Talmud of America
My recent posts..."Talmud of America" Pardes Institute, a non-denominational study center based in Jerusalem, offers immersive Jewish learning around the world. One project is “Talmud of America,” which aims to illuminate and interpret, through Jewish eyes, some...
Twilight Zone
My recent posts...Twilight Zone בֵּין הַשְׁמָשׁוֹת Bein hashemashot, literally, between the suns. בֵּין הַשְׁמָשׁוֹת A twilight zone of time, or rather, out of time, between one day and the next. Our sages of old used this concept to explain certain miraculous...
When to Pray Yizkor
My recent posts...My edited comments from this past final day of Pesach. Ellie’s mom, Julia Helfman, died on her 95th birthday, December 24, 2025. This was the first Yizkor service Ellie feels obligated to attend. She said, “I’m now a member of a club I was not eager...
Timing
It had become a Kremer household Pesach tradition, or rather, a pre-Pesach tradition. Somewhere within a couple of days prior the first seder and noon on erev Pesach, something would go awry in the kitchen.
In Harmony
In Harmony
In some 54 of the 150 hymns in our biblical book of Psalms, the prefatory lines include the word “מְנַצֵחַ / m’natzeiach,” the conductor, the leader of the band. Music was a vital part of worship and ceremony in the ancient temple in Jerusalem: הַלְלוּהוּ בְּתֵקַע שׁוֹפָר / halleluhu b’teika shofar — praise Adonai with trumpet, harp and lyre, with drum, flute, strings and cymbals!
A conductor, a leader, guides the musicians and works to shape them into a willing and purposeful ensemble. The musicians must aid and abet those efforts with their harmonious responses to the conductor. The best ensembles, large or small, share trust and understanding between leader and members.
The Hebrew word for conductor, מְנַצֵחַ | m’natzeiach, also means victor or winner. When we all play our parts with conviction, energy and sensitivity, our new conductor can lead this Shirat Hayam orchestra to resonate and resound, winning over hearts, starting with our own.
Let’s make beautiful music together!
Shabbat shalom ! שבת שלום