We need healing. Our world needs healing. I need healing. You probably do as well. To be human is to be broken and whole at the same time. To be human is to know that our bodies are beautifully imperfect vessels. To be human is to know that our souls can soar to the greatest […]
Liner Notes
Jacob’s Journey
Imagine going to sleep. With a rock for a pillow. Imagine having a dream. And meeting God there. Imagine waking up. And discovering that God isn’t only in your dreams. That God is everywhere.In everything. In the rock. In the dirt. In the trees. In the sky. In the broken hearts you’ve left behind. In the promise of future days. […]
Mi Yimaleil, A New Chanukah Melody
I’m very proud of this version of Mi Yimaleil that I wrote and which will be released on an upcoming Davis Academy/Hello, Goodbye, & Peace album. Mi Yimaleil emphasizes the heroism of the Maccabees in their struggle against the Greeks during the time of the Chanukah story. While the Maccabees left a complex legacy that […]
The Blessing of Torah
Yesterday and today are Simchat Torah. Simchat Torah is a holiday that celebrates the end and the beginning of the annual cycle of Torah reading observed by Jewish communities around the world. Every time that Jews study Torah we recite a blessing. That blessing concludes with the words la’asok b’divrei Torah. We thank God for the […]
Sukkot, Music to My Ears
I’m glad I don’t have to choose a favorite holiday. I can love Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. I can love Shavuot and Sukkot. But every year, when Sukkot arrives, it is literally, music to my ears. When I think of Sukkot I think of beautiful weather. I think of hanging out in a Sukkah with family and friends. I […]
L’chah Dodi
One of my more “popular” Jewish liturgical settings is a melody I wrote to the medieval hymn, L’chah Dodi. L’chah Dodi is sung during Kabbalat Shabbat, the Friday night prayer service that welcomes Shabbat. It describes two companions going out to greet the Sabbath Bride. The words were written in the city of Tzfat, birthplace […]