The meal itself was an event. There was the cooking, the eating, the conversation, and the inevitable chaos of a house filled with people. Eventually, though, the guests would leave. We would clean up, put away the folding tables, and…
Sukkot – Shelter in a Temporal World
We live in a world that constantly reminds us of its impermanence. Everything we build, everything we possess, and even the bodies in which we live are temporary. Yet much of human life is devoted to creating permanence and security.…
Yom Kippur Is Not Judgment Day
There is something about Yom Kippur that can make us uncomfortable. We come into this day knowing that we are going to have to face ourselves. We will confess our sins and recite the Al Chet, acknowledging the many ways…
Shabbat Shuvah – Can’t Buy a Thrill
When We Do It Again There is an old Steely Dan album called Can’t Buy a Thrill. One of the best-known songs on the album is “Do It Again.” It has that unmistakable Steely Dan sound, a relaxed, bluesy groove…
Rosh Hashanah – Back to the Future
JMortonPhoto.com & OtoGodfrey.com, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Back to the Future Rosh Hashanah gives us something that is increasingly difficult to find in modern life: a sacred pause. We spend much of the year moving forward at a…
Vayeilech – If Life Is a Journey
This Shabbat, we read from Parashat Vayeilech, which brings us to the conclusion of Moses’ life. After forty years of leading the people of Israel through the wilderness, Moses knows that his own journey is coming to an end. He…