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For our Friends Who are Grieving*
Our prayerbook for Shabbat, holy days, and weekdays includes the Torah text Mi Chamocha. We sang this song in celebration of the crossing of the Sea as we left Mitzrayim/Egypt. We know it wasn’t easy for all of us to join in celebration, and we all certainly didn’t make it through the sea without a
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Hospital, 2026 and The Encounter
In a two- week period my partner had a number of serious medical issues and as a result we had a lot of contact with the medical system. We were grateful to have insurance and such good care, but even so, it was scary and overwhelming. As the partner, I spent some time writing about
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The Hummingbird, Revisited
What a surprise! I was studying Torah and looked at past writings from colleagues on a specific Torah portion I was thinking about. This one was from 2016 by my friend Rabbi Lori Klein. Torah is timeless, so looking at commentaries from any age can be enlightening. I was surprised to see my own experience
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Humbly I Come Before You Today, Blessed with the Gift of Life
I heard the call from the bima (the stage of the synagogue) during the Torah service, for those who had come through a life altering/threatening time recently. Those who hear the call and want to respond, come before the community with our shaken and relieved hearts to say a prayer and mark the moment. (We
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Musings about Sacred Attunement, Jewish traditions at End of life/Mourning, and getting personal.
At a time when so much is unpredictable and completely distressing, I find myself reflecting on what is important. Part I Sacred Attunement In Jewish tradition 70 years is considered a “natural lifespan”, the “fullness of years”. (Pirkei Avot 5:20, Psalms 90). At 83, some have another b’mitzvah, having lived 13 years past 70. As
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Don’t Ever Take an Art Class!
Dolores is an amazing artist. Her paintings are on our walls throughout our home, filled with images of color and shapes with hints of movement, emotion and breath. She gave them to us before she moved from New York to Florida, following the death of her beloved partner of 42 years, Bernice. When we arrived
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Sometimes the Sound of the Shofar is All We Need
During these shocking and precarious times, I appreciate the ritual of blowing shofar so much. Whether it is for Rosh Hashanah, or to sound it as an alarm, or to gather us together in celebration of a rabbinic ordination, it heralds to an ancient sound evoking the Sacred. I start to blow shofar a month
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Spiritual Desert Meets Creativity (another name for G!d)
Recently, someone held up a mirror to me and I saw something which didn’t really surprise me, but required action. In the mirror I saw my life’s work gently accompanying others as they reflect on, notice, and attempt to deepen their relationship with the Sacred. Torah, song, ancestral wisdom, art, writing, devotional listening, dance, and
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A Simple Rabbi and “Being With”
There was a simple rabbi who was known for being genuine and wise. Not just genuine. And not just wise. She understood the sacred task of Being With, of Showing Up. She wasn’t perfect and definitely made mistakes. Many people sought her out to share their sadness, their yearnings, their confusion, their chaos. Some sought
Chaya’s Garden
Welcome to Chaya’s Garden (my blog)
Shalom שלום
You have found the garden where I share my essays, poems, thoughts and sometimes music. A garden is a place where things grow, die, blossom, hide, surprise, struggle, comfort, and are reborn. A garden is a place for renewal and resourcing. I hope you find visiting Chaya’s Garden a healing place for you.
I will share my joy and my heartbreak. I will get personal. I will share what my creative unconscious asks of me. Please join me on this journey.
I will share with you what is on my heart, my anger, what moves me, and the questions that are very much alive within and often spill gently and not so gently out.
I will offer healing thoughts and prayers. I hope to hear yours.
Our Garden!
