Related Blog Posts on Jewish Values and Secular Holidays
From Covid and climate change to the erosion of democratic norms and the decline of a shared sense of truth (and the list could go on), two things are clear. First, are we living in an age that tests our ability to sustain hope. Second, if despair dominates hope, we will be unable to meet the challenges that beset us.
Reimagining Hanukkah Gift-Giving
There are a lot of creative ways to make Hanukkah meaningful when we pause to ask ourselves a few good questions before automatically going into shopping mode.
Cultivating a Shmita Mindset with our Screens
Limiting the time we are on our devices and setting an intention about what we do there are small steps that can alter our relationship to the digital world. By committing to these changes in our day-to-day lives, we can more readily guide our kids to do the same.
On the Jewish Road to Becoming the Best Version of Ourselves
Mussar represents what I have come to call “the Jewish Road to Character,” a Jewish path of study and spiritual practice focused on building the soul traits or the virtues that are at the core of our being.
What is Juneteenth to a Black Jew?
Even though the Emancipation Proclamation declared all enslaved people free on January 1, 1863, it was not fully enforced until two and a half years later.
My Father Was a Quiet Man
My father was a quiet man. He was not one to engage in philosophical or political discussions. He did not tell people what to think or how to live.
Had Pop left me and my sister an ethical will, it would have emphasized love of mishpucha (family).
A Memorial Day Vow: We Will Never Leave Them Behind
“When the telegram arrived, we all knew what that meant. But my parents didn’t speak English, so I went inside and read it to them.
How to Observe Shavuot from Home This Year
The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted so much of how we engage Jewishly, but Shavuot is a fantastic holiday for families to celebrate from the safety of their homes. Here are a few ways you and your family can observe this rich, festive Jewish holiday this year.
Being a Mom in an All-Woman Family
June and her partner, Betsy, adopted two girls from Guatemala and raised them together until Betsy died of cancer four years ago. June talked with me about the great joy she felt in fulfilling her dream of becoming a mom and the challenges she and her teenage daughters faced after suffering such a tremendous loss.