Don't be a slut, but also don't be a prude. Don't be so emotional, but don't be cold-hearted. Prioritize your family over your career, but you must be on call for the office 24/7. Cover up to avoid unwanted attention, but don’t dress so frumpy. Speak up in the...
A little over a year ago, we started in fear and panic. Stores closed and those that remained open were out of essentials. If we ventured out of doors at all, we crossed the streets to avoid faceless, masked strangers. There was fear, death, isolation,...
I have just returned from a wonderful four day cantorial conference in Atlanta, GA. The theme of the conference was social action. So many times over the course of the week people spoke about how helpless they felt in the face of so much horror happening in our...
I have recently taken up yarn dyeing. I dye with color-safe food dyes because I feel that while I live in a small space, avoiding toxic powders helps keep me and my family safe. As I have learned and explored this new hobby, I have found it to be deeply satisfying,...
Time has always been a sacred Jewish concept. In the first moments of creation, G-d began to distinguish times – “there was evening and there was morning, day one.” There was no sun, moon, or stars, but already there was a separation in time – evening to morning, one...
My son is 2 years and 4 months old. Last week, we played hide and seek at my mother’s house. “You hide, and I’ll count to 10,” I said. I counted and he went and hid. It was very clear where he was hiding. I could see him...
Growth is being able to look at a position you once took and be willing to revisit, rethink, and revise. Here is some of my seder thinking – personal growth in progress, because as you can see, I’m still vacillating: A few years ago, I wrote a blog post where I spoke...
To do list - Cleanse: Clean. Make a menu plan for the entire week. Shop. Cook. Throw open the windows and let in the fresh spring air (fresh spring air - what's that?). Through the physical labor of preparing, begin the spiritual work. Play guitar at a beautiful and...
As a child, I found the formulation of blessing to be a little confusing. Blessed are You, Eternal G-d, who… creates the fruit of the vine, brings forth bread from the earth, etc… Who are We to bless G-d, I thought? Isn’t it G-d who blesses us with these things for...
I love New Year’s. I love the idea of a fresh start, of imagining who and what I could be, visioning through the process of how to get there and then setting off towards that goal. I thrive on it, even when I find myself pursuing the same goals year after year. It...