I recall a story about a man who was always tired and who prayed each day for more energy. His prayers were never answered, until one day, in a fit of despair, he cried, “Please, oh, Lord, fill me with energy! And God answered, “I’m always filling you, but you keep on leaking!”
I‘ve been thinking [...]

“Ah, the knowledge of impermanence that haunts our days is their very fragrance (Rainer Maria Rilke).”
We’ve begun to trace Jacob’s steps backwards through those of Adam and others who distanced themselves from life in the Garden in Eden, in “A Different Sort of Fear of Life,” and, “Not Waiting For the Monument.” We posited that, [...]

“Man, born of woman, is short-lived and full of trouble. Like a flower that springs up and fades, swift as a shadow that does not abide, even so he wastes away like a rotten thing; like a garment that the moth has consumed (Job 14:28).”
“To Whoever is Reading Me”
You are invulnerable. Have they not granted [...]

“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time (Mark Twain).”
“Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years, and the years of his life were a hundred and forty-seven. When the time drew near for Israel to die, he called for his son Joseph [...]

Excitement was reigning in the faces of thousands of people waiting for 2011 to be over. 10, 9 8 ….. 1 Happy New Year!!!!! All wishing each other the best, hopes and dreams to be hopefully realized in this coming year.  People hugged, smiled, shouted, felt united with strangers in Times Square to be able [...]

Debbie’s sister, her husband, son (The Question Machine), and her best friend, all Spanish speakers, have been with us for four days. Michael just returned from studying a year abroad in Argentina, and now speaks more Spanish than English. Basically, I’m under siege. I’ve tried explaining to them that when laying siege, it is preferable [...]

In “Playing Her Way Into Eden,” we posited some questions, and, a “deal’s a deal!” Here is my reading of the Midrash:
“So they went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. They told him, ‘Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt.’ Jacob [...]

The time has arrived for Joseph to engage his brothers in the debate with Pharaoh (See “Table Talk: Vayeishev” & “Who’s In Charge?”). Pharaoh is testing Joseph who remains confident (“More Than a Feeling”). However, the family will have to master the Ivri approach, to understand the Chess Moves of the “Master of Memory,” and [...]

“I looked out this morning and the sun was gone
Turned on some music to start my day
I lost myself in a familiar song
I closed my eyes and I slipped away
It’s more than a feeling (more than a feeling)
When I hear that old song they used to play (more than a feeling)
I begin dreaming (more than [...]