Why Bother to Pray?
“We walk in fear, in doubt, in uncertainty, / so why do we even bother to pray?”
My Newborn Grandson’s First Seder
“This year we have someone new joining our SederLit. Order. The festive meal conducted on Passover night, in a specific order with specific rituals to symbolize aspects of the Exodus from Egypt. It is conducted following the haggadah, a book for this purpose. Additionally, there an ancient tradition to have a seder on Rosh Hashanah, which has been practiced in particular by Sephardi communities. This seder involves the blessing and eating of simanim, or symbolic foods. The mystics of Sefat also created a seder for Tu B'shvat, the new year of the trees. table”
Count Her: Poem for Counting the Omer
“It’s my first time / to take up the rhythm, / keep count”
The Four Children of the (Continued) Pandemic
“The last three years have not been easy, even for the children who are acting like they have been”
Blessing of Gratitude for Queer Ancestors & Community
“I wanted a way of acknowledging and bringing my own queerness into the wedding ceremony”
Parshat Tzav on Purim
“It is by means of the dark / That the hidden light can finally be seen”
Shmitah
“I went to the edge of a forest … To remember”
I Am a Rare Breed: A Poem of Irish-Jewish Identity
“My soul bridges two rich ancient traditions”
15 Steps of Gratitude, 15 Steps to Freedom: For the Passover Seder
Statements of gratitude paired with each of the 15 steps of the PassoverPassover is a major Jewish holiday that commemorates the Jewish people's liberation from slavery and Exodus from Egypt. Its Hebrew name is Pesakh. Its name derives from the tenth plague, in which God "passed over" the homes of the Jewish firstborn, slaying only the Egyptian firstborn. Passover is celebrated for a week, and many diaspora Jews celebrate for eight days. The holiday begins at home at a seder meal and ritual the first (and sometimes second) night. Jews tell the story of the Exodus using a text called the haggadah, and eat specific food (matzah, maror, haroset, etc). seder
Tisha B’Av, Again
“As this day begins its dark descent / our tongues go dry again”
