Judaism is a conversation– sometimes mundane, sometimes sacred, sometimes calm, sometimes agitated, sometimes harmonious, sometimes discordant. I wish more Jews and more people generally understood how important their voices are to the conversation that is Judaism. That’s why I wholeheartedly embrace the message in this piece written by Rabbi Rick Jacobs for the Washington Post […]
Box of Rain Allegory
Yet another chapter in the Grateful Dead Passover genre… A few months back I had a chance to share the world-changingly beautiful tune, “Box of Rain” with a group of middle school students. In looking at the lyrics I asked them what they saw. Since they were Jewish kids at a Jewish school, they saw […]
Grateful Passover
So I’m a not-so-secret Dead Head. Which means that every once in a while there’s a Grateful Dead lyric or tune that gets stuck in my head. Here’s an example… “Big boss man, can’t you hear me when I call? You ain’t so big, you just tall, that’s just about all.” Big Boss Man […]
Love that Dog
The yellow cover peeking through the cardboard box jumped out at me. What was this burst of sunlight doing in our mail room? A new book for the 3rd grade. Looks fun. The entire book is a poem? Interesting. I’ve got 10 minutes, maybe I can power through it. Moved to tears. You simply have […]
Be a blessing
In parshat Lech L’cha God commanded Abraham to leave his home, his father’s house, and the land of his birth. He also commanded Abraham: v’heyeh bracha (“Be a Blessing). Here’s a song and a poem. The song is from my album, “Be a Blessing” and the poem was just easier to write than prose. Here’s the song: V’heyeh Bracha […]
Surprise
I want to take a moment to reflect on something simple and universal– our capacity to surprise. I’m not talking about springing a gift on an unsuspecting friend or colleague, but rather our capacity to surprise in a more profound way. Here’s what I’m thinking: 1) We all have the capacity to surprise ourselves and […]