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Discord and Dialogue (Shemot)
Regular contributor Casseopia drops knowledge like she's got enough to lose. Check her latest post below:This week, we begin the book of Exodus with Parshat Shemot. A lot happens in this Parsha,...
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Pursuing Perseverance (Vaera)
There's an old sports cliche, widely attributed to Hall of Fame baseball manager Sparky Anderson that goes, "If you have good players and if you keep them in the right frame of mind, then the manager...
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Let My People Bo
Don't know what it is, but I'm not feeling particularly witty today, so this is going to be a brief Baum-drop. Maybe it's new the 6 a.m. workout routine. Or maybe the fact that I'm currently doing the...
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Beshalach: The World Without Us
Imagine you are Pharaoh; ruler over the most powerful civilization on Earth. You have enslaved the Israelites for hundreds and hundreds of years. No heavy lifting is involved. Life is pretty good. But...
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Yitro - Finding the Leaders in our lives
Dave Burnett painting a bomb shelter in northern Israel, Dec 2006. Great leadership follows three key principles:Know Yourself.Know the value of servant leadership.Know your values and do not deviate...
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Mishpatim: The Laws of Love
In the weeks before Valentine’s Day (I know, I know -- St. Valentine, not a Jew) and in contemplating my upcoming engagement, I’ve been thinking more and more about relationships, about love, and rules...
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Big News!
We caught a link today from the Union for Reform Judaism's Shabbat Blog, which recommended us as one of three sites that expound upon the weekly Torah portion. They also included their own Reform...
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Shrinking the Self (Tetzaveh)
So while this project started -- and will continue to be -- alternative commentary for and from 20-somethings, we're not going to turn down a more ... mature voice when they have a relevant...
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Leaping Into February and March
Doc Driedel thought it might be a good idea to widen the audience of my (roughly) monthly calls for contributors beyond the scope of the e-mail list. Check below for the info, and email me if you're...
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Ki Tisa -- High (In)Fidelity
This was first performed for 200 people at a Statewide Shabbat at NC Hillel, and caught the attention of a Rabbi who said it would really benefit bar mitzvah students if I did this for every portion in...
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Vayakhel: An Exercise in Subtle Juxtaposition
There's really no good way to follow up The Brooklyn Boy's last post because it was so hella good, especially since I was at the NC Hillel Statewide where he first unearthed his penchant for rhymin'...
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Vayikra: There Will Be Blood
At the conclusion of Exodus, we found the Israelites wandering through the Sinai with their newly-built Tabernacle. So far, it's been a tough ride out of Egypt, and the follies and tribulations of our...
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One and Done
I have always liked to think of Judaism as a ladder, with a goal of always moving up. Each of the commandments is a step on the ladder meaning the ladder is very tall. But the point wasn't to be at the...
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God is a Treehugger
-- Dr. Dreidel reporting Last week's reading, Behar, told us to give our land a break every seven years.Basically, for every six years that we work the land for crops we give the land a year to cool...
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Relaunch for the Holidays
The Watering Hole is currently relaxing on the beaches of Tel Aviv reflecting upon this last year in preparation for the new year and Rosh HaShana.The Site and commentary will relaunch with the start...
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I care, now what?
The good news about the Israel and Palestinian conflict is that there are answers everywhere!Ask two Jews, you get three answers. Go to Israel and ask the Israelis, which is what I just was able to do...
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Don’t be fooled by the rocks that I got(And other lessons from Tetzaveh)
--By Heinz 57When I was 17, I had my timeline set in what I believed to be stone. Really. Emphasis placed on stone. I had my first serious boyfriend, and I envisioned a diamond ring by 20, marriage by...
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Etching Ancestry (Tetzaveh)
You have historycarved into the bones of your shouldersgenealogical etchings handed downl'dor va'dor, generation to generation.We stand upon ancestral underpinningsevery step we takespringing off...
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Mountain, what Mountain?
By Sweet TThis is one of the more interesting portions for me. It captures beautifully one of my favorite sayings: sometimes you have to trim a bush to make it grow. And it’s also where the law...
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It's so pretty and golden! I can see my reflection in it!
By Dr. DreidelWhen I was little I loved my big wheel and I rode. I even tried in my house but my mom wouldn’t go for that. One brave morning I decided to ride to the end of the block and back. As I...
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