September book collection
Click the title of this post to read it in its true version. Time is passing quickly! The Jewish High Holidays were a beautiful season of reflection and meaning and now we move into a season of our...
View ArticleA question to ask yourself
Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole by Susan Cain So what if I asked you this same question: “What are you longing for?” You may not have asked yourself this question before. You may not...
View ArticleThoughts on war
I feel compelled to put some thoughts down here, both to help me un-jumble my brain and to have as a memory. I am in rabbinical school because I love the Jewish people. I love our Torah and the...
View ArticleOctober books
See the correct formatting of this post by clicking the title. If you only have a minute to find a book recommendation, please go right now to buy this book by Avi Melamed. It is an excellent and...
View ArticleEnd of year reading report
Happy New Year, blogland friends!! I hope it has been a fresh start for you. Let’s hope for some good news soon about hostages in Israel. My little family went on a Celebrity cruise and had so much...
View ArticleOne small thing you could do to protect our democracy
It certainly feels to me that our country is in the midst of some kind of adolescent identity crisis. What kind of independence are we granted and what do we need to give in exchange for it? I...
View ArticleTime flies with good books! January check-in
We have had some un-Texas-like weather… a hard freeze where it was 17 degrees and Peanut, our little palm tree, had to be protected… The jury is still out on whether she survived. Then it rained for...
View ArticleOn loving the journey
This week’s Torah portion is about building a sacred space. While wandering in the desert, the Israelites needed a central place for God to dwell amongst them and to look to for comfort and direction....
View ArticleThe Whole Megillah
Have you ever had a moment where you noticed you weren’t being yourself? We humans have a need to be seen and recognized for who we are. Whenever I am suppressing my true self in order to fit in, I...
View ArticleSigns of growth
To prepare for my annual “clergy formation” meeting last week, I pulled out my notes from the session a year ago and was blown away by how much I have changed. I am a little in awe of this process and...
View ArticleFebruary and March reads
I’m sorry that there are so many books here, but you’re sure to find at least one you want to read! My favorites are Annie Bot and The Humans. Amelia’s Shadow by Marie Benedict — This is part of a...
View ArticleIt seemed like such a good idea…
The end of the trimester had its stressors, but not related to school. I had a lot of tasks that required all my attention, like leading the first Omer webinar this past Sunday, which went very well...
View ArticleApril books
The busy-ness of April finally caught up to me and I got sick for a few days. I kept moving my tasks to the following day, but ultimately gave up entirely and that surrender felt good. Here’s my...
View ArticleMay reads
I have 11 books for you this month, not bad for how busy May was. Today is my 49th birthday, so I’m appreciating how amazing my daily life is (I get to study exactly what I am interested in and...
View ArticleUpdate after the storm
We are fine. I have a friend who lives in Tzfat, Israel, who is literally on his balcony at this moment watching rockets explode around him and his family’s apartment. We are fine. I believe photos...
View ArticleJune reading and update
Huge apologies for the short book reviews here! I am looking forward to telling you about my current read soon, How to Tell a Story from The Moth. In June, I … Gave two successful Mussar webinars to a...
View ArticleJuly update
In July, I… Wrote a prayer for AJR’s High Holiday supplement Went to Paris and Amsterdam with my family (Sweet Girl’s first overseas trip!) Returned home to a hurricane that left us without power for...
View ArticleAugust update
For some reason, I finished no books in all of July. It was pretty much full of travel. I also got very behind on my emails and would read those before sleep at night. In August, I definitely made up...
View ArticleSeptember reading report
Hi friends! Life has smoothly rolled along for us and I can hardly believe it’s already October. I am patiently waiting for Houston to realize it does not need three-digit temps anymore. I’ve had four...
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