Tu BiShvat: Happy Birthday, You Beautiful Trees!
My commute to work every morning is not typical. I drive through the Roaring Fork Valley with majestic, now snow-covered, mountains on my left and my right. The sky is often a clear, bright blue, and the sun glimmers off the powdery snow that shifts in the wind. I am the cantor at the Aspen Jewish Congregation, and I certainly feel blessed to live and work in such a beautiful place. This quote from Isaiah is particularly fitting for this part of the country, as the people here are very in touch with the nature around them - often finding their spiritual center while skiing a run or hiking in the hills.
Early Hanukkah in 2013: Jewish Calendar Fun
Whenever I'm asked if the Jewish holidays are coming early or late this year, I promptly answer that they'll be coming on time. And that's partially true. Rosh Hashanah will always arrive on the first day of the Jewish month of Tishrei just as Hanukkah will always begin on the 25th of Kislev.
In Honor of Tu BiShvat, Some Facts About Trees
Tu BiShvat, the birthday of the trees (or the new year of the trees) is a minor Jewish holiday.
What Is the Zionist Message in Israel's Spring Holidays?
Thriving Reform Jewish congregations in Israel can help Israelis meet modern life and all its challenges in today's Promised Land.
6 New Children's Books that are Perfect for Passover
A talking parrot saves the family seder and a moose-musician is eager to host his perfect first Passover meal in a pair of delightful new children's books for the holiday, which this year begins on the night of March 30.
Hide and Seek: Re-Imagining the Rituals of Afikoman
The Passover ritual of the afikoman is wonderfully playful and deeply profound. It was a stroke of pedagogical genius to include a ritual so physical!
The Feminist Seder in the Time of #MeToo
The Feminist Seder was a highlight of my youth. With the explosion of the #MeToo movement, our modern plagues could pack a renewed punch at feminist seders everywhere.
Why We Are Doubly Blessed by Freedom
I love sharing how important the greatest Jewish story ever told – the Exodus, the centerpiece of Passover – was to the original, remarkable leaders of America.
How to Understand the Timelessness of Jewish Time
Although we may think time moves in a linear fashion, Jewish holidays insert themselves in unexpected moments and places, seemingly out-of-sync with our expectations.
Which of Our Actions Will Change the World?
I play a game when I read the paper, posing these questions: Which stories will fade quickly? Which will we remember years from now? Which will change our world forever?