Writing music is one of the ways I make sense out of the world. It’s part of my reflective practice. It’s a way of distilling the meaning of different types of experiences and turning those meanings (and therefore those experiences) into something new, melodic, and hopefully beautiful. Writing music is different than playing music. […]
Hello, Goodbye & Peace
Ask a Jewish person what the word “shalom” means. Seriously. Ask a Jewish person. Any Jewish person. They’ll tell you it means, “Hello, Goodbye & Peace.” Hence this band, concept, project, vision, offering. Saying hello, letting go, seeking peace. That’s the approach. That’s the orientation. It’s the process and hopefully the outcome. Shalom is an […]
A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall
A recent writing prompt asked me to share a video that I’ve used in an educational setting. As it happens, tomorrow I’m planning to show our Davis Academy Middle School students this incredible video of Patti Smith singing Bob Dylan’s “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” at the 2016 Nobel Ceremony. I’m showing this video for a […]
Observations: LAX
Members of the flight crew waiting for our delayed plane Are checking one another’s teeth This reassures me since they do this just after the captain came and told them it’s going to be a bumpy flight.
winter blossoms
I’ve often wondered how it is that some plants bloom in the winter. When all the rest of the world is curling up for a long sleep. When I find myself driving to and from work in total darkness. When it’s just plain cold. Daphnes and winter jasmine and witch hazels and snow drops […]
Thoughts from the Rabbi of a Jewish Startup
This July marked the beginning of my 9th year serving as the rabbi of an amazing Jewish Startup. The funny thing is, it’s only in the last couple of months that I realized that I am, in fact, the rabbi of a Jewish Startup with one small exception– this particular startup is going on 24 […]