Every Jewish wedding begins with some sort of invocation. Typically it includes the words, Bruchim habaim b’shem Adonai, berachnu hem m’beit Adonai (Welcome are those that come in the name of God, blessed are those from the house of God). When my wife, Rabbi Loren Filson Lapidus, and I had the honor of officiating at my brother […]
Relationships
The Love Song You’ve Never Heard
So my wife, Rabbi Loren Filson Lapidus, and I recorded an album of beautiful lifecycle music that we’ve written in honor of various family celebrations over the last decade. It’s called Eit HaZamir. Whether you’re Jewish or not, whether you’ve experienced the various lifecycles that are captured on the album or not, anyone should be able […]
Thoughts, End of the 2015-2016 School Year
Be prepared to stumble upon holiness in every moment. We grow subtly and abruptly, we evolve and we erupt. Discovering your voice is a lifelong journey. Thank God for all kinds, because it takes all kinds. Thank God for kindness, because it takes kindness too. And thank God for kids because they remind us of so […]
In praise of the regular
Pictured above are my kids, walking arm in arm, on our way to the park. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon. The park is just close enough for a walk. It’s not the first time and it’s not the last time. For me, this picture illustrates one of my core beliefs– that the stuff of […]
Altars and Altars
This week’s Torah portion, Vayakhel (Exodus 35:1-38:20) and Haftarah (II Kings 11:17-12:17) present an interesting contrast that has to do with altars. Basically, there are some altars that we should build and some that we should tear down. On the one hand, altars are complicated. They’re built a specific way, serve multiple purposes, and at […]
You might say…
You might say… “I have nothing to say.” Or, “I have something to say but I’m unwilling to say it.” Or, “I have something to say but I don’t know how.” Or, “I’m not sure how it will sound.” Or, “It won’t make any sense.” Or, “If I say it, someone might think less, more, or […]