We’ve been living two years, so far, of relative darkness. Two years of distance from family or friends. Two years of being or feeling housebound, unwilling or unable to budge from our places.

Everything we do has consequences; let’s choose to do what’s right. We can believe that Adonai is indeed on our side, but we must do our part. As we are taught in the Talmud, we can’t rely on miracles.

My recent posts...“Jewish Pastoral Care,” edited by Rabbi Dayle Friedman, is an anthology of essays on a broad range of issues of pastoral care from a Jewish perspective. In the book, Rabbi Stephen Roberts, a founder of Disaster Chaplaincy Services, Inc., writes about...

Hanukka is all about the miracles: Jews’ victory over the many forces of Hellenism, reclaiming and rededicating the Temple, the oil.

Some Writes ago, a few months into Covid conditions, I shared that I’d started jogging (not-yet-running). My excursions often take place in the early morning hours, any time between about 2:30 and 5:30. Out for 20 minutes or so, a quick shower and back to bed for some astonishingly deep enriching sleep before getting up in time for 7:30 morning minyan on Zoom.

The other week, twice within the space of an hour, I was gifted these parting words: “Have a blessed day.” One came from a part-time deacon working at the community food bank, the other from a person pumping gas at Sunoco.

Humanity disperses, then coalesces into language-identified communities, at least until each learns another’s language.

Hallel is the collection of Psalms that we add to our morning services on Rosh Chodesh, the three major festivals and Chanuka.

My recent posts...No Guarantees My heart pounded as our four-year-old racing along the sidewalk on her big wheels. I worried: would she turn the corner or end up in the middle of the street? I can’t watch! She made the turn. Whew! She always made the turn. Yet my...

My recent posts...leven days and counting. On that Thursday evening, Ellie and I did the final clearing, cleaning, toy locating and bed-making for four of our grandkids and their parents who would be arriving on Sunday. And for their aunt getting...

Around this time one year, “The holidays are coming!” was the headline on an ad for a Jewish-style restaurant/caterer. It’s a brilliant line, because, especially from the Jewish perspective, there’s ALWAYS a holiday (holy day, commemoration, etc.) coming!

Every art medium — from music to oratory, sculpting to calligraphy — requires negative spaces. Pauses, rests, breaths, openings, unpainted areas add nuance, definition; without them, there would be much less there.