Life Well Lived
Grief Counseling and the Enduring Burden of Loss
I have suffered the loss of close family members, and, while I have gotten used to the passing of my loved ones, I have never gotten over it. Some days, it seems to me that the funerals of my parents, Aunts and Uncles, Nephew and close friends were just yesterday, and I am overwhelmed with…
Read MoreMy Experience As A Jewish Hunter
This article was originally published in the Florida Jewish Journal, May 20th, 2019. Last week I bought an arsenal of guns, and I am now a hunter. I have three long barrel single action pump stock weapons and in just one week I have six confirmed kills and love the hunt. My weapons are salt…
Read MoreChanukah Reconsidered
Chanukah? Every year we celebrate Chanukah without a lot of consideration of its larger message. Chanukah’s a fun holiday; but is there more to Chanukah than the relative fluff of giving gifts, playing with the dreidel and eating latkes? As it turns out, Chanukah speaks to our modern day American Jewish experience. Chanukah is all…
Read MoreThe California Wildfires
JUDAISM BROUGHT TO LIFE. Last week I traveled to California and visited Napa and Sonoma counties. The trip touched me in many ways. Approximately 6 months ago, Napa and Sonoma counties were ablaze from an out of control wildfire that incinerated an area larger than New York City. The Devastation of a Fire Lingers Beyond…
Read MoreWinnie the Pooh says, “How Lucky I Am To Have Something That Makes Saying Goodbye So Hard.”
IT’S PAINFUL TO SAY GOODBYE. Most people don’t realize how much effort it takes to write something that is simple yet meaningful. Yet, the author of Winnie the Pooh, A.A. Miline, was able to communicate the meaning a message that readers at any age could understand. That is one of love, friendship, responsibility and profound loss.…
Read MoreWhitewashed History: The Tragedy of 9 Adar
THE HOUSE OF HILLEL & THE HOUSE OF SHAMMAI Every Jew has heard the ancient stories of the Houses of Hillel and Shammai and their opposing views in the early codification of Jewish law. We learned that Rabbi Hillel and Rabbi Shammai disagreed on virtually everything. They even disagreed about whether it was wrong to…
Read More“What You Are Now We Used To Be; What We Are Now You Will Be…”
MY VISIT TO THE CAPUCHIN CRYPT My wife and I were in Italy last Halloween eve. We decided that the most appropriate way to commemorate Halloween was to sign up for a Roman “Crypt Tour” and visit some of the oldest known burial sites in the world. However, when we visited the Capuchin Crypt we…
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