By Rabbi Adina Allen
Nothing in our lives is meant to be static and unchanging. Parashat Shemini offers us clues for how we might best nurture a relationship with that which we love—be it God, another person, or ourselves: offer up gifts, make space for the mystery, allow for change.
Read MoreWhat does it mean to change our name? And how can changing our name change who or what we are?
Read MoreBy Rabbi Adina Allen
When we show up in the moment, at the times of transition in our lives, in a state of vulnerability and openness that we become present for relationship with the Divine. For this tender, raw, vulnerable place is God’s invitation in.
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By Rabbi Adina Allen
The name of God in the Jewish tradition is comprised of four Hebrew letters: yud, hey, vav hey. Unpronounceable, this grouping of letters amounts to the impossible conjugation of the verb “to be” and, if it could be translated at all, it might be read as “is, was, will be.” This name contains the promise and challenge of Judaism: to engage the past in a way that welcomes the full reality of the present so that the future may be beautiful beyond our wildest imagination. Tradition gifts us many tools to navigate this path. One of the most powerful is creative reinterpretation — chidush. Chidush, from the Hebrew root chadash, meaning “new,” refers to an original insight on a passage of Jewish text.
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