“The purpose of Torah,” he says, “Is to encourage us and remind us to strive to live a life of compassion, loving relationships, and devotion to our ideals.”

Posthumous edits to works by famous authors like Agatha Christie and Roald Dahl have made the news recently.

We can choose the world

we live in.

This year, the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires is participating in the national campaign, Shine a Light on Antisemitism, Dispel the Darkness. Its goal is to “champion the message that one small light can dispel darkness and hatred.”

This past weekend I attended the Authors Guild Foundation’s first “Words, Ideas and Thinkers Festival, Reimagining America.” Novelists, historians, journalists, and scientists confronted racism, climate change, the future of the Supreme Court, foreign policy, and identity and belonging, all in the context of their writing.

At Selichot Services last night I realized that the melodies we chant once a year had, after many years, become familiar to me.

As I sat quietly, alone, I was enveloped by peace and serenity. What better way to enjoy the waning moments of a day of rest and contemplation?

I was surprised to find a quote from Jon Bon Jovi in the book Imagining Abundance. Fundraising, Philanthropy and a Spiritual Call to Service, by Kerry Alys Robinson, but the content made sense:

Miracles happen every day, change your perception of what a miracle is and you’ll see them all around you.

For the last two weeks I have been writing about time. In this final post on the subject (for now), I’d like to pick up on the conversation between Krista Tippet and Oliver Burkeman featured in “On Being,”

Where I live, the sun will rise at 7:20 AM and set at 4:23 PM on Tuesday, the shortest day of the year. The good news is that we will gain 2-4 minutes each day after that until we reach the June solstice,

Last Saturday, both my local paper, the Berkshire Eagle, and the New York Times carried guest essays about rudeness.

In “The importance of kindness in the season of light,” Rabbi Neil Hirsch shared an unsettling experience he had while driving with his four-year old son. An impatient driver pulled up to pass him. But instead of simply passing, he slowed down to stare and made “an obscene hand gesture.” The shocked Rabbi had to explain it to his son, who never seen anyone do that before.