Tag: mourning
Interfaith Abroad, Part 1: Private vs Public Life in India
It was evening in Mumbai and the windows to the Jesuit residence on the fifth floor of the Xavier Institute of Engineering were open to let in a cooling breeze. The sun had set and the last monsoon ra... Read More
Tu b’Av: “R/evolution is love” (Assata Shakur)
Tu b’Av (the 15th of Av), celebrated today, follows on the heels of Tisha b’Av (the 9th of Av – clever). Tisha b’Av is the culmination of a period called the Three Weeks –... Read More
The Valley of the Shadow of Death – Seeking a Jewish Afterlife
A month ago, my mother-in-law’s brother passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. Tom (may his memory be for a blessing), was far too young, too healthy, and too committed to his family for anyone ... Read More
Mourning Our Way to the World to Come
One of the things I love most about Judaism is how we mourn. We do keriya, a physical tearing of our clothes to materially represent our pain. We recite kaddish yatom, a prayer that requires a group o... Read More
To Work the Earth of My Heart: Memorizing the Sermon on the Mount
I just returned from my last final of the semester. It was…unconventional, to say the least. Instead of sitting in a wood-paneled classroom for three hours getting intimate with a blue book, I spent... Read More