If we have been scared lately, like our ancestors waiting for Moses, if we have felt the absence of something or someone we need, this parsha is for us. We are not alone in reaching for something solid when the ground feels uncertain. That is human. That is ancient. That has been true since before Sinai.
Read MoreHave you heard of Lucila Gamero de Medina? If you haven’t, I hadn’t either until this morning. I’m sharing a recent post from the GoFundMe here, and in it I think about Lucila in the context of Megillat Esther . . . because, you know, it was just Purim. If you read this post it would mean a lot (a lot a lot a lot) if you’d share a quick comment.
Read MoreUltimately, what makes Abby, Tried and True such a solidly good book - Jewish or otherwise - is its emotional honesty. Abby is a fully realized awkward, thoughtful, sometimes self-absorbed, and deeply loving character. The writing balances humor and gravity, allowing readers to breathe even in heavy moments. The themes of courage, loyalty, and growth resonate across contexts and they are delivered with warmth, humor, and authenticity.
Read MoreThis modern, mystical, Jewish YA novel, The Ghosts of Rose Hill , is a beautiful vessel for exploring trauma, exploitation, moral courage, and the strength of knowing who we are.
Read MoreThinking about food justice, Tu BiShvat, and Parshat Yitro.
Read MoreHere we are now at the end of the book of Genesis. No celebration. No miracle.
Joseph grows old, speaks to his brothers, and dies.
Our last image in Genesis is not creation or freedom or return.
It is a coffin in Egypt.
(Sounds depressing, right? Maybe give it a chance.)
In The Judgment of Yoyo Gold, Isaac Blum offers readers an authentic, frank, and deeply human portrait of adolescence. Through Yoyo’s sensitive and courageous journey, the novel captures the real and raw experience of being a teenager. For Jewish teens and families, especially those who are not Orthodox, the book is both a window and a mirror. For all readers, it is a reminder that part of growing up is learning how to decide which values truly matter, and how to live them with integrity.
Read MoreWith our Go Fund Me: Love is Boss Let’s Help in Honduras, our community has shared $18,109 through Miguel to support medical care, nutritional needs, housing support, birthdays, and other essential needs. In addition, there were separate/private contributions totaling just over $14,000. That brings the collective total to about $32,109, or an average of ~$2,675 each month. Amazingly and wonderfully, this meets - and even slightly exceeds - our goal of $2,500 per month.
Dollars matter. What matters more is what they made possible.
All Jews are interconnected. Siblings. We have a mutual responsibility to care for each other and work for communal good. The actions and well-being of one of us affects all of us. Part of choosing to be part of the Jewish community - whether we are Jewish or not - means saying, “You matter to me and I won’t walk away.”
Read MoreWe get to meet the authors of Benny Feldman’s All-Star Klezmer Band at our next BeJewcy Book Club meeting! (I’ve actually met them before and they are WONDERFUL!)
Benny Feldman’s All-Star Klezmer Band is so warm and funny it’s the best kind of cozy. This middle-grade novel by authors Allison Marks and Wayne Marks celebrates Jewish music and Jewish identity, friendship, and the messy, courageous journey of trying to figure out who you are in the world.
Every now and then I share what I write in the Go Fund Me I manage here.
This is one of those times. I have been feeling so so much that the ocean is vast, my boat is small, and it’s on fire, and there are sharks, and the sharks are hungry. Maybe you have been feeling that, too. I mean, I like sharks. Actual sharks. The ones in the actual ocean. But still. And at the same time, I get to be part of this thing. This thing in the biggest sense, and this thing - this Go Fund Me - with my teacher Dr. Michael Dulick who these days mostly goes by the name Miguel. It’s a very, very good thing. It’s a flotation device.
This song has a STORY. And yes, it *is* a story of light that lasts, but it's not THAT story.
For one thing, it's about a woman who got married in a dress made from a silk parachute so obviously it has romance. For another, it's a story full of horror, resilience, escape, and survival.
It goes like this . . .
Read MoreUltimately, Hoodie’s journey is about learning how to be fully himself.
In reading his story, we might get a little closer to figuring out how to be fully ourselves, too.
Confession: On Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah ESPECIALLY, God’s voice in my head sounds basically exactly like Camila Cabello singing “Don’t Go Yet.” I MEAN (and yes, I'm listening AGAIN right now) can't you JUST HEAR GOD singing "I wore this dress for a little drama"?
Read MoreWhile I waited with Israeli friends and loved ones for the hostages to return I read and watched the shared words and images of dozens - maybe hundreds - of Jews and Palestinians and Israelis and Gazans and settlers and Palestinian residents in the West Bank. I took it all in. I slept for a couple of hours. Then I read Bresheet, this week’s Torah portion. Twice. What you’ll find here are a first draft of my nearly sleepless thoughts and musing and questions and associations. It’s a bit of a rough ride, but hopefully an interesting one.
Read MoreMiddle Grade Book Review!
I am always here for a good story.
There are stories that invite us to dream, and there are stories that invite us to belong.
Anya and the Dragon, an enchanting middle-grade fantasy by Sofiya Pasternack, is a very good story that expertly does both.
Sukkot has long been a favorite holiday of mine, and not only because it's the next one on the calendar. Still, this year, I'm struggling to find joy in this season of joy. Maybe you are, too. I have some ideas, I’d love to hear yours, too. I have a Sukkot Guide to share, and also 14 things that I’m doing or committing to doing this week.
Read MoreThe covenant isn’t between God and Moses, it includes all of us.
Words and Torah aren’t only Moses’s legacy, they are also our legacy.
Merchav Shabbat meets online the 1st and 3rd Saturday 9:30am Central.
We’re saving a seat for you! Please send me a message if you are interested.
One of my Jewish Life Coaching folks is having surgery soon.
They asked, and we looked for, a guide for them that would include Jewish texts and prayers as they prepare for and have their procedure, and for their recovery.
We didn’t find anything that quite fit.
So I created one.
In BeJEWcy, my middle grade Jewish book club, when we talked about Madelyn Rosenberg and Wendy Wan-Long Shang’s book Not Your All-American Girl we began by asking:
What does it mean to be “all-American”?
For the book’s main character Lauren Horowitz, a sixth grader who’s both Jewish and Chinese, the answer turns out to be a lot more complicated — and personal — than she expected.
Read More
