The tooth fairy Our 6½-year-old daughter believes in the tooth fairy, despite the fact that I've casually mentioned to her that goblins, gnomes, witches, fairies, dwarves, dragons, etc. are all imaginary, mythical creatures. She completely understands all of this, but for some reason, the tooth fairy seems to fall into a separate category in her… Continue reading Supporting belief in the tooth fairy
A haibun Last week, my wife was added to a Whatsapp group called 'Welcome to first grade', but I was not. I should not have been surprised, I suppose, because just two years ago, when our daughter was entering her preschool-kindergarten program, this same thing happened. Of course, I admit that I was not particularly… Continue reading School WhatsApp groups: fathers not wanted?
Why "redemptive"? My wife tells me that I should calm down regarding the school that our daughter will be attending next year. I'm trying to, but I won't be able to get this out of my system unless I hash out my thoughts in writing. This isn't easy for me to write about succinctly because… Continue reading Empowered Judaism – the opportunity
A major milestone for our Israeli family In Israel, the education system consists of three tiers: primary (grades 1–6), middle school (grades 7–9) and high school (grades 10–12). The major decisions about schooling have to be made for 1st grade and 7th grade. Last December, I wrote about applying to elementary (grade) schools for our daughter who… Continue reading Great(!) news: a very special school
Tassels swinging as they walk to the Wall on Saturdays; perhaps not. It depends, you know. Some wear frock coats so you wouldn't know it; plus- tassels probably don't swing much under heavy polyester. I went abroad to teach a group of secular Jews from Russia in Georgia. The country. I wore my skullcap (that's… Continue reading Half a dozen of the other, or: Jew
Some cultural aspects of Orthodox Judaism require a lot of explanation, which makes them challenging to write about with accuracy and general appeal both. Also, I am no authority on this subject and am sure to miss some pertinent points in any explanation that I offer. Nevertheless, I want to try, to the best of… Continue reading Disillusionment
It was during college that I first considered the notion of studying to become a rabbi. I was an awful engineering student and apathetic about my studies. Clearly, my greatest passion in those years lay in community building and learning about Judaism. After four years, I graduated with an engineering degree, poor grades, and no… Continue reading I wanted to be a rabbi
https://youtu.be/_4vFrZwF3hs Several weeks ago, my four-year-old daughter decided to once again start coming to shul with me on Saturdays for mincha and ma'ariv services. Last autumn, this became impossible for her when daylight savings time ended, as the timing of her afternoon naps wouldn't allow it (blog #22). Now, as the days lengthen steadily, my child has already recommitted to… Continue reading The skeptic’s kaddish for the atheist, 36
The Skeptic's Kaddish 🇮🇱 
You must be logged in to post a comment.