Rosh Hashanah with a Persian Twist
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 […]
September 15, 2021
September 5, 2021
Write to Rest
What is “Write to Rest” about? Often translated as “sabbatical year,” shmita (שמיטה) literally means release. Like the sabbath, the 7th day of rest within the week, shmita is the […]
September 2, 2021
Living A Fully Jewish Life
Six months after the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh where 11 people were killed and six wounded, I sat in a Twin Cities synagogue with my family. We […]
September 2, 2021
I’m Sorry: The Importance Of Tashlich
All of us need to apologize from time to time. I love that Judaism has a compelling and tangible ritual of personal accountability, each year during Rosh Hashannah. Our family […]
September 1, 2021
When School And Work Collide With The Holidays
I have been in school basically my whole life, first as a student, then as a teacher, now as a professor. Every year (except for when I taught at a […]
September 1, 2021
Challenges & Changes Await Clergy, Congregants For High Holidays
Last year, clergy and congregants alike hoped that last year’s High Holiday services over Zoom or being live-streamed was going to be a one-off, and come 2021, we’d all be […]
August 31, 2021
Blue Ribbon Challah
I would venture to say that winning a blue ribbon at the Minnesota State Fair for challah is akin to winning a medal at the Jewish Food Olympics. I have […]
August 26, 2021
Twistees, Technology, and T’shuva: An Elul Reflection
A new word has entered our popular lexicon courtesy of the Olympics and Simon Biles: a twistee. A twistee occurs when a gymnast experiences a lack of alignment between their […]
August 25, 2021
More Than A High Holiday Mailer
I just spent two hours with my synagogue’s High Holiday guide which arrived in the mail last week. Two. Hours. Longer than any Pottery Barn catalog I’ve memorized, and I’ve […]
August 19, 2021