In search of a low-waste frum life.
As of this early Tuesday morning, we’ve lit the menorah (or chanukiyah if you want to be picky) for two nights. In addition to olive oil for lighting, we’ve got plenty of canola oil for frying donuts and latkes, and I’ve been using yet another miraculous oil of late. But to tell you about it,... Continue Reading →
When I trimmed the hose to right before the first kink, the remainder was just long enough to water all but a pot of sage and two tomato plants. Was it perfect? No, but it’s a good reminder that “perfect” is the enemy of “good enough.” As Ben Zoma taught, “Who is rich? The one who is happy with what he has.”
I feel a bit of a letdown when we, during sefiras haomer, leave off from davening “mashiv haruach u’morid hageshem” in the Amidah. Those words have always touched me, evoking how HaShem’s spirit hovered on the face of the waters at the beginning of His acts of creation. Our rav, Rabbi Aaron David Lebovics, gave... Continue Reading →
Somehow and suddenly, the summer is closing out and it’s Elul. It’s always a bittersweet time of year for me, saying goodbye to low-key summer life and sending kids back to school, whether in person or virtually. This year, of course, is different, with COVID-19 having reshaped so many of our summers, canceling or limiting... Continue Reading →
Does it make sense to be throwing out bread when you are buying breadcrumbs? More thoughts on food waste and braised celery.
It’s almost Shavuos, but this week I have been thinking back to Lag b’Omer and Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and Rabbi Elazar hiding for 12 years from the Romans in a cave. Where were we, digitally speaking, 12 years ago? We were already standing in the cave (l’havdil) that is the online world, and we’ve... Continue Reading →
The Bal Tashchit Balabusta 