We often forget that the season of Pesach is considered a Jewish New Year. As we should expect, Rosh Hashana gets a lot of attention. But Rosh Hashana invokes teshuvah, a time for introspection, forgiveness and actively trying to change a trait or repair a relationship.
A Bisl Torah
Elijah and the Tooth Fairy
Never leave your phone out. Obviously, this could be the beginning of many dilemmas, but mine isn’t what you might expect. The kids saw an open application, otherwise known as the Tooth Fairy App.
Hide n’ Seek
My daughter insisted that our family play hide n’ seek. I’m not a big fan of the game. Kids stealthily waiting to jump out at you, closets in shambles by the end of the game, and each child wanting multiple turns. When Annie requested hide n’ seek, I countered with Bananagrams. Unsurprisingly, 30 seconds later, I began to hide.
Planting A Seed
One year ago, I was comparing the plagues of the Passover story to the plague of Covid-19. But this year, I don’t want to focus on the plagues. Instead, I want to focus on how I can make this seder night different. Mah nishtana halaila hazeh? How I can make this seder night different from all other nights. How I can make this upcoming year different from all other years.
Strength In a Cookie
We continued our annual tradition of baking hamantaschen. This year, the experience was a little different. Sinai Temple joined 75 other families on zoom, communally made dough and laughed through our baking questions. How much flour? How do you create the perfect triangle shape? How many minutes in the oven?
Pocket Torah
In rabbinical school, common advice from mentors included, “Always have a piece of pocket Torah.” Meaning, wherever you find yourself, be ready to share a Torah lesson, story, teaching or message. In a world with so much beauty, tragedy, hope and loss, there should always be a piece of Torah to share. And yet, visually, I think of someone’s pockets. At points in our lives, our pockets feel inside out, empty cloth triangles, revealing an inability to feel joy. Hollow pockets.
Let Love In
In the secular world, this weekend brings in a holiday known for love. Cards exchanged, chocolates consumed, cheesy movies watched. It’s a time in which we show affection for those we care about. But if we are being honest, it is also a time in which we hope to feel honored, valued, and seen. How much of these Hallmark holidays is wondering if a card will end up in our own mailbox?
A Time for Laughter
When is the last time you laughed? Not a quick smile, but the kind of deep belly laugh that comes out of nowhere. That kind of laugh.
The Cries of the Trees
Clergy note the coinciding of International Holocaust Remembrance Day and Tu Bishvat, the holiday celebrating the “new year” of the trees. Many themes run between the two calendrical landmarks, but the connection seemed obvious.
What Defines You?
In watching the inauguration, so many of us were captivated by Amanda Gorman, the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. History. As riveting her ability to transform history into lyrical song, I was just as moved by her poise and gift in commanding the attention of the watching world. She offered not just a poem, but an experience, engaging us in an urgency to see ourselves in the continuous building of this beautiful country.
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