Last night our HOA hosted the annual Halloween party for our neighborhood. 40-50 of us gathered in our clubhouse for a pizza dinner before heading out to trick-or-treat. I don’t know what came over me, but I suddenly felt an irrepressible need to make sure that everyone came together for a moment of…something. After all, […]
Relationships
We Come Full Circle
We Come Full Circle A circle is opened. Sitting in the circle: People of different faiths, backgrounds, experiences, colors, voices, faces, hopes, fears, loves, names. Singing: to punctuate the silence. Silence: to punctuate the song. Eyes closed: visions unfold. Eyes open: seeing the love between. Together: a healing. A circle is closed.
Jewish Marriage Retreat
3 years ago, my wife, Rabbi Loren Filson Lapidus, and her colleague, Rabbi Lydia Medwin, created a marriage retreat through our synagogue, The Temple, in Atlanta, GA. Since both Loren and Lydia are married to rabbis, the 4 of us have led this retreat for the last 3 years. It’s a wonderful experience for us […]
Making Space
Two parallel processes– making space within and making space around. I’m working on creating space within. Building on the space between breaths. Stretching the space between stimulus and response, between experience and reaction. Trying to cultivate a kind of internal spaciousness that will honor the expansiveness of the heart and soul. Creating this kind of […]
What is Scripture?
I didn’t realize it until a few moments ago, but for the last couple of years (maybe longer), I’ve been thinking about the question: “What is Scripture?” Now that I realize this has been a foundational question for me, I also realize the answer I’ve been living with for just as long. Here’s my answer: […]
What’s it like to be a rabbi?
I have a cherished colleague. Her name is Dr. M. Cathy Harmon-Christian. She teaches in the theology department at Marist. Among other things, she and I have a chavruta, a study-based friendship. It’s a lot of fun. An offshoot of that chavruta is that every so often she’ll send along a question asked by her students. “What’s […]