As many of you know, I've been living with a chronic disease since 1987. It has waxed and waned over the years, but it is not likely ever to be "cured". The best I can aim for is extended periods of remission, punctuated by uncomfortable flareups. The reason I am telling you this is not … Continue reading #BlogElul 5 – Accept
Tag: Judaism
#BlogElul 4 – Understand
We think we understand things, but very often we are wrong. Reality is like the skins of an onion, there are always more layers underneath. Physical scientists understand this, they make models and theories but never (if they are wise) expect them to be perfect descriptions and explanations of what is really going on. The … Continue reading #BlogElul 4 – Understand
#BlogElul 3 – Search
Searching is something I've been doing my whole life. What do I want to be when I grow up? Where do I want to live? What kind of meaning do I want to give my life? Lots of searching. Some of these questions have been answered in ways that surprised me. I've been living in … Continue reading #BlogElul 3 – Search
#BlogElul 2 – Act
I've been procrastinating on writing this blog post, but now it is getting late, and if I'm not going to kill my series when it has barely started, it's time to act. I know why I've been procrastinating - I checked the last two blog posts (here and here) that I wrote on this subject, … Continue reading #BlogElul 2 – Act
#BlogElul 1 – Prepare
Today is the first day of the Hebrew month of Elul. If you've been following this blog for a while, you've seen quite a few versions of this post - the tentative first step, the beginning of the process. Today, for the first time this year, we heard the shofar blowing at morning minyan. Every … Continue reading #BlogElul 1 – Prepare
#BlogElul is Coming!
So things have been a little quiet around here, what with my coaching website launching and all kinds of busy stuff happening. But time moves on inexorably, and it is almost time for #BlogElul again. This is a yearly recurring event when I fill the feed from this blog with daily posts on High Holy … Continue reading #BlogElul is Coming!
Surviving the Bread of Affliction
Passover has been and gone. It's always been one of my favourite holidays, largely because of the amount of baking I do with my kids. But this year it's taken a twist that made it considerably harder than usual, and I'm still recovering. I've had at least one person say to me in the past, … Continue reading Surviving the Bread of Affliction
Daleks in the Torah
I am so incredibly lucky to have been given the opportunity to develop an intimate knowledge of the Torah. Who but the Torah reader gets to read every single word of the Book? Because we are using the triennial system (for which I am currently extremely grateful, although I was not a fan when it … Continue reading Daleks in the Torah
In Plowing Time and in Harvest
Hi there! You haven't seen much of me lately, because we are deeply into the High Holy Day craziness. But we are almost done - only two more days of Yom Tov to go at the end of this week, and then we are done until the spring. Hannukah is a breeze by comparison - … Continue reading In Plowing Time and in Harvest
That Mythical Time
Well, I survived Rosh HaShanah and the Shabbat that came after it. I led services, read Torah, and helped keep things reasonably under control at our alternative service. I think people liked it. Now we are in the crazy week between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. These ten days are called the Ten Days of … Continue reading That Mythical Time