You are more likely to win the lottery if you buy a ticket. *** It’s the first Saturday evening with nice weather this year. Jane and the kids are out. I’m sitting contentedly on the tan Eames chair. Dinking around on my phone. I notice a desire to feel seen, appreciated, loved. I want to …
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 a new photo and revised bio with the newsletter. /// _Rabbi,_ _This is one of your best posts. It has a lot of beans and food for …
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 – *** Grief is the final stage of love.Grief is love with no place to go. *** – Permission – *** Don’t worry about what you think you ought to …
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 root words: con (with) and pan (bread). The people with whom you share bread are your companions. That’s why I share it. *** Because I don’t …
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 to connect with Hebrew Israelites. I found the group’s headquarters in Los Angeles. 4395 Leimert Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90008 They should be able to connect him with …
A letter to James, who had the same Buddhist teacher as me—Nagy. Read More »
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better.” Maya Angelou /// I stand at the kitchen counter making two large salads—one for Jane’s and one for my lunch. As I add a handful of the protein-packed light green beans, I ponder, “is edamame the name of the …
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 Tuesday April 4. Traditionally there is a communal meal—a seder—at the home, focusing on the theme of freedom. The iconic food of Passover is matzah—unleavened bread. Traditionally people refrain from …
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 out for their morning walk with a flashlight. It’s still dark as we return to the house and I continue with my morning routine. I start Jane’s coffee, …
*** 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 believe I know what he’s thinking—“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to. I didn’t know.” But he and I both know what he did. The single piece of …
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 that the seminary would send a more detailed email by February 10 with details of the 25-year ceremony, to be held on May 4, 2023, in which the college would …