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.
Ask the Rabbi
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Join our discussion of a variety of topics that touch our Jewish lives - everything from holidays, life-changing moments, and what it means to be a Jew today. If you have an idea for a blog post, or something that you'd like to see discussed, please comment below or send an email to share@theopentent.org.
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.
Join our discussion of a variety of topics that touch our Jewish lives - everything from holidays, life-changing moments, and what it means to be a Jew today. If you have an idea for a blog post, or something that you'd like to see discussed, please comment below or send an email to share@theopentent.org.
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
Join our discussion of a variety of topics that touch our Jewish lives - everything from holidays, life-changing moments, and what it means to be a Jew today. If you have an idea for a blog post, or something that you'd like to see discussed, please comment below or send an email to share@theopentent.org.
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.
Join our discussion of a variety of topics that touch our Jewish lives - everything from holidays, life-changing moments, and what it means to be a Jew today. If you have an idea for a blog post, or something that you'd like to see discussed, please comment below or send an email to share@theopentent.org.
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.
Join our discussion of a variety of topics that touch our Jewish lives - everything from holidays, life-changing moments, and what it means to be a Jew today. If you have an idea for a blog post, or something that you'd like to see discussed, please comment below or send an email to share@theopentent.org.
Woman Arrested for Wearing a Tallit at Western Wall
By Rabbi Gayle Pomerantz, Open Tent Founding Director
I remember the first time I ever visited the Western Wall (also known as the Wailing Wall or Kotel). I was 16 years old and visiting Israel on the Alexander Muss High School in Israel program. I had this vision in my head of what it would be like to see the Wall for the first time, to touch it with my own hands, to smell the ancient city of Jerusalem…and I was utterly disappointed. First of all, the Wall looked much smaller than I had imagined, particularly the women’s side, which appeared to be about half the size of the men’s. Secondly, on the women’s side of the Wall, nothing was happening. All the action was on the men’s side – dancing, singing, praying out loud. And then, what was especially irksome, was that many women and girls had lined up by the partition, and were watching the activity on the men’s side, without any thought to making things happen on the women’s side. I vowed then and there, that I would one day return to the Wall and with devotion and love, bring life to the women’s side.
Join our discussion of a variety of topics that touch our Jewish lives - everything from holidays, life-changing moments, and what it means to be a Jew today. If you have an idea for a blog post, or something that you'd like to see discussed, please comment below or send an email to share@theopentent.org.
YAROQ, Judaism & Mindful Eating
By Rabbi Gayle Pomerantz, Open Tent Founding Director
I just read in the paper that the Swedes are starting to put a new label on food – not the calorie number or protein content, but the amount of carbon used to produce and transport the product (e.g. “Climate declared: .87 kg CO2 per kg of product”, New York Times, October 23, 2009). I have heard that the average meal travels an astonishing 1500 miles from farm to fork.
