The Hebrew month of Elul begins tomorrow. It’s a month of spiritual reflection and preparation culminating in Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. In honor of Elul I’ll be posting what I’m calling “30 essential questions for life.” Here are the first 5: 1) What am I running toward? What am I running from? 2) […]
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Life Lessons
1. Never miss an opportunity to cuddle with your kids. 2. It’s a joy to be able to give people what they want, especially when they want something good and positive. 3. Forgetting to pick up the dry cleaning is pretty easy to do. 4. Just because you encounter the same situation or opportunity doesn’t […]
Choosing Reform Judaism
Are you in the process of converting to Reform Judaism? Are you thinking about it? If so, I’d love to connect with you and hear your thoughts about this post. My wife, Rabbi Loren Filson Lapidus, and I love to host people in our home. It’s hard to find the time, but it’s something that’s […]
A prayer for peace
From Cincinnati to Zimbabwe, from the Pride Parade in Jerusalem to the West Bank– sickening violence mars our world. Horrific acts perpetuated by ordinary men, no different than you and I, except in their capacity and willingness to bring evil into the world. In that spirit here is a prayer for peace, written through the […]
I am here
I am here to grow. I am here to grow physically: to be able to accomplish things with my body that I couldn’t before. I am here to grow intellectually: to expand my mind and increase my ability to understand and make meaning. I am here to grow emotionally: to become a better friend, kinder […]
10 things that happened
1. Finished the On Being podcast interview with Mary Oliver. She pointed out the importance of paying attention and suggested that paying attention was a gateway toward cultivating empathy– attention being necessary but not sufficient. This interview, brought to my attention via Brain Pickings, is REQUIRED listening for all human beings. 2. Ran two miles until my […]