On the 25th of the month of Kislev in the Jewish calendar, Jews around the world will light Chanukah candles in their homes. This act commemorates the miracles that occurred at the time of the...
The performing arts have a legitimate place in public religious ceremonies. In fact, a religious ceremony is in itself performance art of the highest order. The preparation and presentation of a...
What do you see when you look at my face? Loneliness, isolation, seclusion? What do you see when you look in my eyes? Dejection, desperation, dreariness? I am a Muslim woman, after all. I am both...
There is a lot of talk about mitzvos in Judaism. So what are they and what do they mean to me? The word mitzvah has been interpreted in a number of ways. Sometimes it means a commandment. Often it...
Recently, I went to see the film Heretic. I was curious about what it would portray about religious thinking, and I wasn’t disappointed. I won’t spoil the plot of the movie here, but I will discuss...
The idea of transcendence often brings to mind something other-worldly, or beyond our normal sensory range. It is a concept that has developed in many spiritual traditions. Dictionaries remind us...
Our society is sometimes fixated on demarcating the boundaries of identity. Anyone with a dual or multiple identity can testify to this, including those who are mixed-race, or who do not conform to...
What can we do to find relief when we feel anxious, threatened, or stuck in patterns of low moods or spiraling thoughts? Whether this is caused by unpleasant interactions on social media, the...
When I was little, I was an idealist, and my dream was world peace. Then I entered adolescence and became convinced, to my great dismay, that things had already gone so wrong in the world that my...
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