Snippets

On the night of my conversion to Judaism, I addressed the congregation gathered at my synagogue, Congregation Micah, in Brentwood, Tennessee, for Shabbat. It during Chanukah, so that holiday always always has an extra-special glow for me. This is what I said on that night... When I first encountered Judaism, I was immediately fascinated by the Hebrew language. Its sound was so ancient, and mysterious, and poetic.One of my favorite Hebrew words is orenu. It means “our light.” It is the literal light that streams into this sanctuary on a Saturday morning as a young person accepts the responsibilities of...

In the movie The American President, Sydney Ellen Wade receives a Virginia ham after her first date with President Andrew Shepherd. The assistant who gives it to her says, "It took him 10 minutes to write the card." Ten minutes? Surely he didn't write it himself, he staffed it out, thinks Sydney. Nope. Wrote it himself. And it took ten minutes. In the Mishnah (Berakhot 58a), it says, "What does a good guest say? How much trouble has my host gone to just for me!" If you are a guest, don't think, well, they had a caterer, or it was...

When asked to create a papercut for the Hebrew name "Meir," the challenge was on... how to "illuminate" with paper a name that means "creator of light?" In my head, I saw the blue of the daytime sky contrasting with the dark of night, and rays of fiery light bursting through the darkness. "Let there be light, and there was light." (Gen. 1:3) The recipient of this piece shares a name with one of the most revered sages of the Talmud, Rabbi Meir. It is thought that his name was given to him later in life for protection and because he...