Ruth Schapira
The Jewish Meaning of Happiness
Happy. It's often a response [I just want them to be happy] to the question "What do you want for your children?" Being happy is what our...
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Ruth Schapira
2 min read
Shabbat is an Island Escape
Every week, I get to imagine the world as it should be. As Friday night approaches, I look forward to the total disconnect I will have...
Ruth Schapira
3 min read
You can listen by writing
Journaling is an incredible tool that I don't use often enough. I'm not sure why we resist the practice of journaling so much. For me, it...
Ruth Schapira
3 min read
What Tikkun Olam really means
Tikkun Olam, תיקון עולם, literally "Repair the World" is a Jewish concept that barely needs definition. Showing up in many places, it is...
Ruth Schapira
2 min read
Your soul is speaking, are you listening?
Aren't I the only one here? What's this business about me, a soul and all this spirituality stuff? There's a lot of talk about soul (not...
Ruth Schapira
3 min read
I wonder who atheists thank?
The saying “there are no atheists in foxholes” presumes that once under the threat of death, the most avowed atheist will plead to God...
Ruth Schapira
3 min read
Why should I change?
How different am I this week than I was the week before? The chameleon has it relatively easy. Spending not too much energy, he gets a...
Ruth Schapira
2 min read
Sacred Relationships
When we encounter another individual truly as a person, not as an object for use, we become fully human. Martin Buber The middle-aged...
Ruth Schapira
4 min read
spirited prayer from an unlikely source
Several years ago, on a lazy Sunday morning toward the end of a weekend getaway, my husband and I were strolling down the main street in...
Ruth Schapira
2 min read
What Exactly is Jewish Identity?
For years, I’ve used the term “Jewish identity”, and never gave it too much thought. As a Jewish educator, the talk among my colleagues...
Ruth Schapira
2 min read
Funny, I only hear from you when you need something.
The more distance there is between times of connection, the more distant you feel...
Ruth Schapira
3 min read
The Business of Life
For most of us, these times are difficult and as many have said, this year has wreaked plenty of havoc in our lives. If we even begin to...
Ruth Schapira
3 min read
Add your light to the darkness
In the times of Noah, there was total lawlessness in the world. Just 10 generations (according to tradition) after Adam, the world is in...
Ruth Schapira
2 min read
sharing my Jewish journey with you
(Posted originally on “Reclaiming Judaism”) This blog has become an intimate part of my life. I began writing it in 2011 as part of a...
Ruth Schapira
2 min read
A corona Yom Kippur
If you would have asked me what words come to mind when I think about Yom Kippur, the word joy would never have made the top ten list....
Ruth Schapira
3 min read
I needed to make the first move
It was not hard to take a back seat to my own spiritual growth. As a youngster, I dutifully attended High Holiday services but felt that...
Ruth Schapira
4 min read
The True Jewish Meaning of Love
This is a new experience for me, responding to a reader request! After reading a post on Gratitude, I was asked to write about Love....
Ruth Schapira
3 min read
The Secret Hebrew Meaning of Gratitude
The Joy of Gratitude Hebrew is a language with deep meanings that go way beyond an outer definition, and to understand foundational...
Ruth Schapira
3 min read
Are you afraid that Klal Yisrael will disappear?
Will our connections with each other slowly melt away? Clearly, we are not paying attention Or taking advantage of obvious opportunities....
Ruth Schapira
3 min read
Questioning the boon of Zoom Judaism
In my memory, there has never been so much Jewish content available online, for free. Podcasts, interviews, seminars, webinars, zoom...
Welcome to my blog archive. You can read new posts on Substack.
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