As the High Holy Days approach I’m paying closer attention to the list of “al cheyts” I’ve amassed this year: losing my temper over macaroni and cheese; interrupting constantly; not returning movies in a timely fashion to Netflix; talking on the phone while driving; reading e-mails on conference calls; not calling friends often enough; feeling envy; acting selfish; not listening well enough…and the list goes on. This month of Elul and the high holy days which follow are the way Judaism calendars personal and collective renewal. It’s an opportunity for each of us to reflect on where we’ve been, who we are and where we’re going.
Slowing Down for the Summer
by Rabbi Gayle Pomerantz. founding director
This is my first Miami summer with a dog. It’s hot when I walk him at 7:00 am, and it’s hot when I walk him at 7:00 pm. It’s just hot. But the heat isn’t all bad. It forces me to slow down from my usual frenetic fast paced day of appointments, work, calls, carpools, e-mails, cooking and more, and pause, stretch and breathe.
The Tent is Open
I read this in the New York Times Metropolitan Diary section last Monday (April 26th):
Dear Diary:
Emerging from the subway at 96th and Broadway, I heard the familiar sound of a man preaching from a Bible. Some things never change.
But the Bible caught my eye — it was thinner than usual. The man was preaching from a Kindle! Some things will never be the same.—Ora Shtull
Making Passover 2010 an EVENT
Rabbi Kook, the first Chief Rabbi of Israel, once said: One should make the old new, and the new holy. This is the task of anyone who is hosting or participating in a Passover Seder. Our charge is to tell (haggadah) the story of our ancestors liberation as though we ourselves were once slaves.
Reflections on Parenting
“Honor your father and mother (Ex. 20:12)”, the 5th commandment, is in this week’s Torah portion, known as Yitro. Parenting seems to be my theme for the week. Last night, I participated in a session with a group of mothers of 4th grade girls. Together, we are developing a Mother-Daughter Group. Today, I took part in the second session of a Blessing of a Skinned Knee Parenting Discussion Group. And in between I’ve been reading the book Nurture Shock.
