tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79124810011510454292012-02-02T04:54:17.820-08:00one more jew trying to transcend narrownessDavidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027469848201553970noreply@blogger.comBlogger301100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912481001151045429.post-51879203115739223352008-05-19T23:51:00.000-07:002008-05-20T00:03:32.796-07:00

I've been doing my morning tefillah regularly now for over two weeks, and am struck by the passage that lists the mitzvot "for which no fixed measure is prescribed," or, as I read it, that you can do as much as you want, and it won't be too much. The first in the list is one that has long captured my imagination: leaving the corners of your field for the poor.This is not only a measure of

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027469848201553970noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912481001151045429.post-19177637285863929352008-05-05T12:58:00.000-07:002008-07-07T05:00:33.200-07:00

(I guess this is the beauty of a free blog—I can go for months without posting and not feel toooo bad. But I still do. Jewish guilt? No. Not giving myself a break? Yeah, I need to work on that...)I recently conducted my family's seder here in Sepharad. One of the themes I like to highlight is the passage, textual and spiritual, from brokenness to redemption—Quitting Mitzrayim, for those who need

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027469848201553970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912481001151045429.post-87811991364557734682007-11-29T09:47:00.000-08:002007-11-29T10:19:19.121-08:00

I've been rereading parts of R. Lew's "Be Still and Get Going" on the basics of Jewish Mediation, partly because I need to get back into the habit myself, and partly because it was the only book in the house — until today — that I hadn't already read in the past three months.He describes the wandering mind and getting back "into the moment," which he — as well as others — asserts is the point of

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027469848201553970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912481001151045429.post-19415162279423376342007-11-27T03:46:00.000-08:002007-11-27T04:02:52.398-08:00

I wrote the rabbi last week with some of the questions I had — mostly for myself — on the last blog post. I have not yet heard back from him. Not surprising, as he's a busy man. I'll try back next week if there is still no answer. Hopefully, my email program will be back up and running by then.Last night, though, I had a dream that I went to visit him. He was at a very crowded desk (though not

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027469848201553970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912481001151045429.post-49488662381556360752007-10-28T22:25:00.000-07:002007-10-28T22:50:52.552-07:00

My favorite art period is impressionism because only when you step away does the painting come into focus. I feel like that's what's happening as I get farther and farther away from our lives in San Francisco. The preciousness of the friendships, bonds and community we had there gets clearer with every mile we drive away. Also, the shape of my life past and the signposts to what might be to come

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027469848201553970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912481001151045429.post-65617770317999723852007-10-01T22:01:00.000-07:002007-10-07T12:55:11.365-07:00

Chag sameach, if a bit belatedly. This blog has gotten neglected a bit in my many goings-on relating to wine, food and Spain. We are on our way across the country right now, unemployed and homeless, so I find myself with more time on my hands.I have also had an interesting turn of events as I was preparing to leave. In saying goodbye to Rabbi Lerner, he has started to encourage me to become a

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027469848201553970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912481001151045429.post-46158547579688474302007-06-25T22:12:00.000-07:002007-06-25T22:17:03.396-07:00

We had a power outage this evening. I guess it affected several surrounding blocks... All of the sudden, our best laid plans for the evening — emailing (all the wireless networks on the block, also down), watching a DVD, Amberly's working on her lesson — were quickly laid to rest. Instead, we took a brisk walk around the neighborhood. It felt a bit like Shabbat, the enforced relaxation, the

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027469848201553970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912481001151045429.post-47443461981856099002007-06-05T21:53:00.000-07:002007-06-05T22:17:30.253-07:00

Spent the weekend at the annual Beyt Tikkun retreat in Marin. Still speechless about most of my experience of the weekend. I had an incredibly moving prayer experience during the Saturday morning Amidah, which we did outside. It was like a weight lifted, my heart wrenched open, tears flowed, and my ego dissolved for a blinding moment of G-d's love. It's hard being back in real life still, like an

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027469848201553970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912481001151045429.post-80728060137708254012007-05-20T22:09:00.000-07:002007-05-22T08:30:15.300-07:00

A few months ago, I had a breakthrough on a long-standing quandary - what step to take next in my professional career. In a synthesis of my interests & loves - wine, food, travel, artistic expression & spirituality - I have embarked on a journey as a wine writer. My struggle is to incorporate the spirituality piece into a field which is alternately dominated by hyper-rationalism and hedonism.

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027469848201553970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912481001151045429.post-17465134838493524442007-05-13T23:29:00.000-07:002007-06-05T22:37:19.280-07:00

Been hanging out with babies a lot recently. It gets me thinking about the oneness of all being... They're not conscious of themselves as separate from the universe yet - they have no conception of the ego. All the world is one big thing that either antagonizes (wet diaper, hunger, sleepiness) or soothes (rocking, a warm human, singing, milk) them. It's pretty amazing.I was rocking Avery to sleep

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027469848201553970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912481001151045429.post-87772343774816519732007-02-27T18:41:00.000-08:002007-02-27T19:05:57.581-08:00

I had a fairly "Jewish" weekend...Saturday, we held an intimate Torah study at our house. The more we observe Shabbos, the better it feels and the more I look forward to it. The Parsha, Terumah (with a cool commentary), provided a really beautiful discussion about how we create sacred space. As I was thinking more about this, I thought of Heschel's concept of Shabbat as the sacred architecture of

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027469848201553970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912481001151045429.post-61400748540099864392007-02-22T10:42:00.000-08:002007-02-22T11:04:02.000-08:00

After a sporadic couple of months, I am back to meditating daily. It's wild how my life gets clearer when I sit daily, as opposed to once or twice a week. The change I am evolving in my life has come into sharper focus.I have taken a measure of control of my health. Working with a chiropractor for the last few weeks has been great. Similarly, I am watching my refined sugar intake and have

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027469848201553970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912481001151045429.post-81875607414981463572006-10-31T23:02:00.000-08:002006-10-31T23:52:20.913-08:00

Living one and a half blocks away from Castro street has its benefits, but being around on Halloween is not one of them. Thankfully, the festivities stopped, and with them the rhythmic vibration of all our windows.A & I managed to have a nice night together - making a small feast of our newly arrived produce box (tonight we snacked on a pomegranate while preparing fresh Blue Lake green beans,

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027469848201553970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912481001151045429.post-25320792214835678382006-10-17T18:41:00.000-07:002006-10-17T18:44:00.603-07:00

Much of my energy these days is going toward:a) getting healthyand b) Dor HadashIt's silly to think that I'll be getting to the things I said I'd be getting to, so I'm allowing myself clean slate status for the next time I post...-dc

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027469848201553970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912481001151045429.post-72471770150623032422006-10-08T13:55:00.001-07:002006-10-08T13:55:27.834-07:00

Baby smash.JPG Originally uploaded by Amberly & David. The prayer of Gomel is said when returning from a dangerous journey. I would certainly count Friday as such! I was rear-ended on the Golden Gate Bridge while stopped in traffic. My poor car took the brunt of the impact. We shall see what insurance and the body shop can do. This brings up a couple of things for me.The first relates to

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027469848201553970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912481001151045429.post-22125236169297440472006-10-05T23:33:00.000-07:002006-10-05T23:37:33.929-07:00

After weeks of really struggling, either with thoughts or physical discomfort (my back, in the process of being healed, sometimes can't quite come to stasis), this week I've been more settled and able to focus. It's a quiet revelation - I don't need to argue with myself.This blog really needs some pictures.

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027469848201553970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912481001151045429.post-71364755661243566522006-10-01T14:35:00.000-07:002006-10-01T16:30:34.219-07:00

I want to add my voice to the multitude with a forgiveness of myself, as a vehicle for both forgiving others and setting a right path for the coming year.Forgive me for:Letting myself be guided by the fear of what might not be, instead of the possibility of what could;Not realizing that I have enough and I am enough;Holding on to material things and letting them substitute for the experiences and

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027469848201553970noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912481001151045429.post-159838617814959042006-10-01T12:41:00.000-07:002006-10-01T13:06:08.337-07:00

As the hours wind toward Kol Nidre, I am thinking of people in my life, and wanting to send out an electronic blessing, as well as ask for your prayers, in addition to the face-to-face contact I've made/will make with them.First, I ask for your thoughts & prayers for my mother, whose recent CT scan revealed that her lymphoma is on the march again. She will start a course of treatment which is

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027469848201553970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912481001151045429.post-32489259854064029122006-10-01T12:27:00.000-07:002006-10-01T12:41:34.682-07:00

Part of what has been heavy on my mind these last few weeks has been a longing for community, a sense that wholeness would come again by connecting with a group of folks with whom I could share celebrations and jewish practice, as well as connect with on a personal level.The idea had been gestating in my heart for some time and in my mind for some time more. With the help of a few amazing folks,

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027469848201553970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912481001151045429.post-59344905268739685472006-09-24T22:27:00.000-07:002006-09-24T22:35:38.771-07:00

Just a brief note to say L'Shana Tova to all. We had an amazing set of services at Beyt Tikkun, with a great talk by Reb. Estelle Frankel on Saturday and wonderful teaching by Dr. Harriet Zeiner on Sunday. I will write more internal stuff tomorrow...Just a one to ponder: I learned of a mystical teaching this weekend which holds that on Yom Kippur, when the gates are closed, Gd takes on a new name

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027469848201553970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912481001151045429.post-72048200694218413212006-09-20T22:08:00.000-07:002006-09-20T22:46:16.062-07:00

Tonight's talk by R. Lew absolutely blew my mind. I won't even try to summarize - he packed in so many earth-shattering concepts, I'm still trying to sort them out! One pithy line I can repeat, "you can start to forgive when you move from the injury that someone has done to you, to the pain it has caused."In that vein, I'll post an excerpt that he read by Charlotte Joko Beck. I don't have a

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027469848201553970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912481001151045429.post-22184337753596968122006-09-17T21:40:00.000-07:002006-09-17T23:21:21.912-07:00

Oy, what a week it's been! This run-up to Rosh Hashana has been exhausting but exhilarating. To mention a couple of things briefly: Amberly & I are taking part in an interfaith discussion group, which started last Monday, and I started a course of tui na treatment with Terry (my tai chi instructor) to see about my back pain and supposed hip injury (another story for another time). Both positive,

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027469848201553970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912481001151045429.post-15960895797540064332006-09-13T22:44:00.000-07:002006-09-13T23:12:04.931-07:00

I've been meditating and writing and reading, trying to suss out the name of the weight on my heart this Elul. The answers, not surprisingly, are not new. But before I get there, I feel like I need to sharpen, or in this case broaden, the questions I am asking. So, here we go:Where and when am I acting out of fear or greed? Why?What am I afraid of?When is enough? How can I learn to tell?How can I

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027469848201553970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912481001151045429.post-79625301616872133232006-09-13T14:33:00.000-07:002006-09-13T14:45:31.512-07:00

As I go through this process of Teshuvah, I am compiling a list of books I would like to read (oy, so many!). This is in no particular order and by no means exhaustive, so if anyone would like to add to it, please do so.Finding Our Way: Jewish Texts and the Lives We Lead Today, Barry Holtz (N.Y., Schocken, 1993)Guide to Jewish Books: Where to Start Reading About Jewish History, Literature,

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027469848201553970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912481001151045429.post-6160010998976762172006-09-06T22:19:00.000-07:002006-09-06T22:55:20.344-07:00

I feel like a newborn, experiencing things for the first time. Maybe it's this funky mood I've been in, but I think it goes beyond that. Elul, the month given for reflection leading to Teshuvah - our return - at Yom Kippur, grabbed me without my knowledge, shook me and said, "We're really doing it this year."Tonight was the first night of the "Meditation and Teshuvah" class with Rabbi Lew, and he

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027469848201553970noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912481001151045429.post-31509089518220083142006-09-01T18:01:00.000-07:002006-09-01T18:56:52.830-07:00

It is difficult to speak of love - or any other fundamental truths in the world - without sounding corny or overserious. It's even harder to write about them, because there is no room for irony or cynicism, which make for much better reading, but here it goes. I guess that can be said for this site as well as this post...A quick post before Shabbat -We had a friend over last night. We spent a lot

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027469848201553970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912481001151045429.post-19989306401474385042006-08-29T22:34:00.000-07:002006-08-29T22:50:34.880-07:00

The last couple of mornings have been too early to carve out an extra 30 minutes. I sat last night instead, and it's a different energy. The yogi in India had stressed that the best time to meditate is at sunrise. If not then, sunset. Sit at midday only if you didn't have any other choice. Before practicing myself, I thought this was some overly mystical hoo-haa that wasn't connected to practical

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027469848201553970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912481001151045429.post-57306200645931942552006-08-26T10:51:00.000-07:002006-08-26T10:55:59.983-07:00

“Was your trip to India a spiritual one?” was the most common question put to us after we returned from our two-and-a-half-month honeymoon. A bit of a trick question. As we trekked around Northern India, we didn’t stay in ashrams or follow any gurus; we stayed in on Shabbat and rested. And along the way, we learned a few things:The sacred becomes so through preparationAs is bound to happen, some

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027469848201553970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912481001151045429.post-55149194440757658862006-08-26T10:01:00.000-07:002006-08-26T10:48:15.593-07:00

Yesterday, I heard an incredibly moving pair of stories on NPR about folks recalling their experiences surviving Hurricane Katrina, almost exactly a year ago. I cried.I cried because every statistic in that disaster has an equally heart-wrenching story behind it. I cried because every disaster has those kinds of statistics. It's too much for one person to bear, the pain and sadness in this world.

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027469848201553970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912481001151045429.post-73745528931296926552006-08-26T08:35:00.000-07:002006-08-26T09:01:23.795-07:00

Since our return from India nearly four months ago, I have taken up a meditation practice. In some ways, this makes me feel quintessentially California, and maybe that's all it is - I've been in SF too long. But maybe there's something to it. It seems that all the roads to enlightenment go through meditation.I call it learning to fly. By that, I mean the meditative state of consciousness without

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027469848201553970noreply@blogger.com0