


Life is (not always) Good
Attracted by a 30% off sale sign, I walked into a small sporting goods store. On a stack of T-shirts was one that said, “Life is good.” Luckily, my size was on top. I took it as an omen and I bought it quickly. This will be a reminder to…

Word Imperfect
I’ve completed four decades of adulthood. Those four decades are like four books of Torah: my growth, my exodus, my immersion in law, and my journeys through difficult times. I’ve got my very own personal sized torah to share. These are…

My pledge
There are promises made tacitly or implicitly which are elevated to the realm of commitment. We can disappoint others, often without saying a word. When we feel that pledges have been broken, our stomachs turn sour and our driving can be distracted.…

Great British Baking Torah
I was watching the Great British Baking Show late one night. I learned some baking techniques for building a multi-layered French cake: the key skill was pressing down on the layers to build up the dessert.Turns out that this baking skill also…

How’s my driving?
I delayed visiting the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem until the last day of my journey. What used to be a much-anticipated moment now seemed an obligatory stop during our trip. Why the ambivalence? The exclamation point of past Israel…

The Books of War
There is a theory that there was once more than five books of Moses. The supposition is based upon a phrase in the book of Numbers. In the middle of wandering and kvetching, we find this curious phrase “Therefore the Book of Wars speaks of…

Rebellion Next Year
Rebellion is often a single dissatisfaction away. Frustration and agitation are precursors to political and societal upheaval. The act of rebellion requires a disappointment that triggers grief into action. In a world of challenges and conflicts,…

Back to the Wilderness
I’m environmentally panicked. I keep talking and thinking about the recent predictions by Australian climate change experts of imminent cataclysmic environmental damage . The report says the existential threat to human beings will begin in…

Second Chance Law
Florida recently enacted a “Second Chance” law, repealing a lifetime ban on voting for 1.4 million convicted felons released from prison. I thought about the impact on both individuals as well as society in finding ways of affirming the…