Um… Mrs. Weisberg, I just want to let you know that I am probably going to be late for our Havdallah program because my family is going to do Havdallah at home first. It’s what we do every week. When I first heard this statement from one of the students in the midst of preparations for the third-grade class Havdallah…
Month: February 2018
Yes, Service and Learning
The Israelites prepared for the Exodus with gold and bread, not by learning how to swim. Despite a land-locked life, we are taught in the Babylonian Talmud that Nachshon walked up to his face in the water before it parted for the masses (b. Sota 37a). I felt similarly unprepared and submerged on my first day in the classroom and…
Creating Connections Early and Often
On the first Friday of every month while I was at university, my friends and I would hop into an Uber and head downtown to a banquet hall to join up with about one hundred other young professionals for the monthly “First Friday” Shabbat. Young Jews gathered together for a night of food, drinks, and schmoozing. There was no hidden…
Taking Turns
The Olympic Games inspire me. Athletes from around the globe exhibit the boundless capacity of the human body and spirit, competing yet also cooperating in the pursuit of excellence and accomplishment. The most impressive athletes, in my opinion, are those that return, making repeat showings from one set of Games to the next. These are the individuals so invested in…