On Simchat Torah, We Turn and Turn Again
I like the symmetry of the concept of return.
I like the idea that, no matter how linear we think we are, or time is, or God is, we tend to find a way back. Even God recognizes this view: Why else create t’shuvah (repentance) before ever creating the heavens and the earth?
Waving the Flag of Egalitarianism in Israel on Simchat Torah
One of the great paradoxes of being an American Reform Jew who chose to make aliyah (move to Israel) is that the whole concept of majority and minority is turned on its head. One the one hand, as a Jew, I am culturally and ethnically now part of the majority.
Purim, the Bible, and a Vengeful God
Cruelty and bloodshed abound in the Bible as, for example, the Pharaoh's ruthless treatment of his Israelite slaves and Moses' vengeful slaying of the Egyptian taskmaster in the Passover story.
Gender Expression isn’t a Purim Costume
On Purim, many people will cross-dress and dress up as someone of a different gender. This year, rethink it.
The Adult Issues - and Lessons - of Purim
During the 40 years that I served as a congregational rabbi, Purim evolved from a pleasant celebration into what has become, in my view, almost a third High Holiday.
Unplugging to Connect to the Outside World, Jewishly and Otherwise
There’s an unavoidable irony inherent in tabling on a college campus for the National Day of Unplugging: namely, the majority of students who ignore me as they pass me by with headphones in their ears and glowing smartphones before their eyes.
To This Moment: A Poem about Joy
On the day before Purim, in the Hebrew month of Adar, Jewish musician Neshama Carlebach posted the following on Facebook:
Welcome to Miriam’s House: Not Your Children’s Judaism
I am about to become an empty nester. Years ago, when the kids first started going to camp, my husband and I used to call ourselves “ENITs,” Empty Nesters in Training.
Galilee Diary: Round and Round
On the fifteenth day of the seventh month there shall be the Feast of Sukkot to the Lord, seven days. The first day shall be a sacred occasion: you shall not work oat your occupations; seven days you shall bring offerings by fire to the Lord.
Celebrating the Happiness of Torah
Have you ever seen the same movie more than once? Do you love when it is on the screen, sometimes even quoting lines from that great flick? Most of us have at least one movie that falls into this category.