Embracing Vulnerability – Parashat Shemot
A woman sits on the couch in my office explaining why she doesn’t feel comfortable speaking in class. A man, suffering from past traumas, tries to understand why it is so hard to connect with his [...]
What’s Your Dream of Inclusion?
I recently took my kids to see the Disney Pixar movie, “The Good Dinosaur”. If you’re not familiar with the story, the film explores what the world would have been like if dinosaurs had never [...]
Meeting Our Children Where They Are – Parashat Vayechi
Fair is not getting what everyone else gets; it is getting what you need. This phrase, once the screen saver of Solomon Schechter of Manhattan’s Head of School, Benjamin Mann, is an extremely [...]
Do We Over-Emphasize Learning Styles?
There is no doubt in my mind that EVERYONE has the ability to learn. We just each go about it differently. From Proverbs, “Teach a child according to his/her own way.” But how do you discover a [...]
Moving from Hiddenness to Wholeness – Parashat Vayigash
Joseph, as Pharaoh’s right-hand man, lived as a prince in Egypt, managing the Pharaoh’s response to the all-pervasive famine. He commanded legions of Egyptian workers, oversaw the storehouses and [...]
It Is Better To Be Curious Than Anxious
As parents, each day has the potential for new or unexpected experiences and the resultant unintended consequences. A few weeks ago, I decided to take my younger son to the park on an [...]
Seeing the Whole Person – Parashat Miketz
In this week’s Torah portion, Miketz, Joseph, who has risen to the role of Viceroy of Egypt, meets his brothers after many years of separation. The brothers last saw Joseph when they left him in [...]
Seeing the Ones Who Are Not There
An old disability joke goes: A wheelchair user goes to buy stamps at the post office. She can’t get in because there’s no ramp. She calls to complain. The postmaster says, “That’s ridiculous. We [...]
Did Joseph Have a Disability? – Parashat Vayeshev
Could it be that Joseph was a young man who was misunderstood because of some sort of disability that challenged him? We hear stories all too often of those with disabilities who perplex their [...]
An Intentional Transformation
Rochester’s Jewish community is in the midst of an intentional transformation. The Jewish Federation of Greater Rochester is working with representatives of many of our Jewish institutions [...]
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