“The Embrace” Some of my fondest memories as a child are of my mother’s singing to me. She was born and grew up in Appalachia. Most of the songs she sang were the hillbilly, bluegrass, or country songs she knew and loved. One of them, “The Knoxville Girl,” has an intriguing history, but I can’t … Continue reading Life’s Crooked Road
What Are You Afraid Of?
Playground (Children Playing). Jeffrey Smart, 1951. My father was a civil engineer. He worked in the design and construction of public works—highways, reservoirs, dams, that sort of thing. He traveled to wherever the job was, bringing his family along with him. We lived in thirteen states by the time I was six years old. When … Continue reading What Are You Afraid Of?
My Breakfast in Paris
Eugène Atget - Pont Marie. Wikimedia Commons. This morning, I made myself French Toast. I followed a recipe for it that I found in Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker. Even though I had to divide all of the ingredients by four, and math is not my best subject, my … Continue reading My Breakfast in Paris
A Real Possession
In the Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Ta’anis, we find a story about a man named Abba Hilkiah, a rabbinic sage who lived during the first century C.E. He was the grandson of another sage, Honi, the Circle Maker, famous for his ability to bring rain when needed. In the Land of Israel, this was a highly … Continue reading A Real Possession
Don’t Blame Me
Photo by Mike Burke on Unsplash. In the third chapter of the biblical book of Genesis, we read an intriguing story about a man and a woman attempting to avoid blame for an act of willing disobedience. They've done something which their maker has forbidden them to do. Now, whether or not you believe there … Continue reading Don’t Blame Me
Where Does Sin Go?
When I was young, perhaps five or six years old, a religion teacher was once trying to teach my classmates and me about sin, what it was, what it looked like. She held up a clean white sheet of paper to represent our souls, pure and spotless. She then took a pencil, drew circles on … Continue reading Where Does Sin Go?
What Is Your Peace?
The author reciting the Afternoon Prayer in the ruins at Gamla. ©2008 Beth Ben-Avraham. During the week, I recite the Morning Prayer at a small Chassidic shul near where I live. The rabbi has entrusted me and a few others with the key to the building. Often I am the first to arrive and will … Continue reading What Is Your Peace?
