“What is a legacy? It’s planting seeds in a garden you never get to see."
-Lin Manuel Miranda, Hamilton (2015)
My father-in-law, of blessed memory, was a complicated person. And complicated people, as many of us know, tend to leave a complicated legacy in their wake. This man had a personality the size of Texas, and he could fill any room he...Read more...
As I write these words, I am aware that we are approaching one more holiday. That would be New Year’s Eve. Not exactly an important Jewish holiday mind you, and certainly not our spiritual true north. If we search them out though, there are ideas with a Jewish bent that we can discern. The most prominent of these is that it is an opportunity to look back on the past and turn our eyes to the...Read more...
It is a hallmark of Jewish experience that wherever we have lived, we have both contributed and adapted to the different cultures surrounding us. Indeed, over the years we have folded a variety of ideas, rituals and flavors into our own traditions. Judaism’s ability to stretch in these was means that our stories have also gone through different incarnations, with different points of emphasis depending on the needs of the...Read more...
Poke around the internet for five minutes, and you’ll find countless variations on the idea that diamonds, as stunning and resilient as they are, can only be formed under intense pressure. The message is clear: endure hardship, and you’ll emerge from your struggles with a crystalline perfection beyond imagination. Only by surviving immense burdens can you discover your resilience and transform into the brilliant gem you’re destined to...Read more...
There is a new development in our home. Every morning, our son asks us about our dreams. When we can remember, we share the content with him, and he does the same with us. (Cue police chases. Many, many police chases!)
The really intriguing question though is the one he asks before he falls asleep. “What will you dream about tonight?”
The news is fresh and fragile, but it is real: a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, an end to the fighting in northern Israel and southern Lebanon, and the hope of an eventual homecoming for the displaced. There is so much to be grateful for this Thanksgiving Day weekend. Yet gratitude, as we know all too well, often comes into focus most sharply when we are intimately aware of the possibility of...Read more...
Given the past week and all that came with it, it is hardly surprising that the quieter, subtler things that took place at the same time may have gotten lost in the shuffle. One example is the loss of Ella Jenkins, a lifelong and leading performer of children’s music. She was often called “The First Lady of the Children’s Folk Song,” and lived to...Read more...
11/08/2024 08:27:57 AM
Nov8
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November 8, 2024/ 7 Cheshvan 5785
Dear Temple Beth David,
Many years ago in Pirkei Avot, our rabbis wrote the words “Al Tifrosh Min HaTzibur. Do not separate yourself from the community.” This wisdom has become timeless, especially on our most frightening, difficult days. For many of us, and my heart breaks to...Read more...
We do love the idea of a fresh start. New year. New resolutions. Unveiling the new you. As citizens of the 21st century, we are raised to love the notion of cutting ties with the toxicity or stagnation of yesterday. Modern culture encourages us to move into each new day with fresh perspective, to cut ties with mindsets, habits, and even people who are holding us back. In their place, we are encouraged to open ourselves up to new friends, new...Read more...
