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 […]
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, […]
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, […]
Summer Clouds
Last week’s blog about memory generated a good deal of commentary. Memories continue to be a focus for me as I clear out closets and go through boxes, especially those in the garage, as we prepare for our move to a new home. I want to thank Amy Karpas who forwarded this week Jonathan Safran […]
Donkey Library
A question this week from someone who came to an introductory Kabbalah class four years ago: David, I have a “very simple” question for you that came up in a discussion with one of my friends. Is the expansion of consciousness (by that I mean coming to a higher level of awareness of […]
Island Time
Island time is sacred. City time is profane. Call it Courage was the first novel I read; a 1941 story by Armstrong Sperry of a boy who survives by himself on a deserted island. I have returned to the theme of living in isolation many times through our studies of Kabbalah, especially in coming […]
Nonrandomness
A mile wide. That was the center of this tornado. When nature strikes with such devastating force it rips lives apart—the death toll from this tornado was mitigated because some residents of Moore, Oklahoma built shelters after a 1999 tornado, of lesser force, killed 36 residents. Six people were saved by entering 94 year old […]
Possibilian
Perhaps creativity is a function of how little we know. There is this guy who keeps popping up on my radar—name David Eagleman. We share an interest in time. I credit a physician for giving me the metaphor of what we don’t know we don’t know by once saying in passing, “A fish will be […]
Face Uplift
This final week of the count of the Omer (the sefirah of Malchut) asks of us: “Now that you have faced the truth (about yourself) what are you doing about it?” Kierkegaard put it this way: “Face the facts of being what you are, for that is what changes what you are.” In our […]
Are We There Yet?
People were thrilled this week on Monday and Tuesday. It did not snow. May 1st today, Wednesday, it is snowing. Imagine the trees questioning, “Are we there yet?” Whether it is a long car ride, or awaiting spring, “Are we there yet?” implies that we were ready to “be there” a long time ago. […]