Thank you for choosing to join me and artist Jacqueline Nicholls on this 40 day journey into a new year. I hope these reflections on the ripples of our being inspire private introspection and public conversation. Here’s today’s post:

Prepent Day 28

I slammed my toe on the chair and out came a frustrated F word. The young B Mitzvah student, sitting in my office, looked at me surprised: “Are rabbis supposed to be saying that?” Oops.

There’s auto-pilot stuff like expressions we blurt, reflexively, swear or curse words or even thoughtless “have a nice days” with no eye contact. These are only some of the ways that barely conscious living that can be cute or silly or damaging or just unpleasant, and in some ways can represent an untrained mind – or a bit too big of a mouth.

Today: Discipline. Decision for Precision. Dedicated intention for thinking before speaking and aspiring to more conscious being, toe slamming or not. Words matter. When we say Shana Tova today and in the days to come – let’s take the time to really mean it, replacing auto-pilot with upgraded intentionality.

– Rabbi Amichai

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Very excited for Lab/Shul’s fifth season of High Holy Days, back in Tribeca. We invite all ages to return to center, recharge soul, reclaim community and co-create our widening circles of care, compassion and justice.