Today I had the honor of hearing someone speak about a grief that cannot be spoken. A grief so profound, so enduring, so heavy, that words cannot do it justice. So how did I hear her speak about this grief? Through poetry. Jewish tradition teaches that words that come from the heart enter the heart. […]
Life Lessons
Things I learned in Arkansas
I just got home from a wonderful weekend serving as an artist and scholar in residence at Congregation B’nai Israel in Little Rock, Arkansas. Here are some things I learned and/or was reminded about myself, Arkansas, and life in general. 1) It’s good to meet new people. 2) It’s good to see new places. 3) […]
Let folks surprise you
People are surprising. Sometimes bad, usually good. We like to put people in boxes (including ourselves). We like known quantities, predictably, and stability in all areas of our lives (even if we think we don’t). But letting people surprise us isn’t only delightful for us. It can be delightful for them. Through us, other people […]
Some people
A buddy of mine posted this picture via social media. Louis Armstrong was smart guy and this quote resonates with me. There are some people that if they don’t know, you can’t tell them. To put a positive spin on this we could say that there are some things we can only know through direct experience. Maybe […]
Surprise
I want to take a moment to reflect on something simple and universal– our capacity to surprise. I’m not talking about springing a gift on an unsuspecting friend or colleague, but rather our capacity to surprise in a more profound way. Here’s what I’m thinking: 1) We all have the capacity to surprise ourselves and […]
As Passover approaches…
As a rabbi, I lament the fact that so many Jews feel that Judaism is a stuffy, boring, repetitive tradition. I lament (and sometimes even resent) this because it’s simply NOT true. It’s actually dead wrong. Jewish rituals, Jewish holiday observances, Jewish worship– all of these, in their truest expressions, are the opposite of stuffy, […]