Friday, August 31, 2012

#BlogElul 13: Excuses {Guest Post}

I decided that I would invite friends to do a "guest post" here on Ima on and off the Bima during BlogElul. There were quite a few motivations - 1) writing daily posts on two blogs - whew! 2) encouraging non-bloggers or new bloggers to "get out there" and just do it and 3) to hear from other people! So I hope you enjoy them - there are a number of guest posts coming up in the next two weeks! Yay!

Today's guest post is from Rabbi Allison Vann, the spiritual leader of Suburban Temple-Kol Ami, in Beachwood, Ohio (a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio). She is married to Charlie Vann, and has the cutest little kindergartener, Isaac, and two dogs, Frankie and Zeke. Follow her tweets @rabbivann.

I’m great at excuses.

I blamed not getting my sermons done for the High Holy Days on the fact that my laptop was old. I ordered a new one. Now my excuse is that my son started kindergarten.

Our ancient rabbis had a deep understanding of our psyche. We often give credit to breakthrough thinkers such as Freud, or Jung- but credit is due, in large part, I believe, to them.   

The Rabbis knew we needed Elul. Elul is about preparing  for the High Holy Days. Elul helps make sure we don’t have so many excuses that we miss our chance. The rabbis knew we are prone to making excuses. That when the work is hard, or intimidating, or just plain old “have to”, it’s way easier to make excuses. So we do.

And so we have Elul. To “come clean”--and know that when we have work to do, and we’re not getting it done-then we’ve got even more work to do.

So, today-- if we’ve got so many excuses, let’s say ‘thank you’ to the rabbis--for the opportunity to figure them out. And stop making them.

The Jewish month of Elul, which precedes the High Holy Days, is traditionally a time of renewal and reflection. It offers a chance for spiritual preparation for the Days of Awe. It is traditional to begin one’s preparation for the High Holy Days during this month with the Selichot, the prayers of forgiveness. We look to begin the year with a clean slate, starting anew, refreshed. All month, along with others, I'll be blogging a thought or two for each day to help with the month of preparation... I will be blogging here, and sharing #Elulgram photos on the same themes at imabima.tumblr.com. Follow me on twitter @imabima for all the #BlogElul posts, not only mine but others' as well! 

Leave your blog Elul post in the linky below!
 

Thursday, August 30, 2012

#BlogElul 12: Image


Our tradition teaches that we are all created "b'tzelem Elohim," in God's image.

When we consider that every single person we encounter fits into this idea, it can change the way in which we interact with others.

So often we fail to see the humanity in another person.

If we all would remind ourselves of this idea, the world would be a very different place.

How can we live this ideal in the new year?

The Jewish month of Elul, which precedes the High Holy Days, is traditionally a time of renewal and reflection. It offers a chance for spiritual preparation for the Days of Awe. It is traditional to begin one’s preparation for the High Holy Days during this month with the Selichot, the prayers of forgiveness. We look to begin the year with a clean slate, starting anew, refreshed. All month, along with others, I'll be blogging a thought or two for each day to help with the month of preparation... I will be blogging here, and sharing #Elulgram photos on the same themes at imabima.tumblr.com. Follow me on twitter @imabima for all the #BlogElul posts, not only mine but others' as well! 

Leave your blog Elul post in the linky below!

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

#BlogElul 11: Change

The high holy days are all about change.
Not only are we changing the calendar, we are asked to change ourselves.
To consider the parts of ourselves that we hope to repair, renew, redirect....and change them.

And it's hard.
So very hard.

It's much easier to float along.
Keep going the way things are going.

Change is tough.
It is so difficult to turn around, to take a different direction, to move in a new way.
But imagine the alternative:
And so the holidays come.
And we try.
As hard as we can...sometimes we do not make it.
But we try.
Change is tough.
But if we don't make the changes ourselves, then change will come.
And we might not like it.
We might not control it.
But if we make the changes ourselves, if we do the work and do the change and make it happen...
Maybe we can control it.
Maybe we can mold it and shape it and make it work.
Isn't that worth trying for?

The Jewish month of Elul, which precedes the High Holy Days, is traditionally a time of renewal and reflection. It offers a chance for spiritual preparation for the Days of Awe. It is traditional to begin one’s preparation for the High Holy Days during this month with the Selichot, the prayers of forgiveness. We look to begin the year with a clean slate, starting anew, refreshed. All month, along with others, I'll be blogging a thought or two for each day to help with the month of preparation... I will be blogging here, and sharing #Elulgram photos on the same themes at imabima.tumblr.com. Follow me on twitter @imabima for all the #BlogElul posts, not only mine but others' as well! 

Leave your blog Elul post in the linky below!

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

#BlogElul 10: Memory


The other day I was browsing through old blog posts, and I came across this one. It fits in beautifully with today's BlogElul topic...memory. So I thought I would share it again....

Re-posted from April 30, 2010
Written in the entrance hall of the Ellis Island museum:
I took this picture using my BlackBerry.

My feet are tired.
How must their feet have felt?
It's very loud in here, it echoes with voices and feet, laughter and loudspeakers.
Can this even be a fraction of what the noise was like?
What a warm day...
I can't imagine shlepping through here wearing all my worldly possessions.
Many visitors speaking many languages.
And audio tours in all their tongues.
What would it be like without the tour?
Confusing, heart-wrenching, head-hurting, overwhelming...

I am filled with awe at the leap of faith - a new land, new opportunities, new hope. The unknown life, the dream of America. To never go back. To never again hear the voices of those left behind, or see their faces. To turn a resolute back on the past and squarely face an undiscovered future. To create a new life.

Daily I am blessed by the choices made by those who came before me.
I am grateful for their bravery and courage, their fortitude and strength.

Their memories HAVE become a blessing. May they continue to do so.

The Jewish month of Elul, which precedes the High Holy Days, is traditionally a time of renewal and reflection. It offers a chance for spiritual preparation for the Days of Awe. It is traditional to begin one’s preparation for the High Holy Days during this month with the Selichot, the prayers of forgiveness. We look to begin the year with a clean slate, starting anew, refreshed. All month, along with others, I'll be blogging a thought or two for each day to help with the month of preparation... I will be blogging here, and sharing #Elulgram photos on the same themes at imabima.tumblr.com. Follow me on twitter @imabima for all the #BlogElul posts, not only mine but others' as well! 

Leave your blog Elul post in the linky below!

Monday, August 27, 2012

#BlogElul 9: Blessings


I could write about so many things today.

But the blessing of this blog is actually what I'm going to focus on. Not that other blog. But this one.

I was scrolling back through old posts to look for something. And I realize what a blessing blogging has become for me. It has helped me to frame our stories, to put our lives in perspective, to record our milestones in meaningful ways, to gain community, to stretch myself and to grow...it has opened doors out of the blogging world and it has opened my mind and heart within it. I can truly watch the progression of my family's growth over so many years....it has given me an outlet and a chance to look inward. It has helped to define me and helped me to define myself. It is a work of love and pride and honor and learning and teaching and brings a wholeness to my life.

I had never been a "journal keeper" before. I didn't know what to expect when I started this blog.

But what a blessing it has been...and I hope to continue for many posts to come!

Has there been a blessing that has come into your life whose blessing you only discovered later?

The Jewish month of Elul, which precedes the High Holy Days, is traditionally a time of renewal and reflection. It offers a chance for spiritual preparation for the Days of Awe. It is traditional to begin one’s preparation for the High Holy Days during this month with the Selichot, the prayers of forgiveness. We look to begin the year with a clean slate, starting anew, refreshed. All month, along with others, I'll be blogging a thought or two for each day to help with the month of preparation... I will be blogging here, and sharing #Elulgram photos on the same themes at imabima.tumblr.com. Follow me on twitter @imabima for all the #BlogElul posts, not only mine but others' as well! 

Leave your blog Elul post in the linky below!


Sunday, August 26, 2012

#BlogElul 8: Prayer



I think I have a lot to say about prayer.

About its power.
And its mystery.
And its hope.

But words fail me today.




The Jewish month of Elul, which precedes the High Holy Days, is traditionally a time of renewal and reflection. It offers a chance for spiritual preparation for the Days of Awe. It is traditional to begin one’s preparation for the High Holy Days during this month with the Selichot, the prayers of forgiveness. We look to begin the year with a clean slate, starting anew, refreshed. All month, along with others, I'll be blogging a thought or two for each day to help with the month of preparation... I will be blogging here, and sharing #Elulgram photos on the same themes at imabima.tumblr.com. Follow me on twitter @imabima for all the #BlogElul posts, not only mine but others' as well! 

leave your blogelul post in the linky below...

Saturday, August 25, 2012

#BlogElul 7: Shofar


A great video on Shofar from G-dcast:

The Jewish month of Elul, which precedes the High Holy Days, is traditionally a time of renewal and reflection. It offers a chance for spiritual preparation for the Days of Awe. It is traditional to begin one’s preparation for the High Holy Days during this month with the Selichot, the prayers of forgiveness. We look to begin the year with a clean slate, starting anew, refreshed. All month, along with others, I'll be blogging a thought or two for each day to help with the month of preparation... I will be blogging here, and sharing #Elulgram photos on the same themes at imabima.tumblr.com. Follow me on twitter @imabima for all the #BlogElul posts, not only mine but others' as well!

Leave your BlogElul or Elulgram post in the Linky below:

Friday, August 24, 2012

#BlogElul 6: Faith


Faith.
It's one of those weird words that often gives people the willies.
"You've gotta have faith."
But many of us are worried.
What does it mean to have faith?
Do I have to give up my belief that my actions can impact what happens to me?
Is it entirely in Someone Else's hand?
Can I be a "person of faith" without become what others might consider a fanatic?

To have faith is simply to believe.
I often remark that "people of faith" can share an understanding of what it means to live a life guided by religious belief. Even if our faith differs, we can understand how those religious traditions and ideals can be so beneficial and influencing.

So often we worry what that faith is. We want, we need, to name it.

But faith is, I think, broader than that. An inherent ideal that belief, in and of itself, has an incredible power. It's often misused. It's often taken too far.

How can we get to the very ideal of faith - in ourselves and each other, and in our religious traditions - without judgment or recrimination? An acceptance that it is the very act of belief itself that makes us so much more alike than we are different...

You've gotta have faith.

Read this wonderful words from Rabbi Eric Yoffie from a few years ago about what it means to be a liberal person of faith.

The Jewish month of Elul, which precedes the High Holy Days, is traditionally a time of renewal and reflection. It offers a chance for spiritual preparation for the Days of Awe. It is traditional to begin one’s preparation for the High Holy Days during this month with the Selichot, the prayers of forgiveness. We look to begin the year with a clean slate, starting anew, refreshed. All month, along with others, I'll be blogging a thought or two for each day to help with the month of preparation... I will be blogging here, and sharing #Elulgram photos on the same themes at imabima.tumblr.com. Follow me on twitter @imabima for all the #BlogElul posts, not only mine but others' as well! 

Leave your BlogElul or ElulGram post in the Linky below!

Thursday, August 23, 2012

#BlogElul 5 - Trust


Today is the first day of school.

And, interestingly, today's topic is "trust."


I've never thought much about how important trust is when we deposit our most precious people for hours on end in a school building. We kiss their little heads, wave goodbye, and trust that they will be well-cared for.

And we trust, as we push them out into the world, that they will land safely. We try to break their fall, to guide them on the way. But ultimately, someday, we have to trust in their own inner ability to do what they need to do, to become the people that they need to become.

Sometimes...we hold on too tightly.
We forget to let go...and just trust.


The Jewish month of Elul, which precedes the High Holy Days, is traditionally a time of renewal and reflection. It offers a chance for spiritual preparation for the Days of Awe. It is traditional to begin one’s preparation for the High Holy Days during this month with the Selichot, the prayers of forgiveness. We look to begin the year with a clean slate, starting anew, refreshed. All month, along with others, I'll be blogging a thought or two for each day to help with the month of preparation... I will be blogging here, and sharing #Elulgram photos on the same themes at imabima.tumblr.com. Follow me on twitter @imabima for all the #BlogElul posts, not only mine but others' as well! 

Leave your own BlogElul post in the Linky below!

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

#BlogElul 4: Counting

We Jews are always counting.
Think about it.

We count the days until Shabbat.
We count the days until Rosh Chodesh.
We count the Omer.
We count the days between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur.
We count the days until brit milah.
We count the Chanukah lights.
We count the books of the Torah and the Mishnah and the Talmud.

We count the heads needed for a minyan.

Wait...no we don't.

We need 10 for a minyan, yes, but our tradition does not really allow us to count those heads.

Image source unknown
Why? Because people are precious. They are sacred. They are not like jewels or gold or money or sheep or any of the other things of which we keep a count.

People matter.

Sure, it might sound like a superstition. And maybe it is. But it makes you stop and think. It is a strong reminder of what is really important.

People.

We can count prayerbooks or kippot or make up any system we want for ensuring 10 heads at a minyan. But in the end, it's the people who matter.

We count a lot.
But we have to remember what really counts.

The Jewish month of Elul, which precedes the High Holy Days, is traditionally a time of renewal and reflection. It offers a chance for spiritual preparation for the Days of Awe. It is traditional to begin one’s preparation for the High Holy Days during this month with the Selichot, the prayers of forgiveness. We look to begin the year with a clean slate, starting anew, refreshed. All month, along with others, I'll be blogging a thought or two for each day to help with the month of preparation... I will be blogging here, and sharing #Elulgram photos on the same themes at imabima.tumblr.com. Follow me on twitter @imabima for all the #BlogElul posts, not only mine but others' as well!

Share your BlogElul and Elulgram posts for Day 4 in the Linky below!
If you've never done this before, it's good - it will give us a list of all the people making posts today!

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

#BlogElul 3: Intentions



"I didn't mean to."

I hear this all the time from my kids.

"I didn't mean to hit you."
"I didn't mean to throw that toy across the room."
"I didn't mean to hurt my sister's feelings."

And most of the time, they are actually telling a truth of sorts.
The action may have been intended, but its outcome was not.

"I meant to hit you but I didn't mean for you to get angry about it."
"I meant to throw that toy across the room but I didn't mean for it to hit the lamp."
"I meant to say those things to my sister but I didn't know how she would react."

I did not intend to eat the whole cookie.
Is it enough if I didn't imagine all the outcomes of my actions? Is my intention "pure" if I never even began to consider what would happen if I....you fill it in.

Good intentions, as we all know, can lead to terrible things.

But what about intentions that are only half-baked?
"I didn't think that one through."

I think it's more than trying to "do good."
I think it's about considering all the outcomes before acting.
Not an easy task.
But one to work toward.

The Jewish month of Elul, which precedes the High Holy Days, is traditionally a time of renewal and reflection. It offers a chance for spiritual preparation for the Days of Awe. It is traditional to begin one’s preparation for the High Holy Days during this month with the Selichot, the prayers of forgiveness. We look to begin the year with a clean slate, starting anew, refreshed. All month, along with others, I'll be blogging a thought or two for each day to help with the month of preparation... I will be blogging here, and sharing #Elulgram photos on the same themes at imabima.tumblr.com. Follow me on twitter @imabima for all the #BlogElul posts, not only mine but others' as well! 

Share your BlogElul and Elulgram posts in the Linky below! If you've never done this before, try it! It will give us a list of all the Day 3 posts.

Monday, August 20, 2012

#BlogElul 2: Inventory

In the preparation of the month of Elul, we hear the Hebrew expression "cheshbon nefesh" - accounting of the soul. It is going to sound silly, but it is because of this expression that I can remember what to say in an Israeli restaurant when I'm ready to pay the bill: "Cheshbon, bevakasha!" or..."check, please!"
Perhaps it's just because I like eating in restaurants, but I love the imagery of blending the mundane (accounting of the eggs, toast, and coffee), with the spiritual (taking stock of our soul).

It's pretty easy to add up all the things we had to eat at a breakfast out.

It becomes much more complicated to take inventory of one's soul.

How do we do it? How do we "take stock" and figure out what's there? Is your soul a jumbly mess, like a cluttered-up attic with too many generations of junk treasures inside? Or is your soul an orderly closet with the sweaters lined up neatly by color and type?

Not this rabbi's desk but close...
And is one really better than the other? Many people with a messy desk will tell you they know where everything is - is a messy soul any different?


For each of us, this soul-counting business is different. I like to do it all at once, an early morning sunrise walk or a meditative stroll through the Botanic Gardens. I recount and consider all that has happened. For others, it's a more spread-out process, perhaps thinking about a month at a time, or focusing on certain traits or ideas that they had hoped to work on during the year.

There's no wrong way to do it. There's no wrong system of organization.

But just like when you order breakfast in a cafe...

You have to ask for the check.
You have to add it up.
And you have to pay your bill.

The Jewish month of Elul, which precedes the High Holy Days, is traditionally a time of renewal and reflection. It offers a chance for spiritual preparation for the Days of Awe. It is traditional to begin one’s preparation for the High Holy Days during this month with the Selichot, the prayers of forgiveness. We look to begin the year with a clean slate, starting anew, refreshed. All month, along with others, I'll be blogging a thought or two for each day to help with the month of preparation... I will be blogging here, and sharing #Elulgram photos on the same themes at imabima.tumblr.com. Follow me on twitter @imabima for all the #BlogElul posts, not only mine but others' as well!  

Leave your BlogElul or Elulgram posts in the Linky below! (And if this is new for you, just trust me, it's okay...take a chance! It will end up being a link-list of all the people posting for Elul)

Sunday, August 19, 2012

#BlogElul 1 - Return


Today is the first day of the month of Elul.
We return to a different feeling this month.

This Rosh Chodesh, this new month, coincides with the return to school for my children.
So much newness. So much feeling of "back to..." - back to school, back to the grind, back to reality, back to the hustle and bustle of a new school year, a new season, the upcoming holidays....

I've created a project for myself and invite you to join with me in this project of #BlogElul and #Elulgram - an opportunity to explore the various themes of the upcoming holidays in words and pictures.

In the spirit of today's topic, "return," I return to this poem for Rosh Chodesh Elul that I wrote two years ago:

as the new moon Elul approaches
the days begin to grow shorter
as the new moon Elul approaches
our minds begin to wander
toward the healing breaths
of the days of awe.

each day dawns
beckoning me to
examine
elaborate
consider
remark
pay attention
get ready!

my heart moves toward
the days of awe.
am i ready?
have i asked the questions?
forgive me
pardon me
raise me up
renew me
refresh me
bring my soul back home
so that i may fill myself up

plant the seeds of the new year
and watch them grow
small shoots of green that begin to poke up
during this month
they blossom and flower
into the days of awe
and i flower with them
reaching my petals, like a flower,
up to the Holy One.

How will you "return" this month?

The Jewish month of Elul, which precedes the High Holy Days, is traditionally a time of renewal and reflection. It offers a chance for spiritual preparation for the Days of Awe. It is traditional to begin one’s preparation for the High Holy Days during this month with the Selichot, the prayers of forgiveness. We look to begin the year with a clean slate, starting anew, refreshed. All month, along with others, I'll be blogging a thought or two for each day to help with the month of preparation... I will be blogging here, and sharing #Elulgram photos on the same themes at imabima.tumblr.com. Follow me on twitter @imabima for all the #BlogElul posts, not only mine but others' as well! 

Leave your BlogElul post in the linky below! 

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Blessing in a Hospital Room

When my son, Sam, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), one of the first things we learned was that the hospital was about to become our home.

For about a month at a time...at least four times.

After this sunk into my brain, I started to consider how the room could become home-like for Sam. And for us.

Home is where you hang your mezuzah, after all.

In my foggy brain, I recalled that after 30 days, a mezuzah is usually required on the door of a dwelling. But without doing any research at all, I knew that even if we were here for 300 days (God forbid), I wouldn't want to believe that this was a permanent dwelling.

No way.
No way.

So I started to think about what we could do instead of a mezuzah. After all, its basic underlying purpose is to bring blessing upon the home, to remind us of our connection to God our community and the blessing that these connections are to us. So I went to our home and I looked around for a symbol of blessing that I could transport to this temporary dwelling place.

I looked around and saw the chamsa art pieces hanging next to my bed. I bought them in Israel and consider their presence to be a beautiful reminder of the blessing of Israel...and the chamsa is, of course, an amulet for protection. Perfect. So I scooped them off the wall and hung them carefully in our hospital room. (Using lots of tape.)


Not only is it a blessing, but a reminder of home. When our time in the hospital comes to an end, I will place these amulets back on the wall at home. I will say a prayer of gratitude and thanksgiving, a prayer of survival and success. Trust me, I'm planning ahead.

For now, its presence brings blessing here in the hospital.
A blessing for protection.
For hope.
For health and healing.
For us.

For those interested: the halacha (legal interpretation) of mezuzot actually suggests that a hospital room is, in fact, a temporary dwelling that I do not own. Therefore I am not required to place a mezuzah on the door no matter how long our stay in the room. In addition, I have learned that the practice of reaching up to touch the mezuzah upon entry into a room can actually spread bacteria in a hospital and is now discouraged in Israeli hospitals. "Air-kissing" the mezuzah is now the suggested practice.

Monday, August 6, 2012

#BlogElul and #ElulGram 2012

It's hard to believe that the month of Elul is almost here.

Elul -- that wonderful and terrifying month that precedes the High Holy Days.
A month of introspection and considering, a month of personal reflection and preparation.
Perfect for blogging and other social media...

For the last few years, I've embarked on a "BlogElul" project. This year, I'm planning to do the same. With a few tweaks.

I have made a list of Elul-related topics, and I'm inviting you (yes, you! reader, colleague, friend...anyone with a desire to share ideas about the holidays) to join me.

But I'm not stopping only with blogging. Sure, it's called BlogElul but you can "blog" in any way you like. Maybe it's your daily Facebook update or tweet. Maybe it's your Instagram photos or your FourSquare checkins (can't wait to see how that would work out). Maybe you don't want to do it daily. Maybe you just want to dip your toe into the experience, or just read (and share?) what others write. It's totally up to you.

And just like we did for #BlogExodus, this is pretty simple. I've provided a topic (somewhat randomly mixed up) for each of the days of the month of Elul...just write a blog post about that topic on the assigned day! Use the hashtag to share your post, even in your title. This might be a great way to kickstart your blog (are you new at it?) and it might be a great way to get yourself ready for the themes and ideas of the holiday! (I plan to use #BlogElul in all my post titles, so that the hashtag is already there.)

And then there's #Elulgram. It's far more open to interpretation! Just as we did for #Exodusgram, I'm inviting you to post photos related to the same themes as the blogging project. Maybe you're not a writer or you don't have a blog - so take a picture instead! (And don't forget, sharing pictures is not limited to Instagram, but there is also Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Tumblr....etc.)

Whatever you do, don't forget to tag it with #Elulgram so we can all share.

The themes are totally up for your own interpretation!

I tried to think broadly about the general themes of the High Holy Days, and they are totally open to your own interpretations. There are no rules, but feel free to collaborate, cross-post, share thoughts, etc.

And yes, I know that the dates include Shabbat. I personally don't blog/tweet/Facebook on Shabbat, but I will post after Shabbat is over. That's my custom but you can do whatever you like.)

Are you going to play along? Let me know! Leave me a comment here, send me a tweet, or send up a signal fire... . Feel free to grab my pretty badge to announce to the whole world that you're Blogging Elul. If you let me know that you're doing it, we can cross-post, or guest-post, or even just do some virtual hand-holding as the days grow closer to Tishrei. I'll try to link to as many posts and pics as I can - won't it be amazing to all share in the Elul journey together?

I'm looking forward to sharing this journey with you.
Elul begins on August 19th, so I wanted to give you a head start if you're going to pre-write some of your posts.

I hope that our shared preparation for 5773 brings meaning and hope, inspiration and enlightenment for all of us.

Thursday, August 2, 2012

My Brief Try at Daf Yomi

Seven and a half years ago, I was somewhat enchanted with an idea that appeared in the Jewish news of the week. On March 1, 2005, Jews around the world marked the end of the 11th cycle of Talmud study known as Daf Yomi (daily page).

I said to my husband....let's do it. Let's start the 12th cycle. It starts on March 5, 2005, and ends on August 2, 2012. He agreed. I said...I'm going to blog about it. He said....go for it.

Let's think back....in March of 2005....

I had one kid. (Sam was born in November of 2005)
I didn't have a blog. (Not totally true. I did have a blog that chronicled a brief trip to Russia. But I didn't blog regularly.)
I had been out of rabbinical school for under 2 years.
Michael was still a few months shy of his ordination.

Life was so different. Was it easier? It's hard to remember back that far.

Remember, now I've got four kids.
And by the way, I didn't even have Facebook until May 9, 2007.
If you're interested, I joined Twitter on February 8, 2008.
And I started this blog in February of 2007.

And even then, with all those factors working in my favor, it didn't quite work out....

There are 17 posts on that Daf Yomi blog.
We read 20 pages of Talmud.

And then...we gave up.

I don't remember much about why we gave up, except that it was hard to do it. We didn't have a class or a podcast or anything that kept us going. Just two people sitting together, hoping to get through the whole daf. We were such amateur rookies!

I was excited to be a part of something big. Something that kept a whole bunch of Jews "on the same page" -- but I lost that enchantment quickly. I wonder if, doing it now, there might be more of a feeling of community. I'm sure there are Facebook groups. I bet someone tweets a dafyomi tweet (hey wait, if not...). I know there are bloggers and podcasters and tumblr'rs and all sorts of ways to share the Daf with the whole world. (And by the way, I re-read all the posts, and it seemed that I had a good time coming up with interesting things to write about each daf!)

But I'm not going to do it.

It's not because I don't see value in Talmud study. Heavens - I do! So much to be learned and to share.

And I'm not even going to do it because I'm "too busy."
Sure, it's a great excuse. There's a lot going on in my life, no question.

But it's not a good enough excuse to not study. I'm just not going to do this particular project.

I think the real reason is that I have so many things I'm interested in. There are so many books and blogs to read, so many newspaper columnists and writers and teachers who saying things that teach and inform me. There are people to see and talk to and engage with. And there are movies to watch and television shows to see and silly, wonderful stuff to do...like take a picnic at the beach.

I am constantly learning. From so many places.
Daf Yomi can wait. (Forever, maybe!) I am loving the broad spectrum of learning that I gain on a daily basis from a variety of sources. I'm not prepared to focus my learning on one place, with one goal. It's admirable. But I'm interested in a broad-spectrum look right now.

Like Miriam Krule, I continue to love the study of Talmud. I don't do it every day. But when I do, I love the opportunity to read more than one page. Or to skip around. Or to only study a short passage in depth for a long time.

Each and every day brings new opportunities for learning...of all kinds.
May those opportunities all bring blessings.