Shalshelet
The nearly 305,000 words of a handwritten Torah scroll tell tales, state laws and inspire ideas. It is devoid of some useful things like vowels, punctuation and cantillation marks. Cantillation, or trope, is the musical chanting that can help bring Torah text alive when it’s read aloud, as during services.
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.
Natural Habitat | Home
Shabbat dinners at their homes, with their foods and traditions. Singing zemirot as we had done when our kids were young.
The best part of my February sabbatical was being so close for so (relatively) long to our grandchildren and their parents. Seeing them, being with them, in their natural habitats. Oh, we took time to relax some, read some, work on projects some. But nothing was as rewarding as feeling like part of their lives for these few weeks.
Shoveling snow: the oldest making snow angels after clearing some sidewalk, the youngest sitting atop the minivan brushing off the snow. Visiting the winter (!) camp site: cabins with small wood stoves, composting toilets, no running water, outdoor open fire cooking, and everyone and everything smelling of winter and woodsmoke.
We are fortunate and grateful. For the opportunity to refresh. For less familiar surroundings. For the hills and abundant trees of Massachusetts and Maine. For parties marking special occasions and parties for no occasion at all. For having a part in the everyday theater of our children and grandchildren.
May we all have reason and opportunity to feel fortunate and grateful.