Best A Dash Of Drash Podcast Musings Podcasts (2025)

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For Episode 116: For the Living - From Auschwitz To Krakow 26:10

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2y ago26:10

26:10

Live from Krakow - Rabbi Greg Alexander from Cape Town, SA joins his old friend and study partner Rabbi Marc as they reflect on an extraordinary few days of riding and reconnecting following the 60 mile ride from Auschwitz to Krakow, Shabbat in Krakow, Ruah - the Jewish Cultural Festival and so much more!…

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Episode 115: The Violin Of Your Songs - A Poem for Jerusalem Day 3:48

2y ago3:48

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Recorded on Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem Day - a complicated day politically, celebrating the capture of Jerusalem in 1967 from Jordan. Inspired by the chorus of Naomi Shemer's song Yerushalayim shel Zahav (Jerusalem of Gold), I wrote a poem called "I am a Violin for all your Songs," read here. May we see peace in Jerusalem in our lifetime!…

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Episode 114: Creativity #4 - Animals, especially dogs! 26:07

2+ y ago26:07

26:07

Rev Pedro and Rabbi Marc continue their 7 part exploration of creation and creativity in this episode about animals, especially dogs and all that they bring us.By Rabbi Marc Soloway

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Episode 113: Creativity #3 - Cloak Of Shadows with Rev Pedro and Rabbi Marc 20:08

2+ y ago20:08

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In this third episode on creation with Pedro and Marc, we reflect on the theme of darkness and shadow and how it plays into the creative process.By Rabbi Marc Soloway

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Episode 112: Creativity #2 - Poetry with Rev Pedro and Rabbi Marc 28:52

2+ y ago28:52

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Pedro and Marc delve deeper into creativity focusing on the power of poetry. They each share one of their own poems and someone else's and discuss the rich world of words.By Rabbi Marc Soloway

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Episode 111: Creativity #1 with Rev Pedro and Rabbi Marc 22:02

2+ y ago22:02

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Pedro, a Black pastor, and Marc, a white rabbi are embarking on a creative adventure together, based on their friendship and musings on art, religion, justice and love inspired by the relationship between Rev Martin Luther King Junior and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. As they work on developing a performance piece together, they reflect on the proc…

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Episode 110: The Joy Of Presence, The Presence of Joy 18:55

3+ y ago18:55

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This is the first Dash of Drash for several months and we hope it brings you joy. As a tribute to the Vietnamese Buddhist teacher of mindfulness and the month of Adar, whose promise is of increased joy and the Chinese New Year, this offering is a reflection of the beauty and complexity of cultivating joy.…

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Episode 109: Burnham Ballads - 2 poems about a special place 3:52

4y ago3:52

3:52

I recently revisited a very special place from my childhood called Burnham on Crouch in the County of Essex on the east coast of England. Some very profound reconnecting with the river, the landscape and dear old friends produced these words. Not the usual fodder of A Dash of Drash.By Rabbi Marc Soloway

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Episode 108: Return to the Land of your Soul 21:47

4+ y ago21:47

21:47

A reflection on entering the Days of Awe and the possibility of returning to the land of our soul. Whatever that means.By Rabbi Marc Soloway

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Episode 107: Smiling behind a Mask 16:53

5y ago16:53

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I have been pondering how you smile from behind a mask on the trail.I wrote a piece about it shared here, recorded on Lag Baomer where there is much reflection about eyes and mouths. What will happen when we come out of the isolation of our caves?By Rabbi Marc Soloway

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Episode 106: Counting Days, Making Days Count 16:04

5y ago16:04

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Today can so easily feel like yesterday and tomorrow, especially right now. Making each day count, imbuing every day with meaning is hard but important. The annual counting ritual of the 49 days of the Omer between two harvest, between redemption and revelation can help us create a daily and deeply personal map for this strange, uncertain journey w…

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Episode 105: A Different Passover - Dayenu 15:18

5y ago15:18

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Some reflections as Passover approaches on a very different holiday in the time of COVID19. Can we still have "dayenu" moments?By Rabbi Marc Soloway

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Episode 104: Keep Breathing 18:50

5y ago18:50

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I stumbled upon a profound meditation practice taught by Reb Zalman about connecting to Divine Breath, which is offered here. These are very difficult and frightening days for most of us as our worlds get smaller and we are confined to our homes. We begin the third book of the Torah this week, Vayikra/Leviticus with its details of animal sacrifices…

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Episode 103: Distancing and Connecting 20:23

5y ago20:23

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In these frightening, surreal days as our world changes in the face of Covid 19, the language of the moment is social distancing. Of course we have to keep ourselves physical apart to contain this virus, but is that the right language? I offer some reflections on how we might navigate this new moment in our lives and our world.…

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Episode 102: A Name and a Place - Honoring MLK's Legacy with Special Guest Reverend Pedro Silva 16:48

5+ y ago16:48

16:48

By Rabbi Marc Soloway

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Episode 101: Ancestral Healing with Rabbi Tirzah Firestone 26:52

5+ y ago26:52

26:52

By Rabbi Marc Soloway

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Episode 100: Godwrestling - Halacha and Aggada, Law and Narrative 22:01

5+ y ago22:01

22:01

In this week's Torah portion, Vayishlach, Jacob wrestles all night long with an angel of God and, in his victory, gets a new name and a new identity - Yisrael - the one who wrestles with God. Wrestling with God can mean so many different things to each of us. In this episode (100!) the focus is on the dynamic tensions that exist in religious and sp…

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Episode 99: Angel of Friendship with Rabbi Greg Alexander 25:05

5+ y ago25:05

25:05

Greg and Marc started their rabbinical journey together over 20 years ago in London. Rabbi Greg Alexander is rabbi of Temple Israel in Cape Town, South Africa and has just finished a sabbatical with his family in New York City, where Greg and Marc spent time together. In this episode, they reflect on havruta, spiritual friendship, angels, dreams, l…

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Episode 98 - Beyond Selfie - Kol Nidre 5780 21:26

5+ y ago21:26

21:26

This Kol Nidre sermon delves into the selfie culture and how to transcend it, Greatly inspired by Will Storr's book Selfie and Michael Pollan's book How to Change your Mind.By Rabbi Marc Soloway

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Episode 97 - Trees, Animals And The Weather - Rosh HaShanah 5780 23:20

5+ y ago23:20

23:20

This Rosh HaShanah sermon inspired by Greta Thunberg, Jonathan Safran Foer and others, expresses the urgency of the climate crisis and calls for physical and spiritual action. Since giving the sermon, out community has collectively planted close to 2,000 trees.By Rabbi Marc Soloway

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Episode 96 - Standing Up! Yom Kippur 5780 26:13

5+ y ago26:13

26:13

This was a Yom Kippur sermon offered as a response to contemporary antisemitism and reflecting on some of my recent journeys.By Rabbi Marc Soloway

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Episode 95 - Water, Manna, Cloud - from Ramah in the Rockies with Rabbi Noah Farkas 30:47

6y ago30:47

30:47

Recorded live at Camp Ramah in the Rockies, Rabbi Marc is joined by Rabbi Noah Farkas of Valley Beth Shalom in Los Angeles. They reflect on identity, leadership, unique personal gifts and so much more; all inspired by Parshat Hukkat (Numbers 19-22) and the experience of being up at camp.By Rabbi Marc Soloway

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Episode 94: The Space beyond Words with Natalie Goldberg 19:41

6y ago19:41

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The space beyond words is no words. Silence. We so need more of it in this chattering world. Natalie Goldberg, author of Writing down the Bones and many other books, teaches writing as spiritual practice. Natalie has been a Zen practitioner and teacher for many years and in this conversation, she reflects on her search to find silence in her own Je…

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Episode 93: Sensuality Of Spring 22:39

6y ago22:39

22:39

As well as the Season of Freedom, Passover is also known as the Festival of Spring, and spring is exploding with sensuality as the birds sing and the blossoms bloom and all of this is reflected in the liturgical themes of Pesach.By Rabbi Marc Soloway

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Episode 92: Beyond the Blemishes: Seeing Each other in Community 13:44

6y ago13:44

13:44

Communities can be complex because people are complex. It is so easy to judge, to dismiss, even to diagnose others when without the skills, knowledge or right to do so! The Torah readings of Tazria and Metzora (Leviticus chapters 12-15)speak of particular conditions, diseases, symptoms and part of the healing is that the Kohen, the Priest sees the …

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Episode 91: "We All Belong" with Special Guest Sabrina Sojourner 19:12

6y ago19:12

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Hazan Sabrina Sojourner is a spiritual leader, cantor, activist and writer based in Maryland. The Torah in Vayikra (Leviticus) brings the categories of "Tahor" and "Tamei" often translated as "pure" and "impure." They cannot really be translated and refer to states of being inside and outside. As a Jew of Color, Sabrina reflects on how these terms …

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Episode 90: A Taste Of Kabbalah with Special Guest Daniel Matt 18:53

6y ago18:53

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The Zohar is the central work of Kabbalah, Jewish Mysticism and Professor Danny Matt spent 18 years translating it into English. He has also written about a dozen books on Kabbalah and taught all over the world as one of the most renowned scholars on the subject. Danny combines academic knowledge with deep and thoughtful spiritual wisdom and opens …

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Episode 89: Creativity 19:07

6+ y ago19:07

19:07

On a writing retreat in Santa Fe with Natalie Goldberg and Rob Wilder, I learned a lot about writing as a spiritual practice and the importance of details. This applies to all forms of creativity, including the construction of the Mishkan (Tabernacle/Sanctuary) in the desert, which begins in this week's parsaha, Terumah (Exodus 25:1-27:19). What do…

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Episode 88 Sinai and the Power of Myth 17:11

6+ y ago17:11

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On a seven hour road trip from Telluride, Colorado to Taos, New Mexico, listening to The Power of Myth with Joseph Campbell in conversation with Bill Moyers, I downloaded some revelations on Revelation at Sinai. How does the power of that myth impact us past, present and future?By Rabbi Marc Soloway

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Episode 87: Torah and the Blues with Special Guest Joey Weisenberg! 35:25

6+ y ago35:25

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Joey Weisenberg is one of the most inspiring voices in the contemporary Jewish music world and is the director of Hadar's Rising Song Institute risingsong.org and author of The Torah of Music. In the week of Shabbat Shirah, the Shabbat of Song, recorded live from then Ohalah Conference, join this amazing conversation about the blues, Jewish music a…

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Episode 86: Pharaoh's Heart, Our Hearts - A Conversation with Special Guest Rabbi Elyse Frishman 23:28

6+ y ago23:28

23:28

This conversation was recorded at a very special gathering of rabbis in Vail, Colorado called the Oneg Conference. I am joined by Rabbi Elyse Frishman, editor of Mishkan T'Filah, the Reform Movement's prayer book published in 2007. Reflecting on this week's Parsha, Bo (Exodus 10:1–13:16)we talk about hard and soft hearts, vulnerability and much mor…

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Episode 85: Singing Through Chaos - live from New York with Special Guest Rabbi Aviva Richman 15:16

6+ y ago15:16

15:16

This week I have been a participant in Hadar Institute's "Singing Communities Intensive." 100s of people gathered together at B'nai Jeshurun in Manhattan to sing, teach, learn and listen led by Joey Weisenberg and other amazing teachers. Rabbi Aviva Richman, a teacher of Talmud at Hadar, integrates heart and song into her teaching and, as we begin …

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Episode 84: Life in Death 20:44

6+ y ago20:44

20:44

The Book of Genesis ends again with Parshat Vayechi, which means "and he lived," but is actually talking about Jacob's death. It is the second parsha in Bereshit whose title refers to life, but tells of death, which invites us to see the life that comes out of death through legacy and memory. This also marks the second anniversary of Dash of Drash!…

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Episode 83: Encounter 15:13

6+ y ago15:13

15:13

And Judah approached Joseph - vayifgash alav. These are the opening words of Parshat Vayigash (Genesis 44:18-47:27) and describe a profound moment of encounter that is not just about the intensity of this moment that leads to a breaking of a mask and a reconciliation, but any deep encounter that we have in our lives.…

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Episode 82: Spoken Words 18:15

6+ y ago18:15

18:15

A selection of some spoken word poetry written over the last month in Alabama, Warsaw, Auschwitz, Krakow, Berlin and Prague. Even though the words reflect some darkness, they come with a blessing and hope of Hanukkah light as that festival approaches!By Rabbi Marc Soloway

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Episode 81: Jews, Czechs, Poles, Jacob and Esau - Live from Prague! 15:15

6+ y ago15:15

15:15

I have had the amazing gift of time in Warsaw, Krakow, Auschwitz, Berlin, Prague and Thereseinstadt in the last couple of weeks. Of course, I have seen absolute horror that defy the imagination, but I have also seen hope and renewal. In Vayishlach (Genesis 32:4-36:43), the Torah describes a reconciliation of Jacob and Esau, but the rabbis are not s…

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Episode 80: Angels And Auschwitz 22:11

6+ y ago22:11

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I visited Auschwitz for the first time last week and am still processing that whole experience, which has left a lasting imprint on me. In Parshat Vayetze (Genesis 28:10 - 32:3), there are several references to HaMakom - the place, which can be any place where we are conscious. Jacob happens upon a "random place" and lays down his head and dreams o…

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Episode 79: Alabama And Akeida - Sacrificing our Children 23:28

6+ y ago23:28

23:28

I had a very powerful week in Montgomery and Birmingham, Alabama. I was part of a delegation of 35 rabbis and other Jewish leaders with T'ruah - A Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, visiting the Legacy Museum and The National Memorial for Peace and Justice, both created by the Equal Justice Initiative. In Parshat Vayera in the Torah, we read the painf…

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Episode 78: Towers in the Sky with Special Guest Dr. Michael Kagan 38:59

6+ y ago38:59

38:59

The stories in Genesis are full of depth, mystery and profound lessons for each generation. Parshat Noah begins with the story of the catastrophic flood and ends with tale of The Tower of Babel. Michael Kagan, a friend and teacher in Jerusalem, shares some deep insights on this Babel story its comment on human civilization in a conversation with Ra…

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Episode 77: Creation Of Adam - Good or Bad? 17:08

6+ y ago17:08

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This week we begin the Torah over again with Bereshit, Genesis. Adam, the first human, was created on the sixth day, seemingly as the pinnacle of creation before the first Shabbat. The eternal question is whether the creation of humanity was a good thing or not.By Rabbi Marc Soloway

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Episode 76: The Shofar's Voice 14:13

7y ago14:13

14:13

Every morning for the month of Elul, leading us into the New Year, it is traditional to blow and hear the shofar whose voice is supposed to wake us up. There is so much meaning and mystery in those sounds. This episode shares a few of them.By Rabbi Marc Soloway

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Episode 75: Are you Satisfied? 19:57

7y ago19:57

19:57

It can be hard to feel satisfied in this world that screams at us that we always need more! There is an important relationship between satisfaction and gratitude and the power of blessings. The rabbis of the Talmud invite us to say 100 blessings a day and one of the sources is from this week's Torah portion, Ekev, which says "you will eat, you will…

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Episode 74: Ayn Od - Nothing Else 18:38

7y ago18:38

18:38

In Parshat Etchanan, the second portion from Devarim, the Book of Deuteronomy, along with the Shema and second version of the Ten Commandments, we are introduced to the concepts of devekut, cleaving to Godliness, and ayn od milvado; there is nothing other than God. Does this mean that if we are spiritual, we transcend all the grossness of our physi…

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Episode 73: Antisemitism, Tisha b'Av and Statistics with Jonathan Boyd ED of JPR 31:42

7y ago31:42

31:42

The third Jonathan from London is Jonathan Boyd who is the Executive Director of the Institute for Jewish Policy Research (http://www.jpr.org.uk) in London. Jon, a good friend, uses statistics wisely and carefully to define trends in the Jewish community. As Tisha b'Av, when we commemorate destruction and loss, approaches, this discussion reflects …

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Episode 72: Refugee Journeys Past and Present - with Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg 22:12

7y ago22:12

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Towards the end of The Book of Numbers, there is a list of 42 places on the Israelite's journey as they approach their new home. It is reminiscent of the wanderings of refugees, migrants and asylum seekers of which there are some 65 million in our world today. Marc's mentor, teacher and friend Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg of New North London Synagogue…

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Episode 71: The Film Maker and the Rabbi: Jonathan Glazer, Screen Writer/Director, in Conversation 31:40

7y ago31:40

31:40

The film maker Jonathan Glazer is Rabbi Marc's oldest friend and for years, they have enjoyed conversations on where art, religion, spirituality and culture meet and diverge. They met at JW3, London's Jewish Community Center, and talked for hours. On the Jewish calendar, we find ourselves in a period of three weeks of mourning as we approach Tisha …

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Episode 70: Leadership and Transition with Rabbis Gavriel Goldfeder and Salomon Gruenwald 26:26

7y ago26:26

26:26

In Parshat Hukkat (Numbers 19:1-22:1), Miriam and Aaron die and Moses is told that he will not lead the people into the Promised Land. Recorded live at Ramah in the Rockies, Rabbis Gavriel Goldfeder and Salomon Gruenwald join Rabbi Marc for a lively conversation about the transitions in leadership. Rabbi Gavriel Goldfeder works at MIT Hillel and ha…

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Episode 69: Truth Or Power? 17:18

7y ago17:18

17:18

In Parshat Korach (Numbers 16:1-18:32), the leadership of Moses and Aaron is challenged and the source of that challenge is Korach. He seems to have some sound arguments, but does he really? We learn most not from the challenge, but from the response of Moses. Is this incident about truth or power?By Rabbi Marc Soloway

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Episode 68: Havdalah, Prayer, Soul, Salvation - A Conversation with D of D Producer Sari Levy 32:40

7y ago32:40

32:40

After a little break of a few weeks, Dash of Drash producer Sari Levy has some burning questions about havdalah, the soul and so much more. Join the conversation.By Rabbi Marc Soloway

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Episode 67: Downloading Torah in Jerusalem - Shavuot Special with Rabbi Ruth Gan Kagan 24:52

7y ago24:52

24:52

This episode was recorded on a recent trip to Jerusalem before the current explosion in violence and the relocation of the US Embassy. The rabbis make a distinction between earthly and heavenly Jerusalem and these reflections on the power of Shavuot from the heart of the world have the hope of heaven and the prayer of healing. Rabbi Ruth Gan Kagan …