The Universe Sent Me a Shabbat Message
My daughter graduated from high school Saturday. The weather changed from cold and rainy to a sunny 80 degree day. The plague of cicadas awaited for 17 years and due to arrive by now were yet to emerge from the ground.
For the Sake of a Namesake: L'dor v'dor
A few months ago, during an informal visit in my apartment from my parents, my sister and my nephew Ian, I was stretched out on the living room floor and Ian, as five-year-olds are want to do, was walking on my back and climbing all over me.
The Relationship Between Prayer and Your Imagination
When the words of liturgy are taken too literally, the sacred power of prayer is often lost. In his latest book, Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman offers a way worshipers can transcend the limitations imposed by language.
Glimpsing the Jerusalem Above
When in Jerusalem, I try to tap into both its earthly and ethereal realms – the Jerusalem below (Yerushalayim lamata) and the Jerusalem above (Yerushalayim lamala).
1938 Home Movie Bears Witness to a Lost Jewish Community
How Does Israel’s National Character Shape Our World?
If you don’t believe that one can speak of “a national character” or “the Israeli mind,” Alon Gratch’s provocative new book The Israeli Mind: How the Israeli National Character Shapes Our World
Standing Tall at Selichot
My mother and father were just about the same height, but somehow she always seemed taller. Maybe it was the shoes or maybe the way she carried herself in a proud but not superior Boston kind of manner.
Darkened Skies, Blue Skies: A September 11th Reflection
It was a beautiful August morning, the temperature a comfortable 70 degrees. I was riding on my favorite flat, a road that extends for miles along the shoreline. My legs felt strong, and despite the gusting head wind, I was setting a fast pace.
Galilee Diary: Renewal
Your sons and daughters shall prophesy; your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.
- Joel 3:1
The 3 Experiences That Defined My Judaism
This summer saw the much-anticipated release of the Pixar movie Inside Out.