I wonder which is easier: igniting a spark or turning a spark into a flame into a fire? When it comes to education we’ve got to do both. We’ve got to ignite a spark– even when the spark is already within our students. Then we have to turn the spark into a flame or a […]
Ever-Living Word
The following was written in 1857 (in German) by one of the great intellectuals of the early Reform Movement, Abraham Geiger. Translation by Max Wiener: The Bible is now and has always been an ever-living Word, not a dead letter. It has spoken to all generations and imparted its teaching to them; it expressed the […]
What was prayerful for me today?
In the spirit of continuing to identify what prayer, prayerfulness, and spirituality mean to me, I’m trying to pause and reflect on the question, “What was prayerful for me today?” The only thing that’s tricky doing this in the context of a blog is my willingness to honestly answer this question as well as feeling […]
Sometimes I don’t have the Ruach
Previously, I mentioned the opening prayer that some of my Middle School Jewish Studies colleagues and I wrote and which our Middle School community recites at the beginning of our t’fila services x2-3/week. It starts, “All I have to offer in prayer is myself/ sometimes I cannot find the Ruach (spirit) to pray alone.” Sometimes […]
What was prayerful for me today?
1) Our final Jewish music meeting of the year. Working with two remarkably capable and passionate people who have a high level of respect and commitment coupled with a sense of humor and ability to embrace the fact that our shared area of concern is a work in progress. 2) The 5th grade class that […]
Jewish Jeopardy
The Jewish internet erupted when a Jeopardy champion botched a Final Jeopardy Question that would’ve been pretty easy/ridiculously easy for most American Jews. Here’s an article that links to the video. While it’s quite funny and gracefully handled on the show, it also is a good reminder of the fact that knowledge is culturally embedded. […]