Ah, it’s the time of year again; time for me to struggle with that very rabbinic of holidays, Shavuot. I love the original Shavous — a day celebrating the first fruits and vegetables to appear in the season, and a reason to travel long distances to share one’s bounty with neighbors and priests. Then the [...]
Archive for the ‘Jewish’ Category
Alternative Aleynu for Kabbalat Shabbat Shavuot Service – By Rami Shapiro
Posted in Jewish, tagged Rami shapiro, Shavuot on May 26, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Neshama Carlebach’s New Version of Hatikva Opens Israeli National Anthem to Arabs
Posted in Jewish, tagged Israel's national anthem, Neshama carlebach, New version of Hatikva on April 29, 2012 | 24 Comments »
I woke up this morning to some stunning news: The talented and soulful singer Neshama Carlebach has come up with a new version of Israel’s national anthem, HaTikva (the Hope), at an invitation by The Forward, a leading national Jewish newspaper. This “new” version is new in the most startling and thoughtful of ways. With [...]
Happy Passover to You, Me, Kellogg’s, and the OU Too!
Posted in Jewish, tagged Happy Passover 'n a bowl of Froot Loops! on April 11, 2012 | 1 Comment »
When I bought this plastic bowl at the supermarket today, the label said: “Great for serving matzoh ball soup, charoset or salt water for the parsley at your Passover seder!” It wasn’t until I got home, opened up a new box of FrootLoops, and poured in the cereal that a light bulb went off and I keeled over [...]
Sadness, Hope, Sustenance, and the Babylonia Talmud Berachot 5b
Posted in Jewish, tagged Finding hope in company of others, Talmud Berachot 5b on March 14, 2012 | 1 Comment »
This week, I took a “gulp” and did one of those things one is always reluctant to do: I pulled the plug. I called it quits on a venture that I was once very excited about, and which, by all outward measures, had clearly failed. In this particular case, pulling the plug didn’t matter much. [...]
A story from Rebbe Nachman : A son and the wisdom of the world
Posted in Jewish, tagged Midrash, Rebbe nachman, Wisdom of the world on January 25, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
A Story from Rebbe Nachman There is a story of a king who sent his son a great distance to study all the wisdom of the world. The son went, studied, and returned wise. One day the king asked his son to take a massive rock and place it up upon the roof of the [...]
Jewish ritual life today owes it all (or almost all!) to Debbie Friedman
Posted in Jewish, tagged Debbie friedman, Jewish music, Jewish prayer, Kol isha on May 24, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
In 1995, I was living in Nashville, Tennessee, and belonged to a small Conservative congregation. One day, I saw a flier on the wall advertising a concert for some woman named Debbie Friedman. I had no idea who she was, and I imagined that whatever this “Jewish music” of hers was, it was probably cheesy. [...]
Why join a synagogue or church? Just ask the ‘atheist’ Albert Einstein
Posted in Jewish, tagged Albert einstein, How to live life, Synagogue membership on April 26, 2011 | 1 Comment »
I’ve had the pleasure in recent weeks of doing a lot of reading about Albert Einstein. He has always been one of my foremost Jewish heroes, and learning more about his life and words has only emboldened this sentiment. One of the common refrains in his writings is the importance of striving for a life of humility, [...]
Confessions of a Non-Morning Person: Birchot HaShachar for the Slow-to-Rise
Posted in Jewish, tagged Alternative birchot hashachar, Birchot hashachar, Jewish morning blessings, Not a morning person on April 18, 2011 | 1 Comment »
When I was 23, I had a newsroom job that started at 6:30 a.m. Not being a morning person, this was my idea of getting ready in the morning: Set the alarm for 15 minutes before I have to leave the house. After the alarm goes off, jump out of bed, spend 7 minutes in [...]
Resurrection and immortality: A Christian or Jewish concept?
Posted in Jewish, tagged Christian resurrection, Jewish immortality, Jewish resurrection, resurrection origins on February 17, 2011 | 5 Comments »
Who came up with the idea of bodily resurrection after death? Like many people – Christian and Jewish alike – for most of my life I made the assumption that this was a distinctly Christian idea. It makes sense that people would have this assumption. Christianity is so singularly focused on the resurrection of Jesus [...]
Marge Piercy: ‘Writing sometimes feels frivolous and sometimes sacred, but memory is one of my strongest muses’
Posted in Jewish, tagged Jewish literature, Jewish poetry, Jewish writers, Marge piercy, Sleeping with cats on January 31, 2011 | 1 Comment »
One of my favorite writers, as well as my favorite Jewish-American writers, is Marge Piercy, who has lived an enviable life, on her own terms, as a poet, author and liberal activist. She lives in Cape Cod with her husband and a whole lot of cats. This excerpt is from her memoir, and feels particularly [...]
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- "With reverence and thanksgiving we accept our destiny and set for ourselves the task of redemption." #Rami #Shapiro #Shavuot 1 day ago
- It is up to us to hallow Creation, to respond to Life with the fullness of our lives. wanderinghebrew.com/2012/05/26/alt… 1 day ago
- Your Jewish grandmother's Talmud: WASPs leave and never say good-bye. Jews say goodbye and never leave. 4 days ago
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- "Let me tell you something we Israelis have against Moses. He took us 40 yrs through the desert to bring us to the one spot w/ no oil."-Mier 5 days ago
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- MOSES' JEWISH MOTHER: "That's a good story! Now tell me where you've really been for the last forty years." #HappyMothersDay 1 week ago
- ALBERT EINSTEIN'S JEWISH MOTHER: "But it's your senior photograph! Couldn't you have done something about your hair?" #HappyMothersDay 1 week ago
- ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S JEWISH MOTHER: "Again with the hat! Why can't you wear a baseball cap like the other kids?" #HappyMothersDay 1 week ago
- MONA LISA'S JEWISH MOTHER: "This you call a smile, after all the money your father and I spent on braces?" #HappyMothersDay 1 week ago
- Q: "How many Jewish mothers does it take to change light-bulb?" A: None: "It's okay, I will sit here in the dark..." #Jewish #Humor 1 week ago
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About the Author
I am a writer, editor, rabbinical student, mother and scuba diver (not necessarily in that order). My latest project is a narrative nonfiction book called Chasing Cupid: Tales of Dating Disaster in Jewish Suburbia, about my 15+ years of dating.
