holiday

When I turned 14, I was excited to get my first job at Publix. I bagged groceries until just after my 18th birthday.

For the most part, I enjoyed interacting with people on the short walk to their cars. But around mid-December, I’d be filled with anxiety during my chats with customers. They’d ask about holiday plans, and then talk about their holiday plans. So far, so good. But then they’d say two words. And despite the dozens of interactions that ended with these two words, I never knew how I should respond. 

1) We shake the lulav and etrog in all directions when we enter the sukkah. As a Hebrew school student, I learned that this is because God is in all directions, and God’s blessings are everywhere. We can feel God’s blessing in every area of our lives. This is true, and a great lesson. But I like to think that another reason we shake the four species in every direction is to remind us that each of *us* can radiate blessing and goodness in every area of our lives. We don’t have to wait for God to give it to us. We can give it to the world.

During every single evening service, Jews recite the Hashkivenu prayer. Within the service, we recite it between the Mi Chamocha and the Amidah. It is…

Soon after the Exodus from Egypt, God teaches us: You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land…

My favorite book is The Little Prince. I’ve probably read this delightful book dozens of times. In high school, I was inspired to take French…

Shabbat Shalom. In the movie Grand Canyon, Steve Martin’s character says, All of life’s riddles are answered in the movies! This quote came to mind…

Jews have always measured time. The Mishnah informs us that we do not just have the one new year of Rosh Hashanah. Not content to…

Two nights ago, it was getting late and I was complaining about something or other (shocking). My wonderful girlfriend said that before I to sleep,…