on s d r wo e som
Reflection
Judaism is steeped in reflection. We revisit the whole of the Torah in a yearly cycle; the text never changes, but we do — and so we reflect anew. Without exception, Jewish holidays, both festive and commemorative, invite reflection, as do life cycle events, whether under the wedding canopy or sitting shiva. And on a daily basis, contemplation is embedded in Jewish liturgy, in every prayer service every day an opportunity for personal reflection.
Passover
offers
an
opportunity
to
explore
transformation
like
no
other
holiday, not even the High Holidays. The High Holy Days invite us inward, towards
repentance.
Passover
explicitly
links
our
inner
liberation
with
liberation in the greater world and does so in the context of love. - Rabbi Lisa Goldman Passover is a time to open our hearts to our inner life. It is a time meant for reflection, a time designated for renewal. The freedom that we celebrate on Passover is the great gift of self-awareness and the potential for selfactualization. It is a blessing to have the ability to break through that which limits us, discover newness in our lives, and strive towards continued personal growth. — Claude Monet We live in a world dominated by speed and distraction, with demands for our attention at every turn. We frequently forget the restorative blessing of stillness, our desperate need for a rest that brings us back to the center of existence. — Rabbi Aaron Goldscheider We do not learn from experience, we learn from reflecting on experience. — John Dewey Spiritually, the only question worth asking about any conflict, any catastrophe, is this: What is my responsibility for it? How am I complicit in it? How can I prevent it from happening again? — Rabbi Alan Lew We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are. — Anais Nin We have to think back on the year that has just ended. And we reflect. What do I want to change? What do I want to keep? How do I want to stretch myself and grow? Consider the start of the four questions of Passover — ma nishtanah, why is this night different? The word nishtanah, different, has the same Hebrew root as the word shanah, year. When we ask why this night is different from all other nights, we are also asking a different set of questions: What do I want to do differently this year? How do I want to be different this year than I was last year? What changes can I make in the year ahead? — Rabbi Jessica K. Barolsky
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