5 Things I Wondered About Today

Admittedly, these are first world issues, but nonetheless, I spent time wondering about them today (perhaps to avoid wondering about weightier issues such as, oh, I don't know, maybe the future of this country??):

1. What is a Universal Life Minister and why are they so popular as wedding officiants?

2. When is my landlord going to reappear from amongst the ranks of the missing to repair or replace the window unit air conditioner in my living room, which has now been on the fritz (when it should be on "frenzy," as my mother would say!) for nearly two weeks? (Although the calendar says it's October, both the thermometer and the hygrometer say it's July.)

3. Speaking of the calendar and the weather, now that we’re praying weekly for wind and rain (mashiv haruach umorid hagashem), when will we see the first flakes of snow? And when will Jim Cantore be out there in the thundersnow ? Tomorrow?

4. Now that I’ve finished Bellevue: Three Centuries of Medicine and Mayhem at America's Most Storied Hospital, what should I read next?

5. Am I the only person whose Facebook account hasn’t been hacked?

Happy Sunday, folks. Have a good week!

#BlogElul 5777: Ask

Done properly, this #BlogElul-ing is hard work. Since it’s Shabbat, I’m taking a pass, and will just ask some random questions that have crossed my mind recently:

1. Why is that oversized ball in the gym called a medicine ball?
2. Why is iced coffee more expensive than hot coffee?
3. What should we have done with the Ziploc bag of salt we took to my dad’s new apartment yesterday? (I sprinkled some on the counter and the rest is still there.)

These are somewhat rhetorical, but in the new year, may we ask questions whose answers increase our knowledge and bring new meaning to our lives.

Shabbat shalom.

Inspired by Ima on (and off) the Bima , this #BlogElul post is one in a series marking the days of the Hebrew month of Elul, which precede the Jewish High Holidays and traditionally serve as a time of reflection and spiritual preparation for the new year.

#BlogElul: Ask

Perhaps I’m naïve, but here are 10 things I’d like to ask the universe:

1. What has happened to civil discourse in our society?
2. Is there an appropriate prayer for a friend whose health is not going to be restored…ever?
3. Why is it suddenly okay for people to be so nasty?
4. What would happen if a universal ban on cell phones went into effect next week?
5. If I were to write an ethical will, to whom would I give it?
6. Does being a good person count for anything anymore?
7. Is there anyone who still values the golden rule?
8. What does having a day of rest really mean?
9. Is it true that cockroaches would survive a nuclear holocaust?
10. Does meaningful change really happen based on hearing a sermon or two?

Inspired by Ima on (and off) the Bima, this #BlogElul post is one in a series marking the days of the Hebrew month of Elul, which precedes the Jewish High Holidays and traditionally serves as a time of reflection and spiritual preparation for the new year.

#BlogExodus: Ask

This afternoon, a letter crossed my desk in which a parent indicated that a son had been "barmitzvah'd."

As is my way, I quipped about it on Facebook, to which a non-Jewish friend responded, "Wait, is there something wrong with that?"

Her question prompted me to respond with this bar mitzvah primer:

Bar mitzvah is Hebrew for "son of the commandment." (Bat mitzvah is the Hebrew for girls -- "daughter of the commandment"). A young person becomes bar mitzvah or bat mitzvah upon reaching the age of 13, at which time he or she is considered to be an adult within the Jewish community. Although many young people mark the occasion in synagogue by reading from the Torah and Haftarah for the first time, in reality, no action is required to become a bar mitzvah or a bat mitzvah. Despite its (mis)usage in the letter received in my office today, "bar mitzvah" is not a verb.  I'm sure if any of my explanation isn't correct, my clergy friends will chime in.

Although they didn't chime in to correct anything I'd written, they did add to the conversation:

"It's not a verb," said one. 

"Many of my colleagues and I have been fighting the 'bar  mitzvah'd' battle for years.  Clearly we are losing," said another. 

A third offered this mnemonic device: "At the initial meeting of my b'nei mitzvah, I teach the word BMINAV (bar/bat mitzvah is not a verb).  They seem to remember that, at least for a little while. :)"

To which my friend had this to say:

"Ahhhhh.  I thought it was the name of the party.  See this is the problem with this town.  Not enough Jews to help me with this stuff."

Her comment sent the conversation in an entirely new direction, when I responded with this:

The party has nothing to do with anything.  Ask my dad about his bar mitzvah and he'll tell you that he and his father went to shul (synagogue), he did his thing, they ate some honey cake, and that was the end of it. (Apparently, there was a luncheon afterward, but it was during the war -- 1945 -- and so the celebration was much different than the over-the-top, tasteless extravaganzas that reign supreme today.)

Kudos to another rabbi friend who provided this terrific summary of the discussion:

"More BAR than MITZVAH." --

And kudos, too, to my friend who initially launched the conversation by asking a question, simply because she wanted to know more.  May we always have the freedom -- and the desire -- to ask questions, to explore, to learn, and to grow.


Inspired by Ima on (and off) the Bima, this post is one in a series marking the days of the Jewish month of Nissan leading up to Passover, which begins at sundown on Monday, 14 Nissan. If you want to play along, check out this year's #BlogExodus and #Exodusgram prompts.

Hmmm...I Just Don't Get It

Although I've been on this earth for its last 50 trips around the sun, it seems that almost daily, there are more and more things I don't quite understand.  In no particular order, they include: 

1. Buzzfeed
2. Four-inch heels
3. The joy of shopping
4. Why iced coffee costs more than hot coffee
5. Tattoos
6. Skinny jeans
7. Why you'd talk to someone on a cell phone instead of the someone sitting across the table from you
8. Rude people
9. Mean people
10. Candy crush

 What things most often leave you scratching your head?
 

Do I Ask Too Much of Myself?: A #BlogElul Post

When I was in graduate school, I frequently asked questions in class.

Sometimes, I wanted clarification from the professor about a specific point.

Other times, my questions were part of a discussion.

At still other times, when I had no questions to ask, I was awed by the thoughtful questions my classmates asked.

Beyond the classroom, however, my relationship with asking is not always quite so clear.

Sometimes, when I don't understand what's being said, I get so flustered I don't know what to ask.

Other times, I'm just too embarrassed to ask

At still other times, (usually if the conversation is about celebrities), I don't care enough to ask.

Most of all, though, when I'm overwhelmed and the world feels like it's spinning out of control, I wonder if I ask too much of myself.

Inspired by Ima on (and off) the Bima,this post is one in a series marking the days of the Hebrew month of Elul, which precedes the Jewish High Holidays and traditionally serves as a time of reflection and spiritual preparation for the new year.

Random Questions

My friend Anna is known for asking random questions. Sometimes she’ll stop by my office just to ask: How much conditioner do you put in your hair in the morning? Or, at lunch it might be: What does it cost you to have a shirt dry cleaned? Yesterday, she asked me what time I’m going to vote on Tuesday. There’s usually a good reason she’s asking the question, but that reason isn't always apparent at the moment.

For the last few days I’ve noticed that many of the walk/don’t walk signs in my neighborhood are malfunctioning. As the traffic barrels down Second Avenue, the sign is fine, the bold red hand admonishing pedestrians to stay put at the corner. But, as soon as the cars and cabs line up at the newly-turned red light, confusion sets in: illuminated on the sign across the street are both the bold red hand and the bright white walkie guy.

As my friend Anna might ask: Why?