This week at Congregation Beth Tikvah we’ll celebrate the sabbath with a Last Blast of Summer Ice Cream Sundae Oneg Shabbat on Friday evening. Then, Saturday morning, we’ll announce the new month of Elul. Monday morning we’ll sound the shofar on Rosh Hodesh Elul. The following Monday is Labor Day; just three weeks before Rosh Hashanah, … Read more
This week, from the eve of Tu B’Shevat, late Wednesday into the early hours of the morning on Thursday, until late afternoon in Donna’s Zoom Room, I wrote. Feverishly, in the messiest of script, I wrote blog posts and responses to poetry prompts, filling my journal with fragments of ideas. Only occasionally during this holiday … Read more
Despite being a GenXer and spending plenty of time teaching teenagers, I’ve never been an early adopter of new technology. I’m especially wary of the computerized bells and whistles in my vehicle—more things that can break and require costly repairs. However, I’ve come to appreciate one safety feature in my new car: Adaptive Cruise Control. … Read more
I’m pleased to share two of my sermons from the High Holidays: The sermon I delivered on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, “Happy Families Forgive,” was posted on The Wisdom Daily website in their High Holiday sermon series, featuring sermons by alumni of Clal’s clergy training programs. My Yom Kippur morning sermon, “Don’t Detach … Read more
It’s been a little more than a week since I had the good fortune to attend a concert at Byers Theatre in Sandy Springs, and just one week since I wrote a poem about the experience. This morning, when I learned that poetry class wouldn’t be meeting, I decided to spend a little time revisiting … Read more
Well, a lot has happened in the past 45 days. I remain grateful to be able to serve my community at Temple Kol Emeth (TKE) in Marietta, GA, together with the strong and supportive professional team, caring and committed lay leadership, and two of the best rabbis I know: Rabbi-Educator Daniel Alter and Rabbi Emeritus … Read more
It has been almost 2 full months since my last blogpost here, and I’m feeling remorse about having abandoned my writing practice for the summer. I will try to regain equilibrium in the new year of 5784. I’m still coming to terms with the fact that any improvements to my work-life balance will have come … Read more
The Death of Aaron, c. 1896-1902, by James Jacques Joseph Tissot (French, 1836-1902) or a follower I’m delighted to have contributed this week’s teaching to Bayit’s Builders Blog series that explores Torah through a lens of building and civic responsibility. Reading this week’s Torah portion, I found myself captivated by Numbers, Chapter 20. In my … Read more
I’m delighted to have contributed to Bayit’s Builders Blog this week. The piece tells the story of the creation of “The Colors of Earthlight: A Reflection for Earth Day 2023/Rosh Hodesh Iyyar,” a resource that was co-created and distributed by members of the Advisory Board of the Jewish Climate Action Network of Georgia (JCAN-GA). I … Read more
The Passover dishes are packed away for next year. Tablecloths and napkins—stains painstakingly removed—wait patiently in their basket until later this afternoon, when they’ll be returned to the table for Shabbat dinner. Sweet memories of our daughter’s whirlwind visit and my school break spent connecting with family and friends coalesce into Our Passover Story 2023, … Read more