<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Original Witness · Visalia Zen Center]]></title><description><![CDATA[Mindful Moments, Meaningful Practice]]></description><link>https://www.originalwitness.com/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Tue, 07 Jul 2026 02:50:43 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.originalwitness.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[REGISTER NOW: High Holidays 2024 – Jewish New Year Interfaith Zen Retreat in Burlingame, CA – September 14, 2024]]></title><description><![CDATA[I would like to take the opportunity to invite you to the daylong interfaith Zen retreat for the Jewish New Year coming up this September 14 in Burlingame, CA. You may register now! As the summer winds down and we experience the cooler temperatures in the morning, we are reminded that the season is turning. … 
Continue reading “REGISTER NOW: High Holidays 2024 – Jewish New Year Interfaith Zen Retreat in Burlingame, CA – September 14, 2024”]]></description><link>https://www.originalwitness.com/post/register-now-high-holidays-2024-jewish-new-year-interfaith-zen-retreat-in-burlingame-ca-septem</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a49b916f7b480551f10ee01</guid><pubDate>Tue, 03 Sep 2024 11:06:11 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/348b03_9f0e489cde7b49d58918cb5dd0ce159c~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_300,h_150,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Adam Fogel</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[What is “Beginner’s Mind”? And Did Heschel Describe It?!]]></title><description><![CDATA[If you are anything like me and either enjoy reading books or grabbing a bargain, take a look! I noticed today that the kindle version of one of my favorite Zen books is on sale this month on Amazon – Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi.]]></description><link>https://www.originalwitness.com/post/what-is-beginner-s-mind-and-did-heschel-describe-it</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a49b916f7b480551f10ee03</guid><pubDate>Wed, 12 Jul 2023 03:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/348b03_17a874dba775435fa6a827ef2209b07a~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Adam Fogel</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[REGISTER NOW: High Holidays 2023 – Jewish New Year Interfaith Zen Retreat in the Bay Area]]></title><description><![CDATA[Come celebrate Rosh Hashanah and the Jewish New Year on this contemplative interfaith Zen retreat in the Bay Area! You may register now! Rosh Hashanah is a holiday of waking up. We awaken from the deep slumber of selfishness, conceit, and putting ourselves above others and awaken to something different. On Rosh Hashanah, the Divine … 
Continue reading “REGISTER NOW: High Holidays 2023 – Jewish New Year Interfaith Zen Retreat in the Bay Area”]]></description><link>https://www.originalwitness.com/post/register-now-high-holidays-2023-jewish-new-year-interfaith-zen-retreat-in-the-bay-area</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a49b916f7b480551f10ee05</guid><pubDate>Mon, 10 Jul 2023 03:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/348b03_93e722cb4d0c46908e2370e755f76823~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_829,h_277,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Adam Fogel</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Do I Need to Use a Prayerbook?]]></title><description><![CDATA[There are thousands and thousands of words of formal prayers and prayer books. There are so many words — too many words — yet there can never be enough words! The most important words in prayer are your words! The most important prayerbook is your heart! Everything else is simply extra!]]></description><link>https://www.originalwitness.com/post/do-i-need-to-use-a-prayerbook</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a49b916f7b480551f10ee08</guid><pubDate>Fri, 07 Jul 2023 03:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/348b03_f9a7bf8e05fd4f4397c89d4b9d437170~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Adam Fogel</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[How Do We Celebrate Freedom?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Freedom and liberty is so very precious and something for which I am eternally grateful and do not take for granted. Yes, freedom can be “internal”. We all need to feel and experience this genuine liberation; yet, “external” freedom is no more unnecessary. It is this freedom — unfortunately, a rarity in the world in … 
Continue reading “How Do We Celebrate Freedom?”]]></description><link>https://www.originalwitness.com/post/how-do-we-celebrate-freedom</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a49b916f7b480551f10ee04</guid><pubDate>Tue, 04 Jul 2023 18:25:23 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/348b03_6cd0da28cf2d460cb7ab235b6947f8e5~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Adam Fogel</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[What is “Jewish” Meditation? Is Meditation Even “Jewish”]]></title><description><![CDATA[Sometimes questions are more simple than we know. Often times, questions are also more complicated than we hope. One such question is “What makes meditation Jewish?” This question might just be simple AND complicated to answer?! I write about this elsewhere (here and here), though allow me to answer this question here as simply as … 
Continue reading “What is “Jewish” Meditation? Is Meditation Even “Jewish””]]></description><link>https://www.originalwitness.com/post/what-is-jewish-meditation-is-meditation-even-jewish</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a49b916f7b480551f10ee0a</guid><pubDate>Mon, 03 Jul 2023 03:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/348b03_159bdd85bec64ef1b8828511f19950b5~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Adam Fogel</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[How Do I Pray?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Consider that you cannot do it alone. Open your mouth. Use your words. Speak to God (or whomever or whatever is sacred or Divine to you).]]></description><link>https://www.originalwitness.com/post/how-do-i-pray</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a49b916f7b480551f10ee06</guid><pubDate>Fri, 30 Jun 2023 03:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/348b03_8b56fbb3bbb34b9c9251f75964f4f246~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Adam Fogel</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[REGISTER NOW: High Holidays 2023 – Yom Kippur Zen Mindfulness Jewish Meditation Retreat]]></title><description><![CDATA[T﻿he Jewish High Holidays are a period of reflection and opportunity to renew our intentions for the coming year in a deeply personal and meaningful way. Please join Rabbi Adam Fogel and Mindful Judaism on a Zen Mindfulness Jewish Meditation retreat this Yom Kippur! The Yom Kippur retreat will include periods of silent sitting and … 
Continue reading “REGISTER NOW: High Holidays 2023 – Yom Kippur Zen Mindfulness Jewish Meditation Retreat”]]></description><link>https://www.originalwitness.com/post/register-now-high-holidays-2023-yom-kippur-zen-mindfulness-jewish-meditation-retreat</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a49b916f7b480551f10ee09</guid><pubDate>Wed, 28 Jun 2023 03:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/348b03_2f0a969f5a55497294a0aa4427cff595~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_300,h_150,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Adam Fogel</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[What is Your Attachment Style with God?]]></title><description><![CDATA[We all need to feel safe and comfortable in our relationships. With our spouses, parents, children, family and friends, and yes… even with God! The more important and intimate the relationship, the greater our need for emotional safety. With God too! Especially with God!]]></description><link>https://www.originalwitness.com/post/what-is-your-attachment-style-with-god</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a49b916f7b480551f10ee07</guid><pubDate>Sun, 25 Jun 2023 21:56:02 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/348b03_5e7307a6b1384f989cb1072f0355f12d~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_200,h_300,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Adam Fogel</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[SAVE THE DATES: 2023 High Holiday Zen Mindfulness Jewish Meditation Retreats Coming to California]]></title><description><![CDATA[Come and join Mindful Judaism this 2023 High Holiday season! This year, we will be offering two contemplative High Holiday Zen mindfulness Jewish meditation retreats! Save the dates!]]></description><link>https://www.originalwitness.com/post/save-the-dates-2023-high-holiday-zen-mindfulness-jewish-meditation-retreats-coming-to-california</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a49b916f7b480551f10ee02</guid><pubDate>Thu, 08 Jun 2023 11:36:05 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/348b03_af991679eea548cbbe047c1ba24eb29c~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_300,h_114,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Adam Fogel</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Have You Only But One Blessing?!: Stealing Birthrights and Giving Voice to the Voiceless]]></title><description><![CDATA[The characters in the Bible are far from perfect. Yet this makes sense, as we too are just as far from perfect. What occurs in this week’s parasha is simply wrong. While it might be applauded as heroic in the tradition, if what happened in the Bible happened in your family, I imagine you would … 
Continue reading “Have You Only But One Blessing?!: Stealing Birthrights and Giving Voice to the Voiceless”]]></description><link>https://www.originalwitness.com/post/have-you-only-but-one-blessing-stealing-birthrights-and-giving-voice-to-the-voiceless</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a49b9190e6d4656949996f7</guid><pubDate>Thu, 01 Dec 2022 12:44:47 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/348b03_6011d0999e584f3f8348bce525a94b2b~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Adam Fogel</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Falling Head Over Heels in Love: How to Find First Love and Genuine Intimacy]]></title><description><![CDATA[Do you remember your first love? Your first kiss? Your first embrace? How you and they met? What they wore that first day? What they were like? How you felt meeting them? Or perhaps your first love is your current love? The Hebrew Bible tells us such a story…]]></description><link>https://www.originalwitness.com/post/falling-head-over-heels-in-love-how-to-find-first-love-and-genuine-intimacy</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a49b9190e6d4656949996f8</guid><pubDate>Sun, 20 Nov 2022 18:31:47 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/348b03_bc07b9bbd0b74d478d7ce1d3471d7df9~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_768,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Adam Fogel</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Sacrifice of Isaac: Beyond Obedience… is Love!]]></title><description><![CDATA[The binding and sacrifice of Isaac is one of the most disturbing, gruesome, and hellish koan in all the Bible. How can God ask Abraham to raise his beloved son Isaac as a sacrifice? It is astounding! Yet, if we penetrate this koan fully, we are invited to raise our most compassionate heart-mind and not … 
Continue reading “The Sacrifice of Isaac: Beyond Obedience… is Love!”]]></description><link>https://www.originalwitness.com/post/the-sacrifice-of-isaac-beyond-obedience-is-love</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a49b9190e6d4656949996f1</guid><pubDate>Wed, 09 Nov 2022 10:57:23 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/348b03_a69319cfd99d4e69ade710d6873c825e~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Adam Fogel</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Leaving Home: A Lifelong Koan]]></title><description><![CDATA[What do the heavy metal band Guns N’ Roses, the Hebrew Bible, and the Chasidic masters Rebbe Nachman and Simcha Bunam all have in common? They each beg us to ask and answer the question, “Where do we go now?” As we shall see, this question is as old as God and man.]]></description><link>https://www.originalwitness.com/post/leaving-home-a-lifelong-koan</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a49b9190e6d4656949996f9</guid><pubDate>Wed, 02 Nov 2022 14:47:08 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/348b03_69cf0dead46c4948b2e42ca6c520ad6c~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_225,h_300,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Adam Fogel</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Outfoxing God: The Tail End of Amends and a Warm Welcome to the Human Race]]></title><description><![CDATA[There is no way around it. No one can outfox God. No matter how smart we think we are or how hard we try, there is no outsmarting the Divine. Yet… we try! And try we do! Perhaps even must?!]]></description><link>https://www.originalwitness.com/post/outfoxing-god-the-tail-end-of-amends-and-a-warm-welcome-to-the-human-race</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a49b9190e6d4656949996f5</guid><pubDate>Tue, 11 Oct 2022 15:21:16 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/348b03_4da571c02eb64bc0a0a265c862a081b1~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_205,h_300,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Adam Fogel</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Dear God: Love Letters from / to the Divine]]></title><description><![CDATA[Have you ever written a letter to God? Wished that you could simply speak your Truth to the Divine and hear back? We all need that! And so does the Divine! This is what Shavuot is all about! In one of my Rabbinical School classes on Pastoral Care and Chaplaincy, my chevruta (study partner) and … 
Continue reading “Dear God: Love Letters from / to the Divine”]]></description><link>https://www.originalwitness.com/post/dear-god-love-letters-from-to-the-divine</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a49b9190e6d4656949996f4</guid><pubDate>Sun, 16 May 2021 13:22:50 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/348b03_75592cc6cfe4492f99375323c2c81acf~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Adam Fogel</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[I Will Follow “You”: The True Gift of Shavuot]]></title><description><![CDATA[We celebrate receiving the Torah on the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. It may not always feel like we receive the gifts that we want and “deserve” or even have what to offer others or ourselves. Then, what did we receive that fateful day over 3,000 years ago? What are the gifts you celebrate this Shavuot?]]></description><link>https://www.originalwitness.com/post/i-will-follow-you-the-true-gift-of-shavuot</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a49b9190e6d4656949996f6</guid><pubDate>Fri, 14 May 2021 13:42:58 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/348b03_2a6fe2d0d7424d76a4b7d8db4278072c~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Adam Fogel</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[“How Much Longer”?: Taking Sabbatical in the Fields of Our Heart]]></title><description><![CDATA[Have you ever wanted something so bad that it hurt your heart? Seen something so horrific that it just bled your heart dry? Just want to go home, lie in bed or even a corner somewhere, and long to feel safe for even just the one, single night?]]></description><link>https://www.originalwitness.com/post/how-much-longer-taking-sabbatical-in-the-fields-of-our-heart</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a49b9190e6d4656949996fa</guid><pubDate>Sun, 02 May 2021 21:56:24 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/348b03_e843f13941d845f4855ce6c4a1eac975~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Adam Fogel</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Neither Blue nor Red: Can You Hear It?]]></title><description><![CDATA[I am writing tonight on election night, November 3, 2020. The results are slowly coming in, yet I instead want to write to you. I was recently invited to share my opinion as a Jewish rabbinical student about the 2020 presidential election. At first, I wanted to decline this request, yet I now elect to … 
Continue reading “Neither Blue nor Red: Can You Hear It?”]]></description><link>https://www.originalwitness.com/post/neither-blue-nor-red-can-you-hear-it</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a49b9190e6d4656949996f2</guid><pubDate>Tue, 03 Nov 2020 22:15:26 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/348b03_f74157ec601a412d99aaf580de70ce2a~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Adam Fogel</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Betzelem Ish v’Isha: Are We Created in God’s Image? Or Is God Created in Ours?]]></title><description><![CDATA[In this week’s parashah, God tells us that life and death, blessing and cursing, are placed before us, and that we should choose life so that we and all of our children and our children’s children shall truly live (Deuteronomy 30:19). Living and Dying God places blessing and cursing right in our face and the … 
Continue reading “Betzelem Ish v’Isha: Are We Created in God’s Image? Or Is God Created in Ours?”]]></description><link>https://www.originalwitness.com/post/betzelem-ish-v-isha-are-we-created-in-god-s-image-or-is-god-created-in-ours</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a49b9190e6d4656949996f3</guid><pubDate>Fri, 04 Sep 2020 10:28:15 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/348b03_6111cf32cf5d49488283779e51f3af07~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Adam Fogel</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>