Bereishit

I tapped into a part of myself that’s generally under wraps. Mummified, really. This part of me, in case you’re wondering, is my integrity. My authenticity. Not that I’ve been living a lie, but I haven’t been so honest with the world, not even with myself...

Since leaving the Garden of Eden, human impulse is an admixture of both good and evil. Our task is not to squelch the impulse but to mine it, by toning down the “mine” aspect.

We may not be able to save the world, but we can build for ourselves an ark, a sanctum of time—protected and filled with meaning.

It was to be my granddaughter’s first day at playgroup. My daughter had prepared her well. The night before, they had packed her knapsack with some favorite comfort toys. That night I listened as my daughter described how difficult this situation was for ...

Have we become slaves to our things, rather than masters using them to create joy and purpose in our world?

Isn't it amazing how the very things we most need from each other are also the most difficult for us to give?

This weekly study packet is part of theJewishwoman.org “Be a Leader” initiative. Print it out and learn it with your study group.

G‑d gave us a perfect garden, and we ruined it!

With a glint in her eye, eager to challenge me about how I could call myself a Chassidic Feminist—a wig-wearing, religious woman and yet still a proponent of women’s empowerment—a girl slung a quote at me, “To the woman, He [G‑d] said, ‘I shall surely inc...