Author: Rabbi Jeremy Winaker

I love a good story. Indeed, the more challenging my life, my work, or the world around me seems, the more I seek out stories. In quiet moments, I will read a book–fantasy, thriller, sci-fi, even romance–to explore an alternate world and perspective. In my career, I go out of my way to hear people’s personal stories, letting their experiences expand my perspectives. So here…

“Two wrongs do not make a right.” This bit of moral advice often goes unheeded, especially when tensions are high. Where the advice becomes a challenge or even falls flat is when one wrong does not seem so wrong, maybe even is a right. Recently, I learned about an even trickier two-some; polarities thinking recognizes that more often we have two rights, or really two…

Optimism is hard to come by these days. From the weather to Philly sports to politics and global affairs, there is so much to lament. I count myself lucky that winter is not usually a downer for me. As I looked for inspiration to hold onto the light of the holiday season or to the growing light of each day, I found myself thinking about…

There is much more to Hanukkah than we normally talk about. From the origin story to the early celebrations and from there to the historical challenges of celebrating and to the themes that emanate today, Hanukkah was never just one thing. In typical Jewish fashion, Hanukkah has always been about at least two truths. That these truths have coexisted in Jewish consciousness and practice is…

What if I were more of a mystic? Would my religious experience be something I physically feel as some sort of spiritual shift from the everyday world? I know I am too much in my head and too much in the details of life to be a mystic, but I do wonder what it might be like to have more of the mystical in my…

I am so not ready for the Jewish New Year. I wish I meant that I am still holding onto summer; after all, it has been hot enough. I also wish I meant that I need to menu plan, shop, and cook for Rosh Hashanah meals; that would not be true, though. No, what I mean is that all of the ritual tools meant to…

Summers are full of stories. From vacation travels to family gatherings, we often leave home and visit other places and people. Sometimes these trips become their own traditions like time at the beach or the ballpark, and sometimes it’s more simply time at the pool or the ice cream parlor. The result of our summer experiences is that we have stories, rich in depth and…

I just returned from a trip to Israel. Along the way, my tour group had a transformational moment in the desert. I was leading a group of college students on a Birthright trip. They hailed from West Chester University, Villanova University, St. Joseph’s University, Thomas Jefferson University, Lehigh University, Bucknell College, Franklin & Marshall College, and Muhlenberg College. Most of them did not know each…