September 27, 2009 at 7:05 am (Uncategorized)
Tags: birthday, photo
Jew Wishes send me a challenge to pick the 4th folder and 4th picture and post it.
This is a photo of my son on his 3rd birthday. You can see some of the art work on the walls and his new books on Shabbat. I think he wanted more cake when everyone left and that is why the room is empty.
Anyway – isn’t that boy just squeezeable?
August 19, 2009 at 7:19 pm (Uncategorized)
Tags: books, review
I enjoyed this. I read the first 2 novels a year ago and this one this summer when I went to Florida. I love getting lost in this old world. The images are fashioned by the book and terrible Hollywood movies, but I love the pictures in my head.
Lilah is the faithful sister of the Prophet Ezra. He is in an unlikely sole obsessed by the word of G-d. So much so he moves out of the house and into the poorest neighborhood. He barely takes care of himself so Lilah makes regular deliveries of food.
Through her relationship with a man in the Kings army she is able to sway the evil queen into helping her convince the king to send her brother back to rebuild Jerusalem.
The book is written to create a relationship with Lilah. Very little is nice or sympathetic of Ezra, a man who cannot control his own emotions or presence amongst others.
I enjoy these “historical” novels that take a little bit from the Torah and make it into a big story. For me it started with the Red Tent. I hope more come along in this genre. It is nice to escape to another time.
I dug this book out of my father’s attic. 100 + degrees in Florida, I was crawling around looking for books I gave him. They were not there. I think he threw them away. I came upon a few books that I would give a try. This one my father recommended. Others seemed to love it too.
I turned page after page waiting for something. I did not find anything. I was not impressed.
The book was Paulo’s opportunity to write down his philosophy of life. It did nothing for me.
August 19, 2009 at 7:05 pm (Uncategorized)
Tags: writers block
I never encountered writers block before. I never wrote before. I think I just encountered it.
It’s the summer.
I went to Florida for a week. I have been working. I have missed going to temple for weeks. I think I made minyan once and went to Friday services twice. I have also had a terrible time openning up this computer at night.
So I have been reading.
What have you been doing?
June 16, 2009 at 7:30 pm (Uncategorized)
Tags: aches, attention
These aren’t so Jewish but they make me wonder.
For the past couple of years my joints have become stiffer. It takes about 5 mins every morning to get moving where I can step on my ankles and knees. I sit on the side of my bed and rotate them and crack them. Then I slowly get up and hobble a long.
My lower back aches in the middle of the night and I wake to crack it by leaning forward and stretching a bit. My fingers creak after half a days work on the computer. My neck gets kinks after long days.
All of these just seemed like growing old. Last week I went to visit the doctor. They took my blood for Lyme disease, Lupis, Rheumatoid arthritis and general inflamation. All the tests came back negative. There is nothing wrong with me from that perspective.
So why is it that after the doctor’s visit that everything just seems to ache a little more?
If I ache now, what am I going to be like in my 40s or 50s?
If it gets worse how will I keep working?
It really does seem like the doctor visit made it worse … now I am thinking about it.
May 10, 2009 at 9:49 pm (Uncategorized)
Tags: poem
It was May of 2009
Spring was in full bloom
Joy of its arrival in the air
Justin-Jinich was just 21
She was shot several times by a man wearing a wig
It was planned
He would kill Johanna and any Jew
Justin-Jinich was just 21
She was beautiful and must have been smart
She was studying at Wesleyan
And was looking to graduate the next year
Justin-Jinich was just 21
Her mother a survivor
From the Shoa she did escape
But it all ends here for Justin-Jinich
———————————————-
I can’t even begin to describe why this has touched me so much. I read the story as I prepared to go home for Shabbat dinner. It ruined my evening and I kept coming back to it for most of the weekend.
It is not like these things do not happen a lot in the world. However, this and a comment by a woman who questioned whether antisemitism really exists, really made this stick in my mind. So much so that I had many fantasies of bravado and chest beating to show how proud I am to be a Jew. I won’t repeat what was going through my mind.
I am sorry for the parents of this young lady. I hope they are able to move on in their lives. I hope that the murderer is blotted out of our memories from now and forever.
I am sorry that the commentor got me so riled up. May she open and her mind and learn a story good for all people - not a story so biased with hate and seething.
January 19, 2009 at 9:07 pm (Uncategorized)
Tags: bad fortune, laughing at, others, sit coms
What is it that makes people laugh at people? Why do people revel in the bad fortune of others? What is it that is so pleasurable about another’s pain?
I have a problem with this for a long time however in this past week I could not get it out of my head. Does anyone else have a problem with this? I even have a problem with sitcoms. I hate situational comedies. They make me so uncomfortable. I do not even know what it is. I cannot sit through a whole show. A good example is Seinfeld. I do not think I have ever seen a whole epsiode. I get very uncomfortable when I can see the setup for the stupid situation that we are supposed to laugh at one of the characters.
I have no problem with funny bantar. I do not mind laughing with someone. But I get so uncomfortable when the laughter is at the expense of another person. It seems so stupid but I wanted to know what others thought. Does anybody know what the Jewish perspective on this is?
As a complete tangent, this title made me think of a sound bite from Meat Beat Manifesto.
January 11, 2009 at 8:59 pm (Uncategorized)
Tags: blessing, G-d
Whoever derives benefit from this world without saying a blessing is regarded as if he steals from G-d … by Rabbi Chanina bar Pappa
This hurts. It is a very pointed statement. It seems so relevant.
What do you think? Do you say enough blessings? How many blessings do you say? How many are enough? Do you feel like you are stealing from G-d?
January 8, 2009 at 10:41 pm (Uncategorized)
Tags: baptism, Jonah, Prophet, repentance, teshuva, Yonah, Yunus
How do the 3 Abrahamic faiths read the story of Jonah? What does the history and perspective lend to the story?
Last night we had my rabbi, an Episcipalian priest, and a Muslim scholar teach a class at the temple. They did a beautiful job and had a fairly large audience for Wednesday night at 6 pm in an ice storm.
Here is the story of Yonah in the Hebrew and English. I do not have a good link to the story of Yunus in the Koran. It appears that the Surah Yunus has one reference to to Yunus, perhaps the key to the way Muslims read Yunus.
How is the story portrayed?
In the Jewish world we have to put it into context of the day. On Yom Kippur after you have been fasting from the previous evening and you have been pouring out your heart in prayers you read the Book of Yonah. How does the story tie in the Jewish experience? At the core Yonah is a story of teshuva (repentance).
In the Christian world, the book is referenced in the Gospels with Mathew and Luke. The story and imagery is tightly associated with baptism. Baptism is the starting anew and with faith moving forward as a Christian.
In the Muslim world the book is referenced in its own Surah Yunus as well as in several other places. The story of Yunus is one of faith and repentance.
In Judaism and Islam great importance is placed around the fact that the people of Ninevah admitted to their wrong doings and repented. They returned to G-d.
How does the story of Yonah, Jonah, Yunus fit into your life? How does this story speak to you?
December 23, 2008 at 10:01 pm (Uncategorized)
Tags: English, Hebrew, Prayer, Shabbat, transliteration
Do we need transliteration in our siddur? Why do we need transliteration? What is transliteration?
We are putting together the Shabbat morning siddur for our temple. There are many interesting decisions to make in a Reform temple. The editors have posed a question of whether we need to have transliteration. Most of our service is in Hebrew but we provide translations. Do we also need transliterations?
Yes.
Why do we need them? What do you with a population where more than half of the people cannot read Hebrew? Some argue that they should learn. That is nice but not realistic. Just getting people to come on a non-holiday is a challenge. Making the service unattainable would not help.
So what does the transliteration do? Taking the Hebrew words and writing them with Latin characters allows an English reader to participate in the Hebrew prayers. No this does not help them lead the service but it does help for following along. For those who are learning Hebrew it is helpful for when it is too difficult to keep up with the speed of some of the prayers.
Transliteration is great for beginners and non-Hebrew readers to feel like they can participate in the prayers. Hopefully as people come more often the words will become ingrained and following along in Hebrew will become easier. Providing the tools for each person where they are allows them to pray with the community as they can.
December 21, 2008 at 8:46 pm (Uncategorized)
Tags: Channukah, Chanukah, Hanukah, snow
It has been snowing since Friday afternoon
It is now Sunday night
The shortest night of the year
The snowiest, the coldest and the windiest
I have been shoveling and shoveling
I am sore
I feel old
Tonight is the first night of Chanukah
We trudged over to my neighbors and we lit the candles
We drank hot mulled cider
And the kids opened their gifts
We went back home to shovel some more
We ate dinner
We read books
Now some sleep
So much for enjoying the first night of Chanukah
Tomorrow I will try again
