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Homeshuling

Tonight we’re heading over to shul for an outdoor service and a potluck dinner. This meant I could come home from work and make one dish. Someone else is taking care of the juice, the wine, the challah, and all the other courses. This is my idea of a restful shabbat evening. Especially if there…

Yesterday was the last day of school for my first grader, who attends a Jewish day school. Although I’m a Jewish educator by profession, I count on her school to do most of the education. Granted, I was her teacher this year, but let’s not quibble over the details. I’ll still expect her to do most of…

This is the one bumper sticker I have on my car. And while I don’t consider myself divine, I do pride myself on doing more than kvetching. I try to put my energy into change (or has that word lost all meaning?) As I mentioned in the comments of my last post, I wrote a letter…

Yesterday, my daughter Ella went to shul with me to attend a bat-mitzvah. (My younger daughter, Zoe, was home with 102° fever.) I wanted to see the bat-mitzvah girl read from the Torah, so we arrived significantly earlier than usual. By the end of the Torah service we both needed to take a break from…

Last night, I attended graduation at the day school where I teach, and where both my daughters will (God willing) eventually receive their diplomas. It was a very moving event, especially when each of the upper-grade teachers spoke at some length about individual graduates. It demonstrated what loving and respectful relationships all of the faculty,…

I thought I had set up this blog to send me an email every time someone posted a comment. Apparently, I did not do this correctly, and today I discovered a dozen comments that I had not published, because they were awaiting my approval. They are finally up, and I’m sorry. I’m really not censoring.…

While writing a check tonight for dues to the synagogue I kvetch about, I came to a realization. The best reason to belong to the synagogue is that I don’t feel guilty when we show up five minutes before kiddush. Hey, we’re paying good money not to show up for services. (Or for programs. The last…

My daughters, who are very good friends, and are heartachingly kind to one another about 87% of the time, occasionally say insulting things to one another. (“Your tushy smells,” for example. Or, “I’m never going to be your sister again EVER for the rest of my life.”)   I know that sometimes my daughters are…

While the grownups were sitting around the kitchen table on Friday night, drinking homebrew and eating chinese takeout (a real treat for me, after spending the afternoon digging a garden), here’s what the kids were up to. I wouldn’t have had a clue had they not also swiped the camera. I guess I shouldn’t be…

When I was a student in a Jewish day school in Baltimore, about a million years ago, we had a sixth grade teacher, whom I’ll call Rabbi P, who required us to memorize verses from Pirkei Avot (when he wasn’t busy hurling sacred books at chatty children.) I’m a strong believer in the value of…
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