I love Jerusalem. I fell in love with Jerusalem when I lived there as a rabbinical student. I fell in love with Loren Filson Lapidus in Jerusalem that same year. Like many people that have lived in Jerusalem, I’ve lived through bus bombings and other forms of terrorism and violence. And like everyone who […]
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 […]
36 Life Lessons, Israel 2016
I’ve just returned from leading a wonderful group of Davis Academy 8th graders on a two week Israel Trip. As I reflect on the trip, here are a few life lessons. The people you travel with are as important as the places you go. Appreciation is like salt. It makes everything taste better. One […]
5 (additional) rules for life
A few months ago I stumbled upon a 2013 piece written by Rabbi (Lord) Jonathan Sacks. It was called, “Five Rules for Life.” After skimming it, I told myself that I would, at some later time, write my own 5 rules. Here they are. By way of introduction I want to say that I have, […]
Life Lessons, Monday, 4/11/16
The past is only the past until it suddenly, unexpectedly, and undeniably comes crashing into the present. Download time matters. The universe is a strange and absurd canvas upon which we paint the human experience. (3 cont’d…) either as an imitation of Monet or Pollock. The unimaginable is sometimes best left unimaginable. There’s the day […]
Life Lessons, 4/9/16, Memphis Airport
Don’t worry. When it’s long passed time to replace your “camelbak” water bottle, but you continue to forget to do so, you will conveniently leave it somewhere, likely a bathroom stall. Several times the Torah mentions that a particular experience lasted 40 days. I used to think that basically meant, “a long time.” Now I […]