As you know, I send a spiritualigious newsletter every Monday, except for the last Monday of the month. Last Monday, January 30, you received the year’s first non-issue newsletter—the same one you’ll get at the end of each subsequent month in 2023. And, last week, January 30, instead of doing my usual off-newsletter-week’s task—ROTB’s end …
******* GRACE & ACCEPTANCE *** Before his magical visit with Clarence, the wood finial atop the newel post at 320 Sycamore comes off in George Bailey’s hand, frustrating him. As he has not yet had his epiphany, the fictional, relatable character, brought to life by Jimmy Stewart, decries the beat-up staircase for reminding him of …
***This thing of which we are in pursuit*** Imagine, if you would, that you are in a class or lecture of mine. It’s not the start of the session. We are past that. We’ve established some rapport as a group. Casually, between topics, a raise my hand indicating a question is …
Every week, The New Yorker magazine gives readers a cartoon in need of a caption. My friend Melissa won contest #733. I think it’s so cool that someone I know won. This led me to thinking about something that I recently did and how we all add captions to the life before our eyes. …
Two Thankfully-Ruined Gratitude Practices *** She ruined two gratitude practices.Two. One person.She ruined two gratitude practices I had enjoyed and heretofore had swore by. I don’t really blame Sara-Jean, a former mentee of mine since 1996—now nearly 40, mother of three, PhD in education, and professor at USC. Truthfully, I blame her cancer, …
The young, Soviet-raised, Gen Y—a group who would be reclassified outside relation to my cohort (Generation X) and instead be based on the calendar — a millennial— is vehement, raising his voice at me: “No, Rabbi. You must believe in God or you are not a rabbi.” “Sorry, Alexi, no. I don’t.” …
Ehh, good enough *** “Not cool, Doc,” my 25-year-old self, living in Los Angeles, attending rabbinical school, and falling in love with the woman who will become my life partner, says to Dr. Victor Morton, the man who is helping me unravel my resistance to falling in love with Jane and dealing with rabbinical …
I’m in a horrible fucking mood. Deal with the cuss word. We are adults. The g.d. vending machine at the airport took the $10 bill and dispensed “the water bottle with the cool, easy-to-drink-out-of top” that Annie wanted. But that was it. Just the water bottle. No change. The machine kept the change. I …
Authored? Authorized? I’m thinking about having a co-author for this book I’m writing. However, I’ve not yet decided. *** Assuming you are holding in your hands right now the very book that I’m writing, makes something interesting. You, beloved reader—who exists outside of me and the time and space in which I live—can …
# Anti-racism *** If you’ve missed the recent _ROTB Saturday spiritualigious service gatherings_, we’ve been talking a bit about being an anti-racist. Catch up by reading this. *** Jiddu Krishnamurti: “It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” *** Impact and intent are different. Your understanding of my …