A Tribute to Debbie Friedman, Who Helped Me Understand and Love Judaism
Editor's Note: This piece was originally published on January 13, 2011, immedately following the death of beloved Jewish musician Debbie Friedman, z"l. How did Debbie Friedman's music impact your life?
Chancer, a Service Dog Who Offers Healing Through Fur-Covered Spirituality
In 1999, my husband and I created a family when we adopted two unrelated babies, just 16 months old, from Russia. Like all parents, we had dreams for our son, Iyal, and daughter, Morasha, to grow up happy and healthy. The future held such promise!
Torah in Haiku: Yitro
Before Commandments
The people say to Moses
"What G-d says, we'll do"
Would you be willing
To take on obligations
Before hearing them?
Finding Our Own Power in Purim
Purim is almost here! It’s loud, it’s raucous, it’s festive, it’s colorful, and the food is great. It’s no wonder the rabbis of the Talmud saw Purim as such a high point in the calendar that they declared, “When Adar [the Hebrew month housing the holiday of Purim] enters, joy increases (Babylonian Talmud Ta’anit 29a). On the 14th of Adar, Jews around the world celebrate Purim, which commemorates the salvation of the Jews of Shushan and the defeat of the evil schemer Haman (boo!).
The Realities of Living in Jerusalem
The city is rapidly growing. There are high rise (well, high rise for Jerusalem) apartment buildings going up all over the city. And, at the same time, there is a clearly concerted effort to make the city very livable.
Battle of the Joyous February Celebrations: Purim vs. the Super Bowl
It's February, and I take issue with T.S. Eliot. It is not April but February which is the cruelest month. Cold, dark, and brutish, with none of the celebratory feel of December and January, spring feels months away during February. Thankfully, February has our greatest secular holiday - the Super Bowl - and our most gleeful Jewish holiday, Purim.
This Purim, May We Each Take the Mask Off Our God
Galilee Diary: Brand Recognition II
The assimilationists shied away from our Jewish holidays as obstacles on the road to their submergence among the majority because they were ashamed of anything which would identify them as a distinct group, but why must we carry on their tradition?
Leaving a Jewish Legacy to Our Grandchildren
My happiness grows in direct proportion to my acceptance, and in inverse proportion to my expectations. -Michael J. Fox
Baby Boomers, Children, and Jewish Disability Awareness Month
Recently my employer, Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Minneapolis, invited a guest speaker talk to our staff about Social Security and the options about when to file. It was full of information on which to make an informed decision about retiring and collecting Social Security and Medicare.