Hanukkah approaches. In this busy season, it’s easy to neglect your relationship as you get swept up in cooking, making the holiday special, and shuttling kids back and forth. If your relationship could use a fresh look and some intentional care, give this playful take on the game of dreidel a spin. If you have […]
This week’s portion begins with an ominous pronouncement: “Jacob sent messengers ahead to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom.” Jacob is traveling with his family, servants, cattle, and belongings, and he has realized that he may just run into his long-lost twin—the same guy he tricked out of a […]
This is the story of Isaac,” begins this week’s Torah portion, “son of Abraham.” After weeks of stories that star Abraham and Sarah, it seems as though Isaac will finally have his 15 minutes of fame. This promise doesn’t bear out, though. Instead, Isaac (arguably the least dynamic of our forefathers) is led from place […]
I’ve given a few different irreverent answers when people have asked why I’m undertaking this physically demanding (and not cheap) journey to climb Kilimanjaro. If you must know, there’s some truth in each of the replies. Yes, it’s a bucket list item; yes, I plan to do a headstand at some point along the way […]
It’s been a good run Of late summer fun But fall is creeping in As I sit by my place I start beginning to trace Signs of the new season As it begins The breeze feels amazing The leaves’ colors are changing Then finding their way To the ground The nights are much colder The […]
When I go to rallies and marches for progressive social change, I often hear the phrase chanted “Housing is a human right!” and I wonder to myself – what does that even mean? I’ve recently concluded more than four and a half years as the Housing Organizer at Jewish Community Action. In that time organizing […]
My first thought when I finished reading this week’s portion was, “Wow, that was a lot.” In one Torah portion, the Bible takes us through two iterations of the creation story, the naming of all the creatures in the world, the tragedy of Cain and Abel, and a litany of descendants spanning from Adam to […]
Tdhis week’s Torah portion is a throwback — way back to Exodus, when the Israelites were about to receive the Torah at Mt. Sinai. This seems a little strange. What is so important about this section of the Torah that makes it worthy of rereading? And why this section, of all the truly important moments […]
As an American with both Persian and Jewish roots, I have the privilege of celebrating new beginnings three times each year on New’s Year’s Eve, Nowruz, and Rosh Hashanah, marking each occasion with its unique traditions. Much like Rosh Hashanah, Nowruz incorporates various symbolic foods to welcome sweetness, prosperity, health, love and other desired attributes […]
This week’s Torah portion is short and sweet — just one chapter of the book of Deuteronomy — which suits me just fine. Who has time to be reading long portions of Torah during the first two weeks of Tishrei, anyway? We have plenty of extra readings on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur without worrying […]
