Jill Cozen-Harel

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Sep 18, 2020, 2:28 PM

5781: New parent, new year, new COVID emptiness

Illustrative. Baby's hand in hand. (via Shutterstock)

Last year at this time, I was pregnant and worried, so I pictured myself in shul with a baby (yes, it helped). Now, without shul, I find myself asking: Who am I now?

Apr 13, 2020, 3:37 AM

B’sha’ah tovah: A good (sheltered-in-place) hour

As more and more of us have started working from home and leaving the house minimally if at all because of shelter-in-place orders to attempt to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, I have heard many people say that it’s...

Jan 11, 2016, 7:10 PM

A New Month. A New Beginning.

Refocus. Begin again. Re-examine my goals and my progress toward them. Remember that time is passing by. Today is Rosh Chodesh Shvat, the beginning of the month of Shvat. I am grateful for the mini-holiday that is Rosh Chodesh because...

May 23, 2015, 9:08 AM

Counting and Covenant

We are taught that on Pesach, we left Pharaoh’s servitude, and on Shavuot, we stand at Sinai and experience God’s revelation as a free people. Throughout the 49 days between the two, we count. On the night of the...

Feb 4, 2015, 4:21 AM

Tu BiShvat – Teaching Vulnerability

Growing up, I always felt particularly connected to trees. I remember how I found this big tree on the kindergarten playground and felt this sense of connection when I sat or played under it - I felt like the...

Feb 28, 2014, 11:58 PM

A wise reader of my last post pointed out that the third paragraph of the Sh'ma (vayomer) is not contained within tefillin, and he is indeed correct, though you might think otherwise from reading my post. So let me...

Feb 19, 2014, 7:29 PM

Choosing tefillin?

In light of the recent conversations in the Jewish media about women and tefillin, I want to share another narrative of a woman and her relationship to tefilin. I have laid tefillin regularly for the last nine years. Until...

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About Me

Jill Cozen-Harel is a rabbi who lives in San Francisco. Among other things, she has worked as a chaplain and educator.