Random musings and readings post-Thanksgiving weekend

November 30, 2008 · Filed Under Baum's Blog 

Judaism has lots of blessings. For example, Jews are traditionally supposed to say a blessing when they hear thunder, see a rainbow, hear bad news, see a great scholar, or experience deliverance. This weekend I’ve been thinking we need to add one more blessing – it would be a blessing we say every year on Thanksgiving weekend, when much to our surprise, our clothes still fit…

In any case, I hope you all had a wonderful and fulfilling Thanksgiving holiday. For me, it’s been nice to take a bit of a break from work and to spend some time with family and friends. And while I’m deeply committed to the education of young Jews, I have to say, I loved not having to go to Sunday School this morning.

It’s given me a chance to do things I don’t usually get to do – like leisurely reading the paper and watching the news. So, here are some of the interesting things I’ve come across this weekend:

A great article in the New York Times about toddlers and grandparents talking to each other on webcams. As someone who keeps in touch with friends and family over Skype, I must say, it’s great. And, as a rabbi of an online congregation, I must say that we’re definitely expanding our demographics to toddlers and grandparents who can share their Jewish experiences online.

Speaking of children, there was also a ridiculous article about parents testing their young children to see if they have a sports gene. The idea is that parents can determine early which sports their children are best suited for. Ummm, maybe we should let kids be kids. By the way, for a great book on parenting from a Jewish perspective, I highly recommend Wendy Mogel’s The Blessing of a Skinned Knee (and I hope to write a book review of it soon for the forums section of OurJewishCommunity.org).

One more interesting website that was recommended to me – a powerful humanist Thanksgiving proclamation.

Oh, and this article is from the New York Post, and it’s way too good to pass up. President and First Lady Bush accidentally sent out a Hanukkah reception invitation to Jewish leaders that had a Christmas tree on the card. Mrs. Bush’s spokeswoman said it “slipped through the cracks.” Hmmm, is that what they would say about the economy as well?

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