How do you teach a 1st grade class about the brit of circumcision? The very idea fills one with panic. There are penises involved, and they go from being one way to being another. Do you show diagrams, or snip the tip off a banana? And the snipping itself. How does one engage children on … More »
On Yom Kippur, our soul’s slate is cleansed before the one, united God. On April 15th, our bank accounts are cleansed before the United States Government. The parallels don’t end there, however. The weeks leading up to these fateful days present many opportunities for reflection. How might I have wronged others this past year? Did … More »
All stories are old. Some might even say that there’s only ever been one story: Life and death. Or maybe that’s death and life? And maybe love spins its own winding tale. And friendship, too. But whether there’s ever been one or a few, even new stories are quite old. . The story is woven … More »
All around the world, people are embracing a commitment towards a greener, more sustainable planet. Even in the United States, where climate change skeptics have often derailed the conversation with cries of false science and a nefarious liberal agenda, recent extreme weather events like the summer droughts, raging fires, and hurricane Sandy are causing people … More »
Show me the money, I’ll shomer shabbat. What kind of Jew are you looking for? I swing from Renewal to Orthodox and My havdalah is spiced to the core. . Or it can be mild if you want that from me. I mean, to serve your community. I aim to please. I’ll bend my knees … More »
In the repurposed suburban box home where my Hebrew school used to meet, I was taught that God is everywhere. But when I looked around that shul, I didn’t find much that brought me closer to the divine, in the sense of authentic experience. That’s not to say that it was completely devoid of experiences. … More »
Was Sichst Du? is a game of perception. Erhard Schön’s etching from 1537 depicts Jonah in a state of prayer, emerging from the fish’s mouth. When you approach the work from the left side, however, a squatting man is revealed engaged in the act of elimination. What are we to make of this juxtaposition between … More »