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A Bisl Torah

Do You Really Mean It?


This week’s Bisl Torah is featured in the Jewish Journal. There is clearly a right and wrong way of expressing an apology. So many of us experience the latter. A mistake is made, and the following dialogue is used: I am so sorry that you feel this way. As if the anguished party is at fault for feeling anguished. While we seem to understand that expressing our wrongdoing is the “right” thing to do, there is disconnect between knowing and admitting that we just fell short. Our Torah portion delineates the proper way one offers a sacrifice to God. Where…

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Our Week at Camp


This week, Rabbi Sherman and I are serving as Rabbis-in-Residence at Camp Ramah in Ojai, CA. Please enjoy the words that Rabbi Sherman wrote and sent to the families of Ramah campers. Shabbat shalom! While I cannot count the number of times I have put on tefillin, I do know that I have never been witness to or a participant in the process of creating a pair of tefillin…..Until today. How do you answer the question, “What happens at Jewish summer camp?” The typical responses are celebrate Shabbat, learn about and connect to Israel, and create strong Jewish relationships that…

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After the Quake


We just came back from a short trip to San Francisco. We visited many San Francisco landmarks and the tour guides often quipped the same refrain, “We learned our lesson after the quake.” Sometimes it was the 1906 earthquake; other times the 1989 quake was referenced. With each disaster, buildings and bridges were retrofitted to withstand the impending next tremor. It was fascinating listening to the amount of time, effort and talent that goes into protecting lives and sustaining the existing beauty of this northern Californian metropolis. I couldn’t help but think about what it would look like if we…

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The Day He Saw Thunder


My husband likes to tease me, claiming bad weather follows wherever I go. We traveled to Philadelphia, and for several days we experienced nothing but sunny, cloudless skies. The final day of our trip, we barely missed a rainstorm that delayed plane after plane. Arriving home to Los Angeles, it was almost laughable to hear the booms of thunder disrupting our California summer. Erez looked at me and said, “This is your fault.” A downpour commenced and bolts of lightning struck, as water sloshed amongst flip flops and tank tops. Californians are usually unprepared for wild summer weather. Our son,…

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Power of the Sea


A few weeks ago, Sinai Temple took Shabbat to the beach. We prayed in front of the Pacific, overwhelmed by the beauty and awe of God’s creation. I remember wondering what the children of Israel thought as they stood before the Sea of Reeds. The water was a barrier to freedom. An obstacle in escaping the narrowness of Egypt. And yet as the water parted, the sea began to represent infinite possibility and endless opportunity. This week we traveled to the Atlantic, from one majestic ocean to another. Stepping into the clear water, I smiled. God is constantly whispering and…

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You Are Beautiful Inside & Out


This “Bisl” is being featured in the Jewish Journal: I stood in front of a mirror with three of my college girlfriends. The mirror was inscribed with the following: You are beautiful inside and out. The four of us get together once a year and remind each other of what seems so hard to individually internalize. Together, we remember that we are strong, kind, loyal, beautiful women. Our dinners have no agenda. No judgment. We are women that want to raise strong, kind, loyal, beautiful women, but often let personal insecurities speak over what we know to be core to…

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Ice on Fire


There is a story about the Baal Shem Tov and his obsession with light. His disciples knew how much he loved a bright room and so, in his presence, they tried to fill every room with candles. But one day, the students could only muster one candle; no other form of wax or wick was found. The students were unsure of his reaction. Would he be angry? Would he be understanding? The Baal Shem Tov entered the dim room and asked the students to go outside and collect icicles. Taking the icicles, the students arranged the frozen sculptures around the…

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Morning Goodbyes


This week I dropped my son off at a new camp. In the mornings, I offer to sit on the gym steps and wait with him until a familiar face arrives. With a tight-lip and strong face, he shakes his head and stoically shoos me away. Feeling a bit negligent, I walk away. My thoughts begin a conversation: “But, he barely knows anyone.” “Stop. This is good for him. Let him figure it out.” “He’s only 4 ½. Maybe I should go back and take him home.” “He told you to leave. Let him grow up.” I always end up…

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You Deserve Ice Cream


Revel a little. Eat the ice cream. It’s not in my personality to be spontaneous. I am a methodical person and live by to-do-lists and thoughtful planning. But there is something about the start of summer that makes me want to throw away the list and embrace the extra hours of sunlight. The dishes will still be there. The vacuuming and laundry will continue to knock on my door. And the most important lesson: learning Torah is best internalized when living Torah. So throw down the list, jump in the car with some people you love, and go live a…

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Head Towards The Exit


A wonderful colleague of mine is leaving for the east coast. We decided to sit down and conduct “exit interviews.” An exit interview is usually a chance to explain the positives of an organization and offer suggestions for improvement, helping the next person that takes the vacant position to flourish and grow. It allows supervisors and peers to look inside themselves and determine where and when they have been an exemplary employee and where they fall short. Because this colleague and I have been friends and co-workers for seven years, the “exit interview” became much more. We were able to…

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