by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 21, 2023 | Psalms, Prayer
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz There is an urban myth that Eskimos have 50 words for snow. I don’t know if that is true, but I do know that there are a lot of different words in Hebrew used to describe the same spiritual thing. For exmaple, there are seven names for God in...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 20, 2023 | Psalms, Tests and Trials
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz I hate tests. I never understood the point of throwing a difficult problem at someone in order to see what they know or what they can do. As a teacher, I preferred to sit down with my student and discuss the material. In that manner, I...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 20, 2023 | Psalms
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz I am always amazed that there seems to be a specific Psalm for every occasion and situation. David must have been in constant dialogue with God. This reminds me of the character of Tevye in the musical Fiddler on the Roof. He was always...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 19, 2023 | Psalms, Free Will
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz My best friend, Jack, is a no-nonsense person who isn’t interested in engaging in philosophical or spiritual discussions that he perceives as pretentious or pompous. While I appreciate his straightforwardness, I am always thankful that,...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 16, 2023 | Psalms
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz My first visit to Israel was in 1978 when I was seventeen years old. As a teen on his first trip away from home, I was cynical and more interested in adventure than in any serious endeavors. I certainly had no interest in investigating my...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 13, 2023 | Psalms
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz When I first entered Yeshiva (school for Torah study)Â I engaged in a practice called hitbodedut . Hitbodedut is an aspect of Breslov Hassidut which involves going to a secluded place like a forest and having a dialogue with God. Much of my...