Friends and Kabbalalists
What is the litmus test of a community? Included on the only validated measurement of “sense of community” (SCI-2) is the shared experience of both celebrations and disasters. The communal response to the recent floods in Colorado is an example of how disaster brings a community together. My family was privileged to attend the […]
The Promise is Now
Does death free of us our vows? Do our vows free us from death? Entering the solemnity of the day on this past Yom Kippur eve, Both Sides Now author Nancy Sharp transported us to the hospice bed of her beloved, departed husband. We cried as we shared her grief becoming present to our […]
After all is said and done
After all is said and done (the final shofar blast) ending Yom Kippur there is still the evening prayers to be recited. It is not a long service but after fasting for 25 hours it is a testament to one’s staying power to not bolt and head for food and drink. Could it be that […]
Rushing down your future
Rushing down your future Washing away your past Washing away your memories You’re rushing down too fast You’re washing away your hopes and dreams You’re washing away everything You’re rushing down river faster than it flows You’re rushing down the ocean You’re rushing down, you’re rushing down, you’re rushing down Too Fast This poem, […]
Loving on One Foot
“Are you ready for Rosh Hashanah?” Ready or not it is here. The earliest fall arrival of the Jewish New Year in over 100 years. The Hebrew calendar will calibrate this coming year (with the addition of a leap month) but not until Chanukah is celebrated on Thanksgiving weekend! While Rosh Hashanah is the […]
Pardon My French
Pardon my French, but one etymological root of the word “forgive” comes from the old French, meaning, to pass over an offense without retribution or punishment. I have been suggesting the last few weeks that there is a parallel process in asking for and granting forgiveness. Both processes require us to be vulnerable and, paradoxically, […]
Show Me Forgiveness
I ended last week’s blog with a reflection on seeking forgiveness: “I am no longer the person for whom doing that would be possible.” One reader asked: “Is that really possible?” Maimonedes at one point suggests that the true repentant change their name. The person known as so and so, who did or did […]
Tis the Forgiveness Season
I need to apologize in advance. I have not read the book that I am about to comment on—I just glanced at the table of contents. I should not, of course, judge a book by its table of contents—hence the apology. My thought process that led me to this book was as follows: If […]
Blog Counting Again
We are counting. Again. In the spring we count the 50 days between Passover and Shavuot. At this time of year we count 40 days from the New Moon of Elul until Yom Kippur. There is an interesting paradox to be discovered here. The counting in the spring (Sefirat ha-Omer) is an actual count—we say […]
Can I Ask?
“Would she talk about what happened?” “No, never and if you can believe it, my uncle even less than that!” Growing up in Queens, NY most of my friends ‘parents were from Europe. They had come to the states after the war. Either one or both parents had numbers branded on their arms. As […]