god
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
Sounding the Shofar: How Then Shall We Live?
The other morning, I found a note in my mailbox from a dear friend. The subject raised for discussion pertained to confession and absolution. This is a timely message as we are in the period of the High Holy Days… Continue reading
-
The Vulnerable and the Venerable Mystery
What does it mean when someone asks you to pray for them? What does the request say about them and you? Prayer is a topic that we relate to public worship, a liturgy. Our engagement in private and personal prayer… Continue reading
-
A PERPLEXING QUESTION
Perhaps I have been asking the wrong question. Ben Azzi used to say: “Despise no man and consider nothing impossible for there is no man who does not have his hour and there is nothing that does not have its… Continue reading
-
ONE VOICE IN A CHORUS OF VOICES
“A new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph” (Exodus 1:9). What are my obligations in these times of the emergence of a dictatorship, political discord, and economic chaos? I am merely one voice in a chorus of… Continue reading
Charles van Heck's Woodhull Journal 