Messages from March 2021

Rabbi O’s Weekly Parsha: Tzav (Leviticus 6-8)Roberto Clemente’s Lesson in Job Clarity

March 26, 2021
Leviticus
Tzav

When someone has to do a task that (s)he isn’t looking forward to, it’s common to hear “it’s not very glamorous, but somebody has to do it.” Which means, “this is really awful and meaningless but I have to do it.” But is there another—more positive—way to view these actions, and it is found in […]

Rabbi O’s Weekly Parsha: Vayikra (Leviticus 1-5)Set a Margin so Life doesn’t Just Barge In

March 19, 2021
Leviticus
Vayikra

Margin/märjən/the edge or border of something. Although margins are important for books, we don’t talk enough about the need to leave space for margins in life. In The Gift of Therapy: An Open Letter to a New Generation of Therapists and Their Patients, Irvin Yalom, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at Stanford, says that he never schedules back-to-back appointments. […]

Rabbi O’s Weekly Parsha: Vayakhel-Pekudei (Exodus 35-40) (Parshat HaChodesh)Unlocking Your Potential without Destroying It

March 12, 2021
Exodous
Pekudei, Vayakhel

Unlocking Your Potential without Destroying It[The following idea is from a classic 19th century Chassidic work called Mei HaShiloach (Living Waters) addressing one of life’s great challenges: On one hand we need to realize our significance and that we were created for a unique purpose but at the same time we should realize that our accomplishments ultimately come […]

Rabbi O’s Weekly Parsha: Ki Tisa (Exodus 30:11-34:35)/Parshat ParahThe Language of Smile

March 5, 2021
Exodous
Ki Tisa

Smiles are a way of gaining people’s trust. When we meet someone and they have a smile on their face, we are much more likely to trust them than if they have a stern face or some other appearance. The obvious question is, we all know that it is easy to fake a smile; how […]