Blog | wisdom-works

Nov 11, 20164 min read

Change and Growth

I have gained a much deeper understanding of human pain and human growth due to my work leading a weekly spirituality group at Recover...

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Rabbi Mordecai Finley Ph.D.

Nov 4, 20163 min read

Pillar of Prayer

Thoughts on Torah Portion Noah (adapted from 2015) This week’s Torah portion, Noah, has a verse that has become a foundation for the...

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Rabbi Mordecai Finley Ph.D.

Mar 14, 20163 min read

The Cloud of Unknowing

Thoughts on Torah portion Pekudei 2016 The Cloud of Unknowing , written in the late 1300’s, in middle English by an unknown Christian...

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Rabbi Mordecai Finley Ph.D.

Feb 1, 20163 min read

Small Claims Court

Thoughts on Torah portion Yitro The Israelites are out of Egypt, and have arrived at Mt. Sinai, awaiting the Revelation. The need for...

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Rabbi Mordecai Finley Ph.D.

Jan 28, 20164 min read

Hamlet, or Finding Purpose in an Existential Quagmire

There is an old story, retold many times, of a prince who finds out that his uncle has murdered his father. It turns out that his mother,...

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Rabbi Mordecai Finley Ph.D.

Jan 14, 20165 min read

Before I Offer Any Political Opinions. . .

Seeking the Good As the election cycle heats up, I think people are going to ask my opinion here and there. I am writing these words with...

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Rabbi Mordecai Finley Ph.D.

Jan 6, 20164 min read

Game Changer In Israel

My wife Meirav’s family and I were sitting in a restaurant in the Tel Aviv area celebrating her father’s 90th birthday when a concerned...

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Rabbi Mordecai Finley Ph.D.

Dec 24, 20154 min read

The Struggle for the Blessing

Reflections on the Weekly Torah Portion - Vayechi When I was a graduate student at USC, I frequented a supermarket with a deli inside to...

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Rabbi Mordecai Finley Ph.D.

Dec 11, 20153 min read

The Oil and The Lamp

Reflections on the Weekly Torah Portion - Miketz One of the most beautiful aspects of the Jewish religion is the freedom for...

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Rabbi Mordecai Finley Ph.D.

Dec 4, 20154 min read

Thoughts and Prayers

We are all rocked again by a mass shooting. Sadly, for me, the blood had not yet been wiped off the floor and virtually nothing was known...

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Rabbi Mordecai Finley Ph.D.

Nov 25, 20155 min read

One Interpretation of What "Black Lives Matter" Really Means

I am pretty sure I know why saying "All Lives Matter" as a counterpoint to "Black Lives Matter" seems to infuriate the BLM crowd. Like...

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Rabbi Mordecai Finley Ph.D.

Nov 5, 20154 min read

After Virtue: What Makes A Good Marriage?

Much of what I teach in spiritual psychology is virtue – the ability to restrain and work through negative thoughts, feelings and...

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Rabbi Mordecai Finley Ph.D.

Oct 29, 20153 min read

The Field

I use many metaphors in teaching spiritual work. One that works well with many people is the image of the temple, the field and the...

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Rabbi Mordecai Finley Ph.D.

Oct 22, 20154 min read

Training the Emotions

Here is the problem with empathy, for example: when you are truly being empathetic, you have to give up a part of yourself, even if only...

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Rabbi Mordecai Finley Ph.D.

Oct 15, 20156 min read

The Violence in Israel - The Heart of the Matter

The tragic upsurge in violence in Israel sometimes causes people who do not really understand what is happening to say things like...

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Rabbi Mordecai Finley Ph.D.

Oct 8, 20154 min read

Thoughts and Facts on Gun Violence

As Jews and as Americans, we are deeply distressed by the violence we are witnessing. In Israel, Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian...

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Rabbi Mordecai Finley Ph.D.

Oct 2, 20153 min read

Holy Words

I gave a bit of a facetious title to one of the themes of my several talks on Yom Kippur, “Stop hoping, stop praying, stop thinking.” I...

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Rabbi Mordecai Finley Ph.D.

Sep 25, 20154 min read

Ethical Humility

I have a strong policy of not taking political stands as a rabbi. First, from the moral value of humility - I might be wrong. I have...

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Rabbi Mordecai Finley Ph.D.

Aug 27, 20153 min read

Grace & Law

Many people who are not Jewish attend my weekly Wednesday 12:30 PM seminars, my Monday nights at the Silverlake Jewish Community Center,...

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