faith
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A Letter to an Unknown Person
Suffering and mourning are aspects of the human condition. Suffering is an aspect of our “spiritual personality” and awakens us, if we allow it, to place greater value on our worth, and that of others, and the preciousness of our… Continue reading
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Freedom and Responsibility: What is Asked of Us
Our Jewish life is both a personal and a communal journey towards Mount Sinai in freedom, and then with a conscious commitment of responsibility moving into the world to bear witness to the blessing of a meaningful life—one of respect… Continue reading
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Two Voices, Different Moralities and the Choices We Make
What do we mean by “the right and the good?” How should one differentiate between the two? How we answer these questions has broad implications for our lives, whether we are Jewish, Christian, or secular in our values. Continue reading
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Time and Time Again
A Poem On the third day, when morning comesOn the breath of songs birds sing,Three women enter the lower gardenTo cleanse their dead, but discover an empty tomb.The grave is what holds us, not thoseWomen who found the courage to… Continue reading
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Food and Remembrance: The Parallels of Faith
Do you eat with intent? In my parents’ house, our evening meals were served precisely at 5 o’clock. We gathered at the table, recited a blessing, then dined together as a family. There was an understanding that my father’s employment… Continue reading
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To be “resilient optimists” in a Time of Crisis
In my hometown of Oakland, New Jersey, there are two lakes: Mirror Lake and Crystal Lake. My family home was on Mirror Lake, which was commonly known as “Little Lake.” I recall the summer days when we neighborhood children gathered… Continue reading
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Searching with a Lantern
The summer of 1966 was a difficult time for me. In the spring, my father had died suddenly. My mother had decided I should attend Boy Scout camp for a week. In the weeks leading up to it, I had… Continue reading
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Advent and Chanukkah: Lights in the Darkness
A curtain of silence drapes the late autumn and first days of winter. There is a sense of expectation. In the solitude of quiet nights, I find hope and the desire for renewal and deepening of faith in the flickering… Continue reading
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Dreams and Expectations
Tomorrow morning, I will be giving the D’var Torah (a sermon) on Genesis chapters 25:19-28:9. I am honored to have been asked. Below is the text. Derasha: Tol’dot, 22 November 2025 The words of the Torah are like fragments of… Continue reading
Charles van Heck's Woodhull Journal 