Recent Posts

  • What Now? Where to?
    Just by way of greeting, sharing pictures of DC Tefillin Barbie in sukkah and after sukkot. (Also hoping to stop voter intimidation at drop boxes in DC.)
  • bread crumbs
    thoughts on nullifying “the strong”
    just beginning to think about what it might mean to remove “the strong” from our lives at this precarious time
  • The amateur colored-pencil drawing here shows robed figures with raised timbrels, some of whom are labeled: #BlackLivesMatter, #Dance4Justice, and Silence=Acceptance. Larger text reads: "...and all the women followed her." -- Exod 15:20 DANCING FOR JUSTICE.
    Exodus: Moment and Movement
    Exodus appears to applaud a turbulent upheaval, one with unacknowledged trauma for everyone involved. Yet, the story also calls forth healing and possibility….
  • upraised fist
    From Exodus to Seder
    Reading Exodus in Torah cycle and Seder; preparing for seder by healing “rebelliousness”
  • fists ripping apart chains
    Joseph, Incarceration, and Dedication
    Joseph’s story reminds us of how Judaism intersects with carceral issues
  • copped view of R. Crumb comic frame showing Dinah visiting with neighborhood women, observed by local prince
    Joni and Dinah
    Chapter 34 of Genesis begins with a woman going to visit neighbors. This post is mostly about music and perceived dangers of mixing cultures and transgressing gender boundaries. But — CONTENT WARNING — it touches on underlying topics including misogyny, racism, and sexual violence.
  • Back There, Akara, and Belonging
    Leavings are a big part of Genesis. Not yet polished thoughts
  • wooden planks, some broken, some with building possibilities
    Friendship and Covenant
    Imagery of Abraham as “God’s friend” offers a path for exploring relationship with the divine and the Torah reading cycle ahead
  • sheaf of wheat, image for decoration
    Where now?
    Collapse series, begun before Elul, closes with a seed for new year which has already thrown us so much.
  • Incense rising, just wisps of smoke, cropped from image by József Szabó from Pixabay
    Interconnection and Stepping Away
    Some lessons from incense about seeking wholeness and retraining ourselves toward compassion.
  • Largely decoratie: The words "Whose tools?" and a two-pan balance.
    The Predator’s Tools
    Considering assumptions about “justice,” highlighted in this week’s Torah portion.
  • Covers of two books: On Repentance and Repair, We Will Not Cancel US
    Repentance, Repair, and Cancellation
    Exploring repentance and repair with the “unthinkable thoughts” of adrienne maree brown’s We Will Not Cancel Us
  • Hebrew and English words of community: Hebrew and English words: Tzibur -- public group. community -- kehillah. Folk [Latin and Hebrew characters] Minyan -- quorum. Adah -- congregation. Fellowship -- havurah.
    Community Meanings
    Thinking about community in scholarship, vocabulary, and questions for Elul
  • pile of rubble cropped from earthquake photograph
    Rough Draft for a Rough Season
    An Al Chet (error litany) for institutions for the month of Elul 5785
  • Stone, ancient-looking, well with wooden shelter ovefr it
    The Climb Up
    Moving toward post-upset Relationship as Jewish calendar moves from “affliction” to “comfort.”
  • Word Eikhah in Hebrew characters, plus English “How?! How? How!
    How?! A Roadmap for Transformation
    The “Hows” of this season remind us that building community is hard work that can easily get off track. (Part 3 of 10)
  • Hebrew and English spelling of Av
    Nine Days of Curiosity
    As the month of Av begins, the Nine Days call for reflecting on what needs repair.
  • green grasses on sahara --
    Summer Breather, Toward Fall
    Calendar Notes for a Summer of Collapse, part 1: Summer Breather, Toward Fall
  • picture of tallit, folded to show four fringes, labeled: asurim [bound] + l'yad [adjacent] + bachutz [outside] + lo nikhla [not impacted] 317+44+106+132= 599
    In Mind: Execution and Tzitzit
    Capital punishment and garment fringes. These topics bump against each other in this week’s Torah portion, prompting reflection
  • Matir Asurim, Tzedek Chicago, and Yom Kippur
    Remarks from Yom Kippur afternoon 5785 at Tzedek Chicago, about Matir Asurim: The Jewish Care Network for Incarcerated People

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