Last week I woke up to the devastating news that Michael, the younger brother of one of my closest childhood friends, had passed away. His death was completely unexpected and all the more tragic because he was literally ripped from this world. He leaves behind his loving parents, his sister, his brother-in-law, young nieces, and […]
Jewish Teachings
Rosh Hodesh Adar
We’ve just entered the Hebrew month of Adar. In a few weeks we’ll celebrate the holiday of Purim. Purim is one of Judaism’s most complicated and interesting holidays. But this post is about Adar. The Talmud teaches that the onset of the month of Adar means that our “joy should increase.” It’s nice to be […]
10 Words for Joy
A recent Facebook thread among Reform rabbis caught my eye. One of my colleagues asked if any of us knew the citation for a Jewish text that teaches 10 different terms for “rejoicing.” Another colleague quickly posted the text. Here it is (Avot de Rabbi Natan 34 or Shir Hashirim Rabbah 1:4): “Rejoicing is designated […]