As we count each of the days of the sefira, we are meant to realign ourselves. The goal is to hold back what needs to be held back and push ourselves into those awkward uncomfortable places that ultimately make us into better people.

Passover, in many respects, is among the most accessible and relatable moments on the Jewish calendar. It invites us to immerse ourselves in the Jewish narrative in a way no other holiday does.

We live in this world that tells us: If you have problems, the answer is outside of you. If you're looking for truth, it exists somewhere else. If you want to grow, you need to leave your hometown, your community, your world. And that was the compulsion I had throughout college.

Jews seeking a spiritual connection often find it in Buddhist philosophy where practices such as meditation and mindfulness are both central and accessible.

In our age, many identify a spiritual life precisely with an otherworldly attitude, one that looks upon physical things as somehow destructive. We need not be chained to this toxic split.

Many people associate the word "Torah" with the Five books of Moses, but according to Jewish wisdom, the Torah and what was given at Mt. Sinai was much more than a book.

I was invited to attend the Dr. Phil show last week to offer commentary on their feature story about a young and beautiful woman who had a tale of unsettling circumstances in regard to her Hasidic background.

The Kabbalah Centre's founders and leaders have taken the reputation of an ancient and noble tradition and have sullied it for their own gain. Kabbalah deserves better.

As O'Donohue says, "There is a place in you, still, where there is a seamlessness and tranquility. And the intention of prayer, spirituality, love, is to now and again visit that inner sanctuary."

During Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, for the first truly extended period of time, I returned to myself. I got to experience myself in a state of completion, and got to see and feel who I am when I am whole.

On Yom Kippur in traditional synagogues people would weep. They would beat their chests as tears streamed down their faces. But for many to display genuine feeling in public is an embarrassment.

Yom Kippur arrived softly in Elephant Canyon. Tall cliffs of red rock and yellow sandstone framed the light blue sky. The moon rose bright and clear. There was no one around for miles.

Editor's note: There is a great Jewish tradition to dedicate the 29 days in the month of Elul to study and prepare for the coming high holy days. The ...

Editor's note: There is a great Jewish tradition to dedicate the 29 days in the month of Elul to study and prepare for the coming high holy days. The ...

The realization that awakening is a never-ending process is a core spiritual insight taught by all great religious teachers, and these teachers have left us a map of the stages of awakening.

As the poet Novalis wrote: "Inward goes the way full of mystery." The more we explore ourselves and our souls, the more complicated, multilayered, profound and baffling we become.

The notion of an infinite chasm between you and G-d is simply not true. It is not a vertical relationship of G-d up there and you down here, but a horizontal one. Your own soul is G-dly.