Ruth Schapira
What is a mitzvah, really?
Mitzvah. Good deed? Commandment? You might be most familiar with the word mitzvah as it appears in Bar or Bat Mitzvah which is usually...
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Ruth Schapira
1 min read
when you need strength
Inspired by Psalm 46 God is our refuge and strength, God will help us in our troubles, God is near—as near as the air we breathe. We can...
Ruth Schapira
3 min read
Jewish Organizations: The Importance of Acting Ethically
Remaining in Focus What many of us strive for in life is achieving personal integrity, a state of being when our ‘inside’ motivation...
Ruth Schapira
3 min read
Questioning God
“It is because I believed in God that I was angry at God, and still am. But my faith is tested, wounded, but it’s here. So whatever I...
Ruth Schapira
3 min read
Being in the Wilderness: A Shavuot Experience
The quiet allows the voice of our soul to emerge On the week before Shavuot, we begin the fourth book of the Hebrew Bible, known in...
Ruth Schapira
2 min read
If Covid-19 is a test, are we passing?
What if God is waiting for us to cry out? What if all we need to do is to cry out in despair, as Abraham did thousands of years ago?...
Ruth Schapira
3 min read
The Old Testament is not my Bible
Torah is a living entity in my life and is an endless and forever Giving-Tree. It is this imagery that captures me when we lift the Torah...
Ruth Schapira
2 min read
Passover and gratitude in the days of covid19
Podcasts. Virtual tours. Songs. Make-Your-Own-Haggadah. There is an endless array of information and resources about how to celebrate...
Ruth Schapira
3 min read
Do we own our Jewish history?
I read something from an unlikely source that struck my deepest core as a Jew, and came to a full stop at a passage from the first...
Ruth Schapira
2 min read
Shema: Searching for the “One”
The Experience of the Holy This post is not about matchmaking, or even the journey to find your ‘soul mate’. Here, searching for the...
Ruth Schapira
2 min read
Yom Kippur Juxtapositions
How can I reach the heavens when all I can think of is that I need some caffeine? Yom Kippur heightens the juxtaposition between the holy...
Ruth Schapira
2 min read
Woodstock: is there a Jewish part of the story?
Joni Mitchell, Woodstock Woodstock There are plenty of stories about the “half a million strong” that were part of Woodstock, and even...
Ruth Schapira
3 min read
The Fruitless Pursuit of Organizational Self-Interest
Are you only seeing yourself? I am amazed at the ingenuity of companies borne from the vision of a shared economy. Homes, cars, clothes,...
Ruth Schapira
3 min read
Shavuot: reminding me of who I need to be
It is hard for me to personalize Shavuot, though I know there is great spiritual meaning to be found within it. Shavuot is one of the...
Ruth Schapira
3 min read
Will you value your baggage more than a life?
What would you do in an emergency? I heard something disturbing that I couldn’t shake off. This is not what I usually write about, but I...
Ruth Schapira
1 min read
When “Never Again” becomes “Yet Again”
Yet Again? This piece in The Hill, written by Rabbi Steinmetz, senior rabbi at Congregation Kehillath Jeshurun and editor-at-large at...
Ruth Schapira
3 min read
How to Approach Passover Like a Teacher
For those of us hosting a Passover seder, there are often so many preparations we need to do in advance: buying, organizing, cleaning and...
Ruth Schapira
1 min read
Care for Your Soul
How are you tending to your soul? “People are such perfectionists when it comes to clothing their bodies. Are they so particular with the...
Ruth Schapira
2 min read
Purim and Personal Responsibility
This Purim, start a chain reaction against Hatred and Antisemitism When did you need to step up or speak up in your life? Were there...
Ruth Schapira
2 min read
Make Your Mornings Special
How do you wake up every morning? Do you have a particular ritual? In Judaism, we have a tradition of waking up with a declaration of...
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