Inspiring Story


Skill, Wisdom, and Heart

How do we gain in skill? For that matter, what is a skill? Many assume that it is an ability that comes from tireless practice. Others connect it to formal training or schooling. Still, more ascribe it to innate talent. Few attribute it to God. Whatever one might believe (or not believe) about God, it may be worth delving into what makes a skill innate – part of who we are, easier to acquire and hone, or something that gives us joy and purpose. This week’s Torah portion, Parshat Tetzaveh (Exodus 27:20......

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Take the Long Way: Parashat Beshalach

In my family, we have the concept of the “Stanton shortcut.” It pertains to an unnecessarily long path that my father, my brother, or I take when going from one place to another, leading to wonderful adventures or learning opportunities – and a far longer duration of travel than any of us anticipated at the outset. We’ve taken some wonderful “shortcuts” all over the world, using many different modes of transportation, and we continue to revel in the time we wound up spending together en route. Evidently, this is far from an......

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"Birah Doleket"

Monday night, I saw Ani DiFranco in concert. For those of you who don’t have lyrics from “If He Tries Anything” as your yearbook quote, she’s a folk rock singer-songwriter whose powerful lyrics about feminism, abortion rights, and fighting oppression have buoyed many Gen X and elder Millennial feminists. She was like a beloved older cousin who taught me that being fierce, feminist, and angry were a-okay – and, in fact, that anger was an appropriate response to the world around me. The last time I saw her live was in 2004......

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Knowing the Past to Build the Future

Both of my kids have bad allergies, so every time I see my daughter scrunch her nose and widen her eyes, I know she’s about to sneeze – even before she does. In fact, when I ask her to get a tissue in advance, she’ll often respond, “I don’t need one!”…and about five seconds later, it turns out that I’ve predicted the future. Seeing the future is an integral part of both this week’s portion, Vayeilech, as well as the yamim nora’im, the Days of Awe. In this week’s short portion (only one chapter),......

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