Archives

**LESSON ONE** Imagine we are not exactly where we are, but instead, we are in some cosmic music academy—a large, beautiful room filled with the

On this Tuesday night, more than a hundred people have each ponied up fifteen bucks each to see the premiere of a one-man show I’ve

Attuned      It’s a few weeks before Christmas.   Kim, my enthusiastic French horn teacher, has gathered all the Portland horn players she knows

It’s Saturday evening. Jane and the kids are out. I’m sitting contentedly on the tan Eames chair. Dinking around on my phone. I notice a

I received the email below after I sent the newsletter about edamame beans and trying to choose being amused over being annoyed. I had included

What follows is a compilation of things that I’ve picked up about mourning. I hope you find comfort. 💙rB • rabbi_brian@rotb.org   *** – Grief –

Most every Friday, I bake mini-loaves of challah bread. Most of which I give, still warm, to neighbors.   The word companion is made of two

A letter to James, who had the same Buddhist teacher as me—Nagy. Dear Brother,    You told me that a new friend of yours wanted

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better.” Maya Angelou /// I stand at the kitchen counter

Passover is a week-long Jewish celebration starting on the 15th of Nisan—which in the Gregorian calendar can range from March 25-April 24. For 2023, it’s

It’s hard to wake up when the alarm goes off.   Daylight saving time means that I’m back to getting dressed and taking the dogs

*** 01 Dog guilt *** My sharp shout, “Hey!” scared Sparky, my beloved, small, dachshund-chihuahua mix. His little face looks up and says—I like to

Those of us ordained as rabbis by HUC-JIR in May of 1998 received an email on February 3, 2023. The email was to tell us

The woman seated next to me en route from my connection in Dallas asks, “So whatever is bringing you from Los Angeles to Lynchburg?”