After my year of mourning ended, I stopped blogging on the Times of Israel about my experience of reciting kaddish daily with a prayer quorum. I felt that I shouldn’t continue, for that year had come to a close, and I didn’t want to cross the line between meaningful contribution and attention whoring.
Eight months later, however, I gave in and returned to the keyboard:
* * *
2022
May
- 2022/05/09: You quit when the gorilla is tired… [Quotes]
- 2022/05/06: Prompt, yes. Publishing, no[t yet].
- 2022/05/01: The past and future are real illusions… [Quotes]
April ’22
- 2022/04/29: The young age of forty-two
- 2022/04/22: But one is born with potential… [Quotes]
- 2022/04/20: Wea’ve Written Weekly – a new poetry prompt!
- 2022/04/10,14: Change [Quotes]
- 2022/04/09: A personal anecdote about writing
- 2022/04/07: I got a new job!
- 2022/04/02: Prayer book party ’22
March ’22
- 2022/03/25,27: Hope [Quotes]
- 2022/03/24: 5,000 – Thank You! (Milestone)
- 2022/03/20: Today’s Russians are like Jews in Nazi Germany?
- 2022/03/14,18: Home [Quotes]
- 2022/03/12: Confusion about bloggers who share my posts
- 2022/03/09: A note of encouragement for poets
- 2022/03/06: A mishmash of thoughts on Ukraine
- 2022/03/03,05: Peace [Quotes]
February ’22
- 2022/02/27: An insight into the Russian public
- 2022/02/25,27: War [Quotes]
- 2022/02/24: Single parenting during a playdate
- 2022/02/19: Think what nobody else has thought… [Quotes]
- 2022/02/15: Jewish blog v. Jewish blogger
- 2022/02/11: The most essential ingredient in effective communication… [Quotes]
- 2022/02/08: Jews, #enduringly stubborn, survive
- 2022/02/06: A good book listens… [Quotes]
- 2022/02/05: Taking stock and thinking ahead
January ’22
- 2022/01/29: Either a daring adventure, or nothing… [Quotes]
- 2022/01/28: Israel exempts schoolchildren from quarantine
- 2022/01/22: Ask what makes you come alive and… [Quotes]
- 2022/01/17: Books for her 7th birthday
- 2022/01/15-16: Darkness [Quotes]
- 2022/01/13: No good response to ‘faith’ poetry
- 2022/01/08: The sole purpose of human existence… [Quotes]
- 2022/01/03: Poor advice from a 1st grade teacher
2021
December ’21
- 2021/11/30-31: Inspiration [Quotes]
- 2021/12/28: Forcing myself to submit my poems for publication
- 2021/12/20: A mysterious connection to each other… [Quotes]
- 2021/12/19: d’Verse on break: Poetry Partners
- 2021/12/15: Every great narrative is at least two… [Quotes]
- 2021/12/13: The case of the stiff fingers
- 2021/12/08: But maybe you are paying more attention… [Quotes]
- 2021/12/06: Getting my prose on… (kinda, sorta)
November ’21
- 2021/11/25,27: Gratitude [Quotes]
- 2021/11/24: Thanksgiving in Israel for me
- 2021/11/17,20: Belonging [Quotes]
- 2021/11/16: ‘Poetry Partners’ update
- 2021/11/10,13: Memories [Quotes]
- 2021/11/07: Congratulations, it’s a budget!
- 2021/11/04: Change your leaves, keep intact your roots… [Quotes]
- 2021/11/02: Both a part and apart
October ’21
- 2021/10/31: If you’re comfortable with your belief… [Quotes]
- 2021/10/29: Six going on… sixteen?
- 2021/10/25-26: Parenting [Quotes]
- 2021/10/24: Supporting belief in the tooth fairy
- 2021/10/18-19: Doubt [Quotes]
- 2021/10/17: Our welcoming school community
- 2021/10/16: Creatively, it’s more like painting… [Quote]
- 2021/10/15: Announcing ‘Poetry Partners’!
- 2021/10/14: A smile is the light in your window… [Quotes]
- 2021/10/13: 4,000 – Thank You! (Milestone)
- 2021/10/09: Life is meaningless unless you bring meaning to it… [Quotes]
- 2021/10/08: Micropoetry, a reflection
- 2021/10/02: A magnetic and strange thing, a creative force… [Quotes]
- 2021/10/01: Don’t judge, compare, or try to fix others
September ’21
- 2021/09/28: Facts can obscure truth… [Quotes]
- 2021/09/27: My first poetry reading
- 2021/09/25: The courage to be vulnerable… [Quote]
- 2021/09/24: Tidbits of our Sukkot
- 2021/09/20: Tradition and myth frame our response… [Quotes]
- 2021/09/19: The Festival of Booths
- 2021/09/17: Words wrapped around dreams… [Quote]
- 2021/09/17: My daughter’s English
- 2021/09/16: It is never our tenderness… [Quote]
- 2021/09/16: Secular Israeli Yom Kippur
- 2021/09/13: Humanity is our ultimate community… [Quote]
- 2021/09/13: ‘Poets of Babel’ in Jerusalem!
- 2021/09/12: Share our pain and touch our… [Quote]
- 2021/09/11: After 9-11: The boy who lost his father
- 2021/09/10: The greater the artist, the greater the doubt… [Quotes]
- 2021/09/09: What now? Getting published?
- 2021/09/05: Play is really the work of childhood… [Quotes]
- 2021/09/05: What’s worse than Shabbat? Double Shabbat!
- 2021/09/04: The hopeful, buoyant, cheerful attitude of mind… [Quote]
- 2021/09/04: 365 poems? Check!
August ’21
- 2021/08/27: Courage for a person to listen… [Quote]
- 2021/08/26: First impressions of first grade
- 2021/08/20-21: Language [Quotes]
- 2021/08/18: How much suffering would I endure?
- 2021/08/15: It’s very hard to find your own words… [Quotes]
- 2021/08/14: Personal growth through others’ stories
- 2021/08/13: A kaleidoscope of new possibilities… [Quotes]
- 2021/08/07: Cheating on my 10th anniversary
- 2021/08/06: An edifice that must be rebuilt every day… [Quotes]
- 2021/08/06: Did I have COVID-19?
- 2021/08/04: Language at its most distilled and most powerful… [Quotes]
- 2021/08/02: Looking for: Short forms of poetry
July ’21
- 2021/07/30: The greatest gift you can give your family… [Quotes]
- 2021/07/29: Opening up about my aunt’s cancer
- 2021/07/27: But what is happiness except… [Quotes]
- 2021/07/25: Blogging without barriers
- 2021/07/22: Something that has to be played with… [Quotes]
- 2021/07/19: The Jewish teddy bear
- 2021/07/17: Trust that there is enough… [Quote]
- 2021/07/15: Concerned with time management?
- 2021/07/13: The things you build together… [Quote]
- 2021/07/11: School WhatsApp groups: fathers not wanted?
- 2021/07/10: No such thing as a lazy person… [Quote]
- 2021/07/09: d’Verse Poet Pub break
- 2021/07/08: Not hoping to know… [Quote]
- 2021/07/07: WordPress versus Facebook
- 2021/07/06: Quotes on the internet… [Quote]
- 2021/07/04: Consistent blogging & relationships
- 2021/07/03: What you experienced yourself as a child… [Quote]
- 2021/07/01: Almost 3 years since Papa’s death
June ’21
- 2021/06/29: When a naked person offers you a shirt… [Quote]
- 2021/06/28: Rejected by fellow landsmen?
- 2021/06/26: It often comes out in clichés… [Quote]
- 2021/06/25: The recent rise in coronavirus cases across Israel
- 2021/06/21: The need for a father’s protection… [Quote]
- 2021/06/20: 3,000 – Thank You! (Milestone)
- 2021/06/19: Unified by a cause and a value system… [Quote]
- 2021/06/19: The prime minister’s yarmulke
- 2021/06/14: Learn the rules like a pro… [Quote]
- 2021/06/14: Finally, Israel has a new government
- 2021/06/12: Hope, too, can be given… [Quote]
- 2021/06/11: The incitement of Netanyahu & co.
- 2021/06/09: Until we reduce the language… [Quote]
- 2021/06/09: There is no civil marriage in Israel
- 2021/06/07: Live the questions now… [Quote]
- 2021/06/06: Why can’t I be secular?
- 2021/06/04: Never believe anything in politics… [Quotes]
- 2021/06/03: Very fragile hope: Israel’s next government
- 2021/06/02: Originality is not seen in single words [Quote]
May ’21
- 2021/05/31: A new Israeli government?
- 2021/05/30: Hated, but also loved
- 2021/05/29: The maximum of hatred [Quote]
- 2021/05/26: Omphaloskepsis
- 2021/05/21: Grandparents & grandchildren [Quote]
- 2021/05/19: Empowered Judaism – the opportunity
- 2021/05/16: Sticks and stones [Quote]
- 2021/05/15: Great(!) news: a very special school
- 2021/05/15: Prevent and prepare for war? [Quote]
- 2021/05/13: We live together
- 2021/05/12: A foolish consistency [Quote]
- 2021/05/09: Not for sale(?)
- 2021/05/08: The truth is like a lion [Quote]
- 2021/05/05: Kaddish for an individual
- 2021/05/04: To avoid criticism… [Quote]
- 2021/05/01: A good nationalism [Quote]
April ’21
- 2021/04/29: You think that way because you’re a poet
- 2021/04/27: Art is not what you see [Quote]
- 2021/04/25: Tradition: just do it?
- 2021/04/23: Become original without noticing [Quote]
- 2021/04/22: Blogging time commitment ~ worth it?
- 2021/04/20: Respond to your children with love [Quote]
- 2021/04/20: Forms of poetry; forms of life
- 2021/04/17: We are not human doings [Quote]
- 2021/04/12: My [Papa’s] watch
- 2021/04/10: The meaning of life [Quote]
- 2021/04/07: 2,000 – Thank You! (Milestone)
- 2021/04/04: Salted with my tears (Matzah Brie recipe)
- 2021/04/03: Death is a challenge… [Quote]
March ’21
- 2021/03/29: Monotheists? Not more moral.
- 2021/03/27: Power concedes nothing without a demand [Quote]
- 2021/03/22: Mourning my morning minyan
- 2021/03/20: No one ever becomes a master [Quote]
- 2021/03/16: Possibility [d’Verse] [prosery]
- 2021/03/15: Some of my best friends are anonymous
- 2021/03/14: The opposite of life [Quote]
- 2021/03/06: Withdraw the projection of our shadow [Quote]
- 2021/03/04: I don’t blog on Shabbas (the Sabbath)
February ’21
- 2021/02/27: What dies inside [Quote]
- 2021/02/25: What we take with us when we die
- 2021/02/23: Received: 2nd COVID-19 vaccine shot
- 2021/02/20: Unable are the Loved to die [Quote]
- 2021/02/18: Six-year-old burgeoning poet
- 2021/02/16: Teaching poetry to children? Help!
- 2021/02/14: Jewish and normal
- 2021/02/06: The best hamburger of my lifetime
January ’21
- 2021/01/31: Deed, not Creed?
- 2021/01/30: …Two minutes of silence [Quote]
- 2021/01/25: 1,000 – Thank You! (Milestone)
- 2021/01/24: Wherefore ‘ben Alexander’?
- 2021/01/22: Vaccine nation
- 2021/01/21: Belief chooses you [Quote]
- 2021/01/17: Homunculus of death
- 2021/01/14: This is not a poet
- 2021/01/11: Vicarious immortality [Quote]
- 2021/01/04: Today Papa did not turn 73
2020
December
- 2020/12/31: Holiday thoughts, part II: Jewish v. Not
- 2020/12/30: Holiday thoughts: Jewish v. Not
- 2020/12/25: The lightning-bug and the lightning [Quote]
- 2020/12/24: Social skills taught at preschool
- 2020/12/20: My most disturbing dream
- 2020/12/18: The heartwarming house sale
- 2020/12/14: First grade for my Israeli daughter
- 2020/12/14: Poetry is… [Quote]
- 2020/12/11: A fool’s wrong tools
- 2020/12/11: Something beautiful for Chanukah [Video]
November ’20
- 2020/11/29: “…Suddenly” [Quote]
- 2020/11/27: When the rabbi’s wife died
- 2020/11/22: The “synagogue of Satan”
- 2020/11/19: Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s nickname for my father: ‘Maestro’
- 2020/11/16: Memento
- 2020/11/12: Blemished mourning
- 2020/11/08: Difference [Quote]
October ’20
- 2020/10/29: One death at a time, please
- 2020/10/23: Mourners relate to mourners
- 2020/10/19: To India (and others) with love
- 2020/10/15: Bhagavad Gita Verse 34, Chapter 6 [Quote]
- 2020/10/12: He was supposed to teach her math
- 2020/10/09: A father’s legacy
- 2020/10/08: Insane antisemitism
- 2020/10/05: Disillusionment
September ’20
- 2020/09/25: Keyboard Judaism
- 2020/09/22: A fishy lockdown
- 2020/09/15: I wanted to be a rabbi
- 2020/09/13: ‘Space’ in all dimensions
- 2020/09/11: Resting on Religious Laurels
- 2020/09/06: Artists want to hear that… [Quote]
- 2020/09/02: Israel, the secular elephant
August ’20
- 2020/08/24: An Arab friend?
- 2020/08/24: Speak to me in Arabic
- 2020/08/21: My lack of reverence
- 2020/08/17: Goldfish > Avocado
- 2020/08/13: Books and activities for multilingual children
- 2020/08/10: Skepticism feeding skepticism
- 2020/08/06: The second avocado pit
- 2020/08/05: Watching Disney movies with your kindergartner
- 2020/08/02: On raising a multilingual child
July ’20
- 2020/07/30: Why so public?
- 2020/07/26: Ethical will
- 2020/07/21: Those scissors
- 2020/07/19: More skeptic than kaddish
- 2020/07/13: Hey, look at me! I’m honoring Papa!
- 2020/07/10: Hosting kiddush for Papa’s 2nd yahrzeit
- 2020/07/06: We are but stories
- 2020/07/03: “I love you”
June ’20
- 2020/06/24: The right side of the brain?
- 2020/06/19: Mourning in the 2nd year
- 2020/06/16: The rabbi that ruined my Judaism
- 2020/06/04: Walking on God
- 2020/06/01: Beard
May ’20
- 2020/05/22: Because God
- 2020/05/14: Gamboling sounds and syllables
- 2020/05/13: Absence makes
- 2020/05/07: Change of venue
- 2020/05/04: Zvi Bernhardt z”l
April ’20
- 2020/04/30: Chapter Next
The Skeptic's Kaddish 🇮🇱 