September 2, 2016 – Sarasota, FL The beauty of spontaneity is that you do not know where it will lead. When we invite different families for Shabbat to our table, Steve and I are typically unaware if the variety of guests know each other or not. This was the case this past Shabbat. We have […]
Read MoreMonth: January 2017
Shabbat Playlist #9 – The Bat-Mitzvah
August 26, 2016 – Temple Emanu-El, FL Ah, The Bat-Mitzvah – the moment a young lady becomes a daughter of the Torah; the next generation to carry the torch; the passing of traditions from mother to daughter. If you are orthodox, you disregard the moment. If you are conservative or reform, you embrace, celebrate, and […]
Read MoreShabbat Playlist #8 – Schneider Style
August 19, 2016 – Sarasota, FL The week was long. I wasn’t sure that I could really pull off a Shabbat dinner. Please understand that I am not complaining, but my caseloads can be emotional and I simply need a little help from my friends. So I called in the Shabbat originators. I texted Sam […]
Read MoreShabbat Playlist #7 – “Have you heard of Ménage a Trois?”
August 12, 2016 – Sarasota, FL When our daughter, Erin, was 12 years old and preparing for her Bat-Mitzvah, she came home from school one afternoon and asked me if she could share it with her friend, Erica. I knew this was her best friend, but never considered a dual celebration. As Steve and I […]
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Shabbat Playlist #6 – More Than Potatoes in Idaho
August 5, 2016 -Hailey, Idaho I deliberated about how Steve and me would celebrate Shabbat while on our Idaho adventure vacation while staying with our dear friends. I mean I didn’t pack candles, challah or wine goblets. Come to find out, my girlfriend, Julie’s dad, was Jewish. Who knew? Nonetheless, I still do not like […]
Read MoreShabbat Playlist #5 – Do We Have Enough Chairs?
July 29, 2016 – Sarasota, FL On Friday mornings when I wake up now, my sweet husband asks, “Who’s coming for dinner tonight?” I usually do not have a final headcount until much later in the day. Last Friday followed suit. I had breakfast with a colleague to review some students that we share in […]
Read MoreShabbat Playlist #4 – Prepping
July 22, 2017 – Sarasota, FL Getting back with the friends who inspired me to reintroduce and reunite with Shabbat is always meaningful and playful. And with each Friday meal, there is always something magical about it. Mia, the 12 year old daughter, asked me to help her write her upcoming Bat-Mitzvah speech. To me […]
Read MoreShabbat Playlist #3 – The Progressive Dinner
July 15, 2016- Sarasota, FL It happened again. As soon as we all gathered around the table and lit the candles my mother and mother-in-law began singing the blessings. Their faces lit up. They both have a form of dementia and my mom’s has progress further, but trust me this is no disease that requires […]
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Shabbat Playlist #2 – Look Who Came to Dinner
July 8 ,2016 – Sarasota, FL Often life is an impromptu situation. Something that occurred decades ago that had nothing directly to do with you flies in your path. After Shabbat services one Friday night, Rabbi Allen Schwartzman and his wife, Elaine, approached Steve and me to wish us Shabbat shalom. He asked if I […]
Read MoreShabbat Playlist #1 – Every Friday Night
July 1, 2016 – Sarasota, FL Na’aseh v’nishma — “We will do and then we will understand” (translation by Rabbi Angela Warnick Buchdahl – Senior Cantor of Central Synagogue in New York).* For my first 17 years of life (1964-1982), my Nana, Poppop, Grandma, and Grandpa kept the Sabbath every Friday night. While I didn’t […]
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