It’s Our Story
Last week’s Torah reading was mostly the story of Noah and the Flood. One of the more curious elements of the tale is what happens when the earth dries out enough for the animals and their human tenders to exit the vessel.
Bee Juice
My recent posts...After havdala ended last week’s Galeem (“waves,” our Sunday school), the usual joyful mayhem erupted in the lobby: Kids running down halls for a water bottle, a work of art, a lollipop; parents calling after them “Remember your ________!”; brief...
Welcome to”chol”
A couple days of magnificent weather have been a welcome respite from the bounty of precipitation during Sukkot and the closing festival days. This morning, we stored away our sukkah — unscathed by the nor’easter — for next year.
Kol Nidre – All Vows
My recent posts...kol nidrei, all MY vows? Rabbi Jonathan Kremer kol nidrei, all vows. ALL vows? All my vows? How can I possibly remember them all? Those silent frustrations: I swear I could... I said what? Well, I didn't mean it that way! The thick-as-mud silent...
From wherever You dwell…
You may be aware that I compose melodies for liturgy, including a couple (Ashrei and Harofei/The Healer) that are commonly used in our services. I’ve also been writing a number of original songs, some inspired by the political upheaval that coincided with the COVID lockdown and others by … life.
The other week, on an unseasonably warm Sunday, I was weeding part of our garden in anticipation of planting tomatoes. While appreciating nature’s tenacity as I wrestled the weeds’ tangled, massed roots from the soil, my mind wandered to part of the kedusha section of the Shabbat morning amida. Why that then I cannot say.
As I repeated the opening words over and over, a new-to-me melody appeared. And it stuck. You can listen to what came of that initial inspiration further down this page
The text speaks of our people’s millennia-long yearning for God to restore divine authority over Jerusalem, and our hope to witness it. (A fraught message today, perhaps, given current events, but certainly expressive of the historic connection we feel to that holy city.)
Join us Shabbat morning. You’ll know some of the melodies and, maybe, learn a new one … or two.
Shabbat shalom ! שבת שלום
