December in July
I am on my way to Reb Zalman’s funeral in Boulder this morning. I have not left yet. I am writing this blog, on my way to Reb Zalman’s funeral. I am looking at the many colored tabs inserted into The December Project, his own version of Tuesdays with Morrie, published this year. I am […]
Unmasking His-Story
I am taking a summeratical. Next week (July 2) will be the last blog until August 20th (the planned resume day). I am taking some time off to finish a book that has been in process for over a year. Summer Kabbalah classes start Monday July 7th with a full line-up of core and […]
Be in Touch
One day, a master asked her disciples the following question: “Why do people yell at each other when they are angry?”’ “We yell because we lose our temper,” said one of them. “But why yell, when the other person is right next to you?” asked the master. “We yell to make […]
They are Connected
I usually start the process of writing this blog by reflecting on what has “crossed my awareness” this past week. This week I was contacted by three people that I have not spoken to or thought about for decades. One is a man I used to run with early mornings in Philadelphia, one was a […]
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 […]
Godspeed and Goodluck
Thirty eight years ago a message was sent to humanity by the government and people of Israel. In keeping with the Torah precept: “Do not stand idly by when your brother’s blood is threatened” Israel responded to a hostage crisis in what has been called one of the most daring hostage rescues. Israeli commandos succeeded […]
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 […]
Beyond Hope
Dayenu, the popular Passover song’s theme is about gratitude—“if only this then that would be dayenu (enough). The earliest Passover memory I have is of my Uncle Pesach (that was his name) discovering the Afikomen (matzah that is hidden) by stepping on it. My guess is that whoever hurriedly hid it had not anticipated […]