1. There is a large, though relatively closed community named “Those Who Lived Through The Uncertain Trial of Fertility and Childbirth.” 2. While “our society” spends immense energy on warning teens about all the emotional / physical / social trials associated with becoming pregnant, it provides absolutely no preparation for 30 year olds as they … More »
Author Archives: Rabbi Joshua Bolton
An Early Spiritual History of Joshua Bolton
I wore Krishna beads and chanted Hare Krishna (etc.) between Government and AP English classes. But I never made it to the free meals at the temple in Maryland. Early on Rosh HaShannah morning – I was maybe 14 or 15 – I walked out into the woods and sat cross-legged in the cleft of … More »
Awesome Wonders
This Rosh Hashanah I am wondering about forgiveness – always easier to talk about in email sermons than it is to practice with close friends and myself. And about the giant stone and the King commanding me, “Lift it upon the roof.” And about that hummus shop in Rehavia, Between Azza and Berlin. And wondering … More »
In the Neighborhood of My Mind
Near dawn I am roused by voices speaking outside my window. It is Edmond Jabes and Max Jacob – they’ve been carousing in the streets, singing patriotic French ballads, and whistling at passersby. Their chatter inspires me. I wash my face and brush my teeth. I listen to the local radio, trying to orient myself … More »
Some Best Practices of the Hillel Educator to Nourish “The Self and Creativity”
Steps out on to a roof, or leans her head out the window upon arising and expresses some sort of gratitude Gazes at the river every time the train crosses the bridge Studies Rebbe Nachman from Breslev Some type of jogging or walking or biking in the woods Recycles Tries very best to greet every … More »
17 Questions, Personal Revelations, and Suggestions for Cultivating Spiritual Intensity and Awakening the Heart
1. It’s good to have a little of the completely mysterious in your life. 2. When conducting weddings, you can reveal delight by mingling together Reverence and Joy. I am not afraid of saying God’s name there – and I am not afraid of whistles and laughter. 3. Cultural Jews should know that a cell … More »
Of Youth and Spring and Tomorrow and the Future
Mysterious narratives unwind themselves through our lives. Sometimes they have long, beautiful arcs. We guess and glimpse their conclusions – and happily we inherit them. Sometimes chapters end astonishingly. Sometimes everything implodes, unrecognizable, backwards. So often the great human task is to courageously weave the disparate, meandering tales of a life into the bolder impressions … More »
A Bruise between Oren’s Eyes
On a windy and unsettlingly bright day in Yaffo, our little boy Oren, running wild and over-tired, tripped on the ancient stone plaza. Sitting up, his forehead was black and blue – like Gorbechav and the Manson Family. We cradled and calmed him. We got him back in the stroller. We gave him a slice … More »
On a Hill in Philadelphia Looking Far Eastward
There are peoples on this earth who better embody the promise made to Avraham and his children, that they would be made “exceedingly numerous” (Gen. 17:2). There are peoples who resemble the stars of the nighttime sky – uncountable. *** I stand on a hill in Philadelphia toward evening, staring eastward – beyond the setting … More »