L’Shanah Tova on the Journey
To all of you, anyone I’ve missed, everyone I love, and those with whom I continue to share this planet, may you be inscribed in the Book of Life for a happy and sweet new year. L’Shana Tova.
Shavuotmeal
If our rabbis can’t even keep compassion in their hearts across halachic lines, what chance do we rank-and-file Jews of differing denominations have of making peace amongst ourselves? Maybe more of a chance than we think.
Oh Where, Omer, Has My Shaven Face Gone?
The Omer countdown from Pesach to Shavuot anticipates the celebration of receiving the Torah at Sinai and honors unhappier moments in Jewish history. Last year I ignored it. This year, I threw out my razor.
Passover and Stay Awhile
What a difference a year makes. Last year I was Passoverwrought. This year, I saw Pesach coming–and happily counted the days.
Eight Nights to Renew Your Inner Jewish Child
Happy Chanukah to all my readers! The festival of lights is a good time to remember our Jewish holidays are for everyone. So even if you’re over 12, light that chanukiyah with pride. All eight nights.
The December Dilemma Is a Choice
I thought a lot about the Jewish ‘December Dilemma’ before putting up my holiday tree this year. I kept coming back to one question. What, exactly, are we afraid of in the first place?
Fifteen Christmases and an Eitz Moed
Last December, on a Jewish journey and with my possessions in storage, I celebrated my first tree-free holiday season. This year, officially Jewish and back in my own apartment, I’m finally faced with the December Dilemma. Jews don’t put up Christmas trees, and there’s no such thing as a Chanukah bush. And then I got an idea.
First You Do (the High Holy Days), and Then You Hear
The High Holy Days that marked the beginning of 5772 also marked the end of my first observed Jewish year. I expected the Days of Awe to be fulfilling. But what was missing turned out to be the best part of all.
Passoverwrought
Plan all the phoney matzah meals you want, or avoid it completely and subsist on permitted meats and quinoa. No amount of advance planning will take all the sting out of observing Passover. Nor should it.
“…But one of the worst is commercialism.”
In this second of two tardy Yuletide posts, I realize just how crass a secular Christmas can be, by spending my first one as an outsider looking in.