Friends,
Next week the Palestinian Authority will go to the United Nations to request recognition for Palestinian Statehood. This is a dangerous move for the stability of the region and the security of Israel. Israel is on high alert in preparation for the consequences of this vote. If the UN does not vote for a Palestinian State then there is danger of a third intifada. If the UN does vote and nothing changes because there can be no peace without direct negotiations of the parties, then a third intifada is likely to happen.
I have prepared a few excerpts for your reading as well as links. Stay informed. Next week could be a difficult one for Israel and the peace process.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Karyn Kedar
Today I send you the last message in the counting of the Omer.
I have numbered my days and come to understand that my days are numbered. The finite nature of my life demands my attention and constant consideration. I have been granted daily life in order to think, to contemplate, to be kind, to be purposeful, to be silent, to be energetic, to be God like, to be fully human, to be forgiving, to be in love, to be aware of life with all aspects of my being, with my mind, my body, my spirit.
Consider carefully the words that you use. While it may seem like words are spoken and then they disappear, words, in fact, endure for along time after they leave your mouth.
Blessings too are made of words. They shape the communication we intend with God. Consider these words carefully. Unlike the communication between humans, the words you share with God have an infinite life to them.
Rabbi Kerry M. Olitzky, Life's Daily Blessings
Forever Oneness,
who sings to us in silence,
who teaches us through each other.
Guide my steps with strength and wisdom.
May I see the lessons as I walk,
honor the Purpose of all things.
The most beautiful and profound emotion we can experience
is the sensation of the mystical.
It is the sower of all true science.
He to whom this emotion is a stranger,
who can no longer wonder and stand rapt in awe,
is as good as dead.
