Blog

I just got word that my first and most influential rav, Rabbi Alan Lew, died this morning. I'm a little bit in shock--he was only 65, and from what I understand this was not anticipated from anyone. From what I understand, he died while taking a walk, serving as a...

This'll be out this summer. Goodness knows the fonts or whatever might change before then, but I'm pretty sure this is more or less the final version. In Boston-area event-ish news, I'll be giving a book talk at Eitz Chayim in Cambridge on Dec. 7th (this Sunday) and...

The F Word reports that Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls has parted way with her record label because she refused to cut images of her "fat" stomach from her new video--so they refused to promote the single and video: [Palmer] refused to let them remove shots of her...

Blessed Are You, God our Deity, Who has kept us alive, and sustained us, and enabled us to reach this moment. I am very proud of America--thrilled for the outcome of the presidential election, but more than that, thrilled about and proud of the many people who worked...

Dear Bay Area Folk: I'm coming to gig in just a few short hours! I'll be giving a book talk at Congregation Netivot Shalom in Berkeley tomorrow night (details here) and at the JCCSF Bookfest on Sunday (deets here)! Come out to say hi, willya?

Happy hag, everyone. It's gorgeous here, a proper autumn with fire-colored leaves on the trees, and just enough snap in the air that you need a sweater and, maybe, a scarf in the sukkah at night. It's been 11 years since I've had a proper autumn, and I'm very much...

Mizmor l'Tom Waits. Thanks to Zac for the link.

Happy and sweet new year--let's enter it with some poetry, shall we? Head of the Year by Marge Piercy The moon is dark tonight, a new moon for a new year. It is hollow and hungers to be full. It is the black zero of beginning. Now you must void yourself of injuries,...

This is very exciting, and rather apropos of the immanent New Year: Link to story online here. Surprised by God By Danya Ruttenberg In his Laws of Repentance, Maimonides delineates the path of the repentant. "The way of repentance is to shout before God tearfully and...