As Shabbat and Shavuot approach, I wanted to share a quick Hasidic teaching recounted by the great philosopher, Martin Buber. REVELATION EVERYDAY: The Kotzker Rebbe was asked: ”Why is Shavuot called (z’man matan Torah) ‘The Time that the Torah was Given,’ rather than ‘The time the Torah was Received?” He answered: “The giving took place […]
Spiritual Review: BlacKkKlansman
This week I finally had a chance to watch Spike Lee’s 2018 film, BlacKkKlansman. It was excellent. While I’m not in a position to offer a full review of the film, there are a couple of spiritual themes that really resonated with me and that I want to point out: The first theme that stood […]
Gratitude for the Tapers
I listen to a lot of Grateful Dead. Every once in a while, I pause to think about the fact that I can, with a few clicks on my phone, start streaming one of a thousand live performances from the Dead’s archives. This morning I was listening to Dick’s Picks Volume 16. It’s a show […]
ACC-GTM
I am so honored and excited to be performing a few of my songs with choir members from The Temple, Ebenezer Baptist Church, and Congregation Bet Haverim, at the opening concert of the ACC-GTM Convention later this month. Here’s a short article by Cantor Deborah Hartman explaining the context.
An Imam, a Priest, and a Rabbi
Earlier this week I hosted a panel discussion with interfaith clergy at The Davis Academy Middle School. The whole experience, from start to finish, felt very sacred. From our pre-huddle where we connected as colleagues and human beings to the discussion itself, which was driven by thoughtful questions from the students and deep listening. It […]
Enjoy the Music– A Footnote to Yossi Prager’s Speech at Prizmah 2019
Approximately 1,100 lay and professional Jewish Day School leaders had the unique privilege of “being in the room” as Yossi Prager reflected on the legacy of the AVI CHAI Foundation as well as the future of the Jewish Day School movement. The feeling in the room was one of profound appreciation and solidarity. Literally every […]