Marita Anderson – Chaplain, Writer, Teacher, Parent
There was a time when children began the study of Torah not in the beginning at Bereshit (Genesis), but by delving into the middle of the Torah at Vayikrah (Leviticus), the detailed instruction for Temple sacrifices as atonements for wrongdoing. According to midrash, children’s innocence
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I write this from the Spiritual Care office of a large hospital in Atlanta, where the ICU has been expanded, and then expanded again, to accommodate the frighteningly high number of patients who are critically ill with the novel coronavirus. Whereas six months ago, we
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My grandmother spent her childhood in the outskirts of the prison/labor camps in Siberia, where her family members were sent by Stalin in the late 1930’s. She buried 2 generations of women in our family in Siberia, including her mother and grandmother. Her life was filled with
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“Oh, liberty! Treasure your liberty!” said the man behind the double pane window. Speaking into the visitation phone he whispered, “All I wish is to magically turn into a bird so that I can fly away.” He looked up for a moment and closed his
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Jewish mindfulness meditation allows for the heart to soften and receive the blessings of our lives, even amidst difficulties and suffering. This practice teaches us how to reshape our relationships, starting with ourselves. We will explore Jewish texts to set intentions and read poetry for
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During this season of self-reflection and spiritual preparation for Yamim Noraim, the Days of Awe, we are invited to contemplate our behaviors and ways we can heal by asking for forgiveness. Our traditional prayers are explicit about what constitutes sin. Those of us who attend
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Stress can sometimes make us feel overwhelmed, as if we are navigating the ocean in a paper boat. While we can’t get rid of stress, the way in which we respond to challenges makes a difference in how we experience everyday life. Turning to Jewish
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This Jewish Mindfulness Meditation series will focus on the spiritual preparation for Passover. An intentional meditation practice can help us explore the qualities of human nature that result in physical and emotional constriction: chronic stress, anxiety, and joylessness. With focused attention we can begin to see
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If you imagine the revelation narrative, or the encounter between the Israelites and G-d, as a tapestry stretched on a loom, it is as if the pattern of weaving was interrupted in chapter 19 (Yitro) and weaved anew in chapter 24 (Mishpatim). At the end
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Join a group of meditators to support your meditation practice under the guidance of Marita Anderson, Jewish Mindfulness Meditation teacher. To support you in your practice, we will offer hour-long sessions that will include a tapestry of Jewish teachings, inspirations, and meditations. This class will
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In the last few years, I have made time to go on meditation retreats and friends are often curious to know if I find it challenging. Without a doubt, the most difficult part of being in silence for a week is staying off technology, a
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Have you ever heard a person say, “I am a bad Jew”? I hear it all the time, usually in response to something having to do with Jewish life or spirituality. Upon further inquiry, I usually find out what that statement means. Sometimes it means,
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I have always had a difficult time understanding and relating to the Book of Leviticus. After all the family drama in Genesis and the arduous escape from slavery in Exodus, it’s hard to sustain attention for the laundry list of priestly rules concerning the nitty-gritty
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Join a Jewish Meditation class under the guidance of Marita Anderson. To support you in your practice, we will offer hour-long sessions that will include a tapestry of Jewish teachings, inspirations, and meditations. This class will offer tools in cultivating a grounded and resilient inner
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My kids have a picture book on their shelf called “You Are Stardust,” in which Dr. Elin Kelsey, a professor of environmental science, describes the unity of all life on Earth. The book gives examples of the interdependence and interconnectedness of each human life to
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This is a 5-week class on Jewish Mindfulness Meditation at the MJCCA hosted by the Wellness Center. Together, we will explore ways to create a sustainable, ongoing mindfulness meditation practice. This class is designed for beginners as well as experienced meditators who want to refresh the fundamentals
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In my work as a chaplain and as a person out in the world, I sometimes encounter vulnerable people who are survivors of abuse, abandonment and human cruelty. Their inevitable questions rise up: “Why did this happen to me? Why did this person do that
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The Torah shows that we should not blindly follow our hearts. The heart is a miraculous organ whose function is to push and pump blood throughout the body. A ball of muscular tissue, the heart contracts and relaxes with the continuous rhythm of a metronome,
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There is a famous Talmudic argument about the observance of lighting Hanukkah candles. Bet Shammai says: On the first day one lights eight and from then on one continues to decrease, and Bet Hillel says: On the first day one lights one and from then
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I am teaching a 6-week class on Jewish Mindfulness Meditation at the MJCCA wellness center. Together, we will explore techniques to create a sustainable, ongoing mindfulness meditation practice. This class is designed for beginners as well as experienced meditators who want to refresh the fundamentals of
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As we prepare to gather in our homes for Thanksgiving, I have heard from several friends who are filled with anxiety about their time with family members who hold a different version of what is best for our country. This year, the holiday stress is
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Joel Hoffman’s latest book, “The Bible Doesn’t Say That: 40 Biblical Mistranslations, Misconceptions, and Other Misunderstandings,” caught my eye soon after it was published. I love studying and teaching Torah, and I am always on the lookout for ways to engage with biblical text from
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Why would a Jewish chaplain and wife of a rabbi sign up to spend three days with her children at a Christian festival? That’s precisely the question I asked myself when I walked through the gates of a camping ground in the mountains of North
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On Tisha B’Av, we read Lamentations, one of the most difficult books in the biblical canon. I once read that the opening of the Book of Lamentations (Eicha in Hebrew) is pronounced with a catch of the throat to convey the breath-stopping shock in the
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A few years ago, during what I remember as a difficult time in my life, I began learning meditation with the hope of calming my panicked mind. What brought me to my knees was not any particular crisis, but the daily monotony of taking care
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I was born in Soviet Ukraine at a time when people were stripped of their spiritual rights and forced to conform to a colorless mass that was communism. How did I know that I was Jewish? It was written in the passports and legal documents of
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