Stories We Tell: Taking Care of the Wheat

Judaism has a deep and rich tradition of storytelling, of passing down stories from one generation to the next. To carry on that tradition, Stories We Tell, from ReformJudaism.org, will share a new story with you every Thursday. Whether you listen while driving to work, preparing Shabbat dinner, or taking your kids to school, each episode will give you a new story to reflect on and discuss with the people in your life. Stories We Tell is a project of the Union for Reform Judaism, a leading voice in the discussion of modern Jewish life. 

When a farmer goes away, she offers an opportunity to her children: the one who best takes care of the crops will inherit the farm when she retires. Each child has a different approach that leads to varying results, none of them exactly sure of what the farmer had in mind. But the farmer’s ultimate choice teaches an important lesson about sharing our potential.

About the Podcaster

Cantor Ellen Dreskin
Cantor Ellen Dreskin

Cantor Ellen Dreskin teaches and consults in a variety of areas, including contemporary Jewish music, synagogue transformation, experiential education, enlivened liturgy, and Jewish mysticism. She serves as Coordinator of the Cantorial Certification Program at the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in New York, and as a former board member and conference chair of the American Conference of Cantors (ACC).  Ellen travels extensively to congregations around the country as a scholar-in-residence, and has taught for many years on the faculty of URJ Summer Kallot, Hava Nashira, and the URJ Kutz Camp Leadership Academy. She is married to Rabbi Billy Dreskin, and is proudest of all of their three joint projects: Katie, Jonah (z”l), and Aiden. Visit her website at ellendreskin.com.

Recent Episodes