Learned Helpfulness
Delta is the fourth letter in the Greek alphabet. The fourth letter in the Hebrew alphabet is the letter Dalet. Each one of the Hebrew letters has a meaning connected with its original pictogram. For Dalet the pictogram was a door (the Hebrew word for door is Delet). Dalet also refers to a poor or […]
Tweet of the Uncaged Bird
In class this morning we reflected on “last times” in a relationship or a career or life. I imagined the last class I would teach or the last, lingering kiss of my beloved. I glanced at my phone to discover a last tweet—a person was being remembered for her final tweet. Marguerite Johnson learned […]
Come Together
I stood less than 5 feet at age 16 when I started college. There were women in my class and students from all walks of life. We were given a reading list for freshman Intro to Sociology and asked to select a book we would report on in class. I chose Will Herberg’s Protestant, Catholic, […]
I have kept silent
I have kept silent about why I stopped going to the orthodox synagogue I was a member of for many years. I am now going “public.” The reason: While the lives of the high school girls in Nigeria is still weighing heavily on me, (Boko Haram has now claimed that many of the girls have […]
Defining Moments
A story I have often told to illustrate our relationship with time is about a man at a party commiserating with others that he had lived more than half his life. The concept of “counting up our days” means that while we may be aware of the quantity of our days, the quality is never […]
The Counting of the Omer 2014 Getting our Identity Back
For the past few years we have “counted the Omer” together—a 50 day count from Passover to the holiday of Shavuot. Following the tradition in Kabbalah—the weekly and daily counts relate to the Tree of Life—the sefirot from Chesed (loving kindness) down to Malchut (expression). The contribution of Kabbalah (and Chassidut) to our observance […]
Unpacking Ritual
To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven. The rhythm of spring is about new beginnings—actualizing potential. The preparation for Passover, the festival of the spring, includes creating the space for new growth. In contrast to the new beginning of Rosh Hashanah—the New Year in the fall, Passover is […]
Time Rules
“Time rules over us without mercy. Not caring if we’re healthy or ill. Hungry or drunk. Russian, American, beings from Mars. It’s like a fire, it could either destroy us or it could keep us warm. That’s why every FedEx office has a clock, because we live or we die by the clock. We never […]
The Films in Our Eyes
The first film I went to see was at a drive-in. It was the animated Disney classic Bambi. My mother has since recalled that I cried profusely when Bambi’s mother is killed. I don’t remember going to the movie or having cried but it certainly fits my knowing me. I cry at movies. I have […]
Shades of Beauty
It’s not the word itself, it is the way she says it. Lorell Frysh who has been a friend and fellow teacher at Kabbalah Experience was born in South Africa. When she talks about people that move her she refers to them as lovely. It’s the way she says “lovely”. For many though “lovely” […]