Next week, I chant Torah for the first time. My portion, Tazria, offends modern ears. But it all depends on the telling. Here's mine. Read More
JEWISH RITUAL
Trope Trainer (Video)
March 18, 2014 | 4 Comments
JEWISH RITUAL Archive
JEWISH HOLIDAYS
That’s Gratitude for You: Making Sukkot Relevant Again
September 16, 2013 | 2 Comments
Some say Sukkot has become a marginal holiday for Reform Jews because it isn't rooted in easily understandable rituals. But I can't imagine a holiday more rooted in the fundamentals of being Jewish...and human. Read More
Backstory
To Be Sure
June 17, 2013 | 1 Comment
Another Father's Day come and gone. I guess after forty, I feel the regrets I thought I could live with for the rest of my life with greater intensity as the rest of my life starts to arrive. Read More
JEWISH PRAYER
Long As God Can Grow It
April 28, 2013 | No Comments
Is that a mop on your head or are you just counting the Omer? Or how I ended up observing the Omer in spite of myself. Read More
JEWISH HOLIDAYS
Omer Is My Siddur? (Alone on a Shelf)
April 5, 2013 | 2 Comments
Using Judaism's traditional seven-week period of mourning as inspiration to return to a 'three-a-day the Jewish way' prayer practice. Read More
Chicagoans
The Tallit of Phillip Shenkler–UPDATE
November 10, 2012 | 2 Comments
I'm happy to report the tallit of Phillip Shenkler got a hero's welcome this morning--its first Shabbat morning in use in a congregational setting in at least 26 years. Read More
Chicagoans
The Tallit of Phillip Shenkler
November 6, 2012 | 10 Comments
Phillip kept the the memorial booklet from Sara's funeral in his tallit bag for 32 years until the day he died...and no one knew it until I opened the bag another 26 years later. Read More
Amidah Project (Series)
The Amidah Project: Kol Nidre
September 24, 2012 | 1 Comment
To experience the t'shuvah of Kol Nidre, who really cares about the legal basis for Judaism's most famous High Holy Day chant? Read More
Emanuel Congregation
Once Around the Sanctuary, Not So Fast
September 21, 2012 | No Comments
People often remark that converts tend to have a deeper knowledge of Judaism than do Jews by birth. But as with all things, practice makes perfect. Read More
Conservative Judaism
Are You Religious?
September 19, 2012 | 5 Comments
Faithful or agnostic. Zealot or atheist. How religious are you? Are you sure about your answer?. Sometimes we're not as religious as we think. And sometimes we're closer to God than we ever realized. Read More