A recent Facebook thread among Reform rabbis caught my eye. One of my colleagues asked if any of us knew the citation for a Jewish text that teaches 10 different terms for “rejoicing.” Another colleague quickly posted the text. Here it is (Avot de Rabbi Natan 34 or Shir Hashirim Rabbah 1:4): “Rejoicing is designated […]
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The Gospel of Music: A Rabbi Goes to Church
Today I had the unique joy and honor of participating in an interfaith prayer service at the Historic Ebenezer Baptist church. I participated not only as a parishioner, but as a guest member of the house band, a composer of spiritual music, and a creator of interfaith liturgy. A number of years ago I wrote […]
Trendy Breakfast Spots
They don’t open until your kids have been awake and kicking for 3 hours. They make you wait outside in the cold. They don’t know how to seat parties correctly. The service stinks. The music is too loud and a bit too eclectic. When the wait staff stands next to one another their arms look […]
A Voice of Wisdom
Today I had lunch with a few of my close colleagues and our former head of school. Though I’ve seen our former head of school with some frequency over the years it’s been a while since we’ve had an extended conversation. Catching up with him today I was reminded what it feels like to be […]
Thank You, Jon Stewart
I watch The Daily Show. With the exception of his fairly idiotic views on Judaism I generally enjoy Jon Stewart and his point of view. I appreciate his ability to call out hypocrisy and his relentless disdain for the small mindedness that characterizes much of the conversation in the public square today and in the […]
The Helping Gene
The last couple of days my wife and I have noticed that our 3.7 year old daughter has become incredibly helpful around the house. She’s emptying her backpack, clearing the table, bringing toys to her brother, and just generally being really helpful. It makes me wonder– what is it about human beings that makes us […]