I know lots of people, myself included, who like being able to check things off lists. It’s not surprising that we like to get things done. Getting things done, reaching the finish line, brings a sense of satisfaction, closure, and completion. It also allows us to move on to new projects and to clear up […]
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Happy Pi Day: Circles and Pyramids
Recently I found myself sitting in a circle with a group of strangers. It was at a Jewish gathering. Jews love to sit in circles. We’re not the only ones. I think people like to sit in circles because circles physically represent a vision of community and human interaction. If you’re inside the circle, […]
Eit HaZamir Liner Notes
Eit HaZamir (2016) is a collection of songs that my wife, Rabbi Loren Filson Lapidus, and I co-wrote for various family simchas and life cycle events. Though we lovingly and purposefully composed these songs specifically for bothers, sisters, cousins, and friends, we recorded them knowing that others would find meaning in them as well. Over the years […]
Two Hours with NFTY-SAR
This Shabbat I had a chance to spend two hours at a NFTY-SAR Kallah here in Atlanta. I left feeling really inspired. I think that’s because I had a chance to connect with some “old souls”– the NFTY-SAR song leaders. I arrived a few minutes before an afternoon song session was about to begin. The […]
Why: Hello, Goodbye & Peace?
I started writing Jewish music in about 2008. By about 2011 I knew that the music was for more than just my own enjoyment. By then I had several hundred pages of musical ideas in various states of completion. I figured that even if 10% of the songs and melodies were truly exceptional […]
Thank God for the Psalms
There are 150 Psalms in the Hebrew Bible. And I thank God for the psalms on what feels like a daily basis. Why? Because I am so glad that the faith tradition that I practice, teach, and represent has poetry at the heart of its sacred scripture. While reading this post here’s a song […]