Christmas and Chanukah: A Light Shining in The Darkness

Imagine a world without light. I know it can be really hard, right? Without this fundamental element there would be no sight, no plants, no animals, no life; just a cold, dark, lifeless, void. The Christmas season is the time to contemplate the birth of The Light of the World, and the Chanukah season is […]
Donnie’s Walnut-Coconut Crescent Holiday Cookies

Baking cookies and sharing them with friends is part of our family’s holiday tradition. This year, I created a new recipe that I’d like to share with you. It’s a delicious holiday treat (made with spelt, walnuts, and other healthy ingredients) that I hope you’ll enjoy as much as we do! Ingredients: 4 oz butter […]
A Holiday Blessing

At this time of year, perhaps more than any other, we have the opportunity to shine forth our soul’s brightest light. The joyous celebrations and sacred traditions of Christmas and Hanukkah help to connect us with our inner spirit of gratitude, praise, generosity, and love, as well as with one another. At the same time, […]
Beyond Optimism—Cultivating the Virtue of Hope

Optimism can be defined as the non-empirical belief that positive circumstances will result from uncertain or even negative circumstances—in other words, it is the expectation that good things rather than bad things will generally happen. On the surface, that sounds like a positive way to live. But there’s a significant flaw in viewing the world […]
Christmas Blessing

Christmas is preeminently a feast of joy. There’s a gladness that infuses the Christmas season, expressed in the exchange of gifts and warm greetings, the familiar refrains of Christmas music, the decorated tree and lights, and the radiant faces of children with sparkling eyes as they eagerly await Christmas day. During this season, we share […]
Happy Pascha

Pascha, also called Easter, is the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord. Pascha is a transliteration of the Greek word, which is a transliteration of the Hebrew pesach, both words meaning Passover. So I am saying Happy Passover as well.