The Spirit Is in the Oil

The rabbis in the Talmud tell us that the Maccabees were unable to obtain a solid gold menorah for the Temple after the desecration. They lacked the means to acquire such an expensive menorah, so, instead, they constructed a simple one out of iron rods plated with tin.

Why was there a miracle for the oil but none for the menorah itself?

If the Maccabees were able to find the cruse of oil, why didn’t they also find the gold menorah inside the Temple’s spaciousness?

The menorah corresponds to the material state of the Jewish people. It is a vessel for holding the oil. The olive oil, on the other hand, is a metaphor for the nation's inner spirit.

It is preferable that the external vessel be aesthetically beautiful, but there are times when the physical reality is harsh and displeasing. During such times, we make do with what we have, even if it means lighting with a menorah improvised out of iron rods.

The spirit is the oil that nourishes a rich inner flame.

The miracle occurred, not with the menorah, but with the oil.

We may suffer physical hardships and even deprivations, but our spiritual life should always pursue the clear pure path of our everyday inner light.

Chag urim sameach (Enjoy the lights and be joyous!),

A Eulogy for the Survivors

I knew him only in death. His son spoke about his father at the burial. A man of courage.

A survivor of the Nazi camps. A veteran of the United States Marines. A voice for tolerance and humanity. A father and grandfather. A man of convictions. A person who took risks for the sake of others. He feared and he feared not.

I knew him only in death. But I knew him and so many like him.

They lived and struggled to make their lives matter. Today and tomorrow, one by one they are being buried in our cemeteries across the world. They bore witness and we bear their legacy. They spoke the awful truth, and we continue to defend their honor.

I knew him only in death. And I will know him in life eternal.

May their memories be a blessing.

Rosh Chodesh Tevet and the Sixth Day of Chanukah: In solidarity with the Women of the Wall, we will pray during the morning service at Adas Israel Congregation in Washington, D.C. (2850 Quebec St NW), on Friday, December 14, at 7:30 a.m. Please come and bring a friend to chant the shema with us in support of religious freedom. I look forward to seeing you there.

Emergence and Convergence

Emerging from a deep meditation is like awakening from a sweet dream where love and compassion and lovingkindness meet to form a blanket of bliss. I breathe in contentment, and it becomes my aromatherapy for a few hours. The toxins and negativity in my life are pushed down into a invisible place where one has to struggle with the key to open the downstairs door. I would rather not investigate the depth of that dreariness.

Instead, all I want to do when I emerge from a deep meditation is to converge with all my best emotions and intentions. I have been rewired, and all the sparks and lights are on fire with passion and purpose.

Chanukah begins the night of December 8. Let's bring on the light!

Passing on Gratitude

Gratitude should be passed on and not passed over.

Every gratitude offering expands your abundance and affirms your blessings.

The unsolicited “thank you” promotes sweeter relationships and a kinder universe.

Suffering Through Our Dreams

Have you ever had a desire so strong and so deep that even the wanting brought with it heart sufferings?

Hannah, the mother of Samuel the prophet (Samuel 1:10), went to the temple and prayed for a child with such furious fervor and wayward weeping that Eli, the High Priest, assumed her to be drunk.

Hannah taught us that to dream big and bold, the soul needs to be drenched in delicious delirium.

In gratitude for those who read and respond to my Spiritualetters, I wish you all a life of Thanksgiving. 

Arrivals and Arriving

Sometimes I find myself waiting for the new arrivals in my life.

In anticipation, I act as if they have already arrived.

I am inside the experience.

I taste the fruits of my laboring.

I sense the singular successes of my own scripting.

Inevitably, I find myself no longer waiting.

I am in the present tense and always arriving at my destination while welcoming the new arrivals one sumptuous sip at a time. 

Our Present and Future Bliss

If you are in the moment, you are in the infinite. -Swami Prajnanpad

How often do we catch ourselves thinking about the near or distant future with a flash of intense longing for what could be?

How often do we catch ourselves refocusing our present and breathing in the wonder of the moment?

All we have is now. All is now. The “now” includes our present and future bliss.