Words with Merle

  As a Rabbi, a paramount role since the onset of my Rabbinate was human connection and communication with temple members. Leading a service is of utmost importance as a Rabbi and a religious leader, but leadership serves beyond the bima. When a Rabbi graduates from school, we walk away with the tools to produce a service, the knowledge to compose a sermon, and the importance of procuring Jewish education for the community we will serve. However, and just as integral, in school, I attained a deeper comprehension of human beings and how my role can impact others.   From my earliest days as a Rabbi and current, I value the integral role I play as a spiritual leader in the lives of my congregants, temple friends, my family, and the local community. As a leader, we often learn more when we open our hearts with compassion to those we serve. For any family, couple, or individual who has asked for my guidance during their easy and challenging times, those are the moments in which I h...

  Meditation, a centuries-old practice has re-gained its popularity over the past few years, particularly during the pandemic. I myself never naturally acclimated to the practice of mediation in the traditional sense of sitting in one spot for a lengthy period, yet as a reform rabbi, I have found aspects of Jewish prayer lay parallel to personal meditation techniques. As Dawn Groves, author of  Meditation for Busy People  writes, “meditation should be a daily practice like brushing your teeth”, and thus, meditation should become a habit we can easily introduce into our day either through a simple walk outside or just basking in few minutes of "you" time. Groves perpetuates the importance of mini-meditations as something we can utilize in sixty-second bouts to achieve a place of calm and serenity. Meditation is a resource that allows us to dig deep in our souls to search for the unknown or often, to obtain the tranquility we hope for. When we meditate, we stop and listen...