may enable you to seek help when a problem arises. You have your faculties with you. You may think, ‘I have 16 things to do, but I know where to start.’
Sleep deprivation can make it hard to remember what you need to do for your busy… life. It takes away the support, the infrastructure.”
Sleep is believed to help regulate emotions and its deprivation is an underlying component of many mood disorders, such as anxiety, [etc].”
“Jacob came upon a certain place and stopped there for the night, for the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of that place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place.”
-Genesis 28:11
Welcome to the new season of the ‘Raising Holy Sparks’ podcast. This year, we will be focusing on Jewish concepts and will be experimenting with ways to take them out of the theoretical and turn them into the practical.
Continue reading “Practical Judaism – Vayetze”
“Jacob then gave Esau bread and lentil stew; he ate and drank, and he rose and went away. Thus did Esau spurn the birthright.”
– Genesis 25:34
Welcome to the new season of the ‘Raising Holy Sparks’ podcast. This year, we will be focusing on Jewish concepts and will be experimenting with ways to take them out of the theoretical and turn them into the practical.
Continue reading “Practical Judaism – Toldot”
“And Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening.”
– Genesis 24:63
Welcome to the new season of the ‘Raising Holy Sparks’ podcast. This year, we will be focusing on Jewish concepts and will be experimenting with ways to take them out of the theoretical and turn them into the practical.
Continue reading “Practical Judaism – Chayei Sarah”
Rabbi Misha Clebaner 