Hey hey,

I know it’s been kinda quiet on the blog of late.  Can you say “kids not in camp or school”?  OK, now say it ten times fast.  It’s hard.

Anyhoo, figure I’d give you guys some exciting updates.

For one, I’m in the process (actually my daughter is – yay for tech-savvy kids) of creating an E-book of some of my posts.  WITHOUT THE COMMENTS, cuz that was somewhat emotionally and legally controversial.  Basically, all the posts categorized under “Why Orthodox Jews Do What They Do” (which is probably what it’ll be called) will be collected, sorted by topic, and self-published.  It’ll be on Amazon and all that fun stuff, and I’ll let you know when it’s all ready.


Second, I’m working with Mosaica Press to publish a real-life book.  It’s a very exciting project that I’ve been working on for about a year now.  It’s a women’s prayer book, with the traditional Hebrew/transliteration/translation on one side, and, on facing pages, my contemporary musings based on the themes of those prayers.  I’ve actually included some home-grown prayer musings here and on Facebook.

Here’s an excerpt of how to use my book:

The Hebrew prayers, as written thousands of years ago by the
Men of the Great Assembly, are as potent and laden with layers of meaning as
ever.  They contain the richness of
prophecy, the spirituality of holy people, and the universal relevance of the
ages. Yet, for many, this language is a locked garden.  Whether Hebrew itself is a foreign language,
or whether it’s the concepts and references that are inscrutable, some have not
been able to access the beauty and meaning of this gift called the “siddur” –
the traditional Hebrew prayerbook. The composers of these original Hebrew words intended to
create a vessel into which we, the users, could pour our own intent and
experiences.  They are a starting point,
and an invitation to us to personalize them as the words move us.  On any given day, I might find myself struck
by a new insight into these words. This work is intended to be a portal to that world.  I invite you to read the contemporary
prayers, which I offer as a window into how the prayers strike me
personally.  Use them as an informal
meditation or, hopefully, as a bridge to eventually try out the Hebrew, with a
new and fresh understanding of the theme behind the ancient words.  Use them during formal services at the synagogue,
to move and inspire you as you pray.  Use
them at home when you feel a moment of gratitude or longing.  Use them right when you wake up, or perhaps
just before you end your day.  Or maybe
when you light your Shabbat candles, you will open this book and find something
that inspires you.

In other news, I turned 40 three days ago!  I am still in birthday mode, since August 26th is my birthday on the Gregorian calendar, but in the Jewish calendar, my birthday is ches Elul (the 8th day of the Hebrew month Elul) which comes out this year on September 3.  Which means I get over a full week of celebrating (kidding, kind of)!  Feel free to wish me a happy birthday and tell me how wonderful I am how wonderful this blog is some kind of happy birthday blessing.

Ta ta for now – see ya when the kids start school!