I think I’m the youngest person writing a Jewel, by a long shot. I’m a freshman at an obscure college near Death Valley. With 25
Time is the great equalizer—no one has more or less, and it can’t be bought. What sets us apart is how we spend our time.
How many times have we had a million dollar Aha moment in the shower, only to watch it go down the drain as we brush
I open an email with the itinerary for today’s flight to London and I am confused. The email was sent months ago, yet it says
As a CEO, I find myself on a dual path—of corporate growth and personal transformation. Leading a company requires strategic thinking, decisive action, and a
“If not now, when?” It’s such a powerful question, especially for someone like me who’s always analyzing risk and making decisions based on it. I
In 2022, I took on the role of board chair for the Jewish Federations of North America. The responsibility was both daunting and clear: to
As a community organizer, I learned that time is our greatest ally and challenge. The core of my work lies in the delicate balance between
When I signed my little blue union card, I didn’t fully understand what I was committing to. I went to graduate school because I wanted
Gayle Kabaker is a freelance illustrator whose illustrations include 10 covers for the New Yorker magazine. www.gkabaker.com For Every Jewel There is a Question: Where’s
Rabbi Hillel’s admonition, “If not now, when,” is one by which I have tried to live my life. So is Rabbi Tarfon’s charge that “you
Sitting with a thought for years, even decades, feels a bit like holding a small ember, carefully tending it so it never quite goes out.
One day in 2004, Nurse Pat Murphy watched as I struggled to insert a large catheter into the neck of a woman who was dying.
In the Torah, God commanded Moses and Aaron to conduct a census of the Jewish people. The rabbis say that the purpose of the census
Years ago, my friend, Reverend Ed Bacon, taught me an important lesson. In every story of our lives, he said, we can be the victim,
My life took a profound turn thirty years ago when I encountered a twelve-year-old girl living on the streets of Los Angeles. That moment sparked
As they struggled against Soviet power, Russian dissidents asked Rabbi Hillel’s questions: “If I am not for myself, who will be? If I am only
Hillel’s question is the eternal one. When? Frustrated, impatient, yearning, we ask “When?” knowing that, as the poet wrote, “Peace comes dropping slow,” the urgency
When I originally conceived the idea for Jewels of Elul, I envisioned writing all the reflections myself. Thankfully, I soon realized that not even my
Produced by Craig Taubman for
with the support of
Produced by Craig Taubman for
with the support of