


Before, there was Fear.
A family joke about my late Uncle Hymie was that he started every story in the beginning, meaning with Adam and Eve. While our patience may have been tested, there is a wonderful logic in starting a story at its first instance. I…

Parenting a Parent?
As people live longer there may come a time when the adult child will assume the role of a parent’s caretaker. For this role reversal to be successful, parent and child must reengage with caring and faith.
The first such example in Torah…

My life in two words
Pick two words to describe your life. Try to do it quickly without much thought. What words came to mind?
This important exercise comes to us courtesy of the Torah. Joseph introduces his father Jacob to Pharaoh. Pharaoh asks Jacob how…

The Torah of Snark
The fine art of snarkiness has ancient roots. Take a look at the Torah portion, Miketz. I think I found there a Torah of snark.There is a time of famine in Canaan. Egypt is buffered from the hunger by the careful planning…

Toxic Sexuality
The sexually aggressive woman as archetype makes a debut in the Torah this week. She begs, pleads and cajoles her putative lover. By contrast the virtuous male, refuses and refuses and refuses her advances. The first male to transcend toxic…

Dream a Little Dream of Me
Which biblical character do you most resemble? Sounds like one of those Internet quizzes that pop up on your Facebook feed. Yet, I’ve given this some thought, as one biblical character often reminds me of me. That would be Jacob, the younger…

Succession
Season two of Succession on HBO, pitted four scions of a billionaire against one another. Three of the siblings are vying for their father’s anointment as the successor CEO; the siblings alternatively create alliances and undermine each other.…

And still I rise
Some Jewish rituals rebalance our lives. These practices are often directional, completing an upward motion. The act of rising is symbolic of our dedication to the potentiality of an evolving world, even as we mourn the losses suffered.
After…

What’s so funny?
Showing emotions may be dangerous business. Yet, bottling up our emotions is toxic to our well-being. The key is figuring out when and where to let our feelings show. We can all use some helpful hints toward cultivating our true emotional selves.…