Blog

Words of wisdom and inspiration.

Journey of Redemption

Dear friends: This post originated after I sent a “goodbye” message to my email list after performing a Coral Gables backyard wedding on Shavuot 2023. Prior to the wedding I visited the graves of my father, two sets of aunts and uncles and all four grandparents at Mount Nebo in Miami. Having completed Jewish Ancestral […]
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Shanah tovah שנה טובה

On Rosh Hashanah it is written… On Yom Kippur it is sealed. May it be written and may it be sealed that you have a new year that brings fulfillment and happiness, peace and prosperity – all of life’s very best things. Have a Happy, Healthy New Year! With love, peace and blessings, Rabbi Melinda
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Refinement of Our Ledgers

  Dear Friends: May you have a sweetened, happy and healthy new year and be sealed in the Book of Life! On September 18th, Jews around the world will celebrate the anniversary of the creation of the world. This year, the ten days of awe between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur presents challenges beyond imaginable. Our […]
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Feeding The Faith

Dear Friends: I hope this post finds you and yours in safety and some semblance of peace during this current “wartime” in our world. I feel, at this time, we must feed our faith as we move through the next phases of the Pandemic. We are still in the middle of this crisis and moving forward will be […]
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Prayergasm, A Divine 40 Day Call

Dear Friends: I hope this message finds you embracing trust, strength, good health and faith. The days before Passover are naturally filled with restrictive anticipation and this is true today more than ever. Hopefully you are taking this opportunity to pray and deepen the divine call of your lives. Hearing the divine call brings hope and the ability […]
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Celebrating Realistically Across The Miles

Dear Friends:  I hope this message finds you growing in strength, moment by moment, as we face the future! Togetherness from afar has many of us grappling with change. The yearning to connect in our familiar ways is a very real struggle and the consequences of non-compliance is (at best) harsh. Being alone is not in […]
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I Thought I Had More Time

Dear Friends: For more than the past month, I have been preparing because I know the consequences of not being prepared. You see I lost my Hurricane Andrew so my preparedness began by seeing China as the storm watch, then Italy as the storm warning. Those of us familiar with these terms know that watches and warnings precede the […]
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Let Your Words Be Few

Dear Friends: I hope this message finds you in good health and spirits. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying that actions speak louder than words and may not know that the Talmud backs us up with this: “Let your words be few”. Rabbis of ancient times taught and believed that humans are driven by two […]
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Ritual Hand Washing

Protections from COVID-19

Dear Friends: I hope this message finds you in good health and spirits.  First of all, I appreciate those who read and responded positively to my last email THE CONTROL FACTOR. I admit it’s not my style to intersect politics with religion, however “when the shoe fits”…  And before I move on to ideas of protection from COVID-19, […]
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The Healing Power of Trees

Dear Friends: Tomorrow night begins the Jewish celebration of the trees, Tu B’ Shevat. If you are one who loves nature, then you have a unique opportunity to experience the healing power of trees beginning tonight. Collectively, on Tu B’Shevat, we will acknowledge the importance of trees and their holy reminder and presence of G-d in […]
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Elevating My Father’s Soul

Elevating the Neshamah (soul) of my father Bert Bernstein, Pinchas Ben Hyman Samuel, Z”L on his Yahrzeit, (anniversary of his passing). He began his return home, motzei shabbat (after the close of Shabbat), the night before Hanukkah in 2015. We light a remembrance candle in his honor, we remember him, motzei shabbos, the night before […]
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A Humane Approach to Thanksgiving

Dear friends: I hope this message finds you in good health and spirits. Seeing that Thanksgiving is upon us, I wanted to share thoughts on what a humane approach to Thanksgiving might be.  I’m not just talking about being kind to one another and such.  I’m talking a bit about our plan as it relates […]
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