There is a great New York Times piece title Is God Just Not That Into Me? The author describes how she started dating a Buddhist monk (they met online) and she became a bit mystified and jealous at his ability to access this universal “unconditional love.” Some relevant facts about the author: She has a

This week of Passover brought up an interesting question: “Why do you observe Judaism when you could do nothing at all?” Doing nothing is a relatively simple option. You don’t have to go to a 4 + hour Seder or prepare for one. You don’t have to go to Minyan or Shabbat services. You could

Thursday evening, I drove into downtown DC to meet my girlfriend, her co-worker, and another friend for a double date.  My girlfriend and I set up her co-worker, Rebecca, and our friend, Jacob [names changed for privacy], as they were both looking to date a nice Jewish guy and girl respectively. This was my first

Everything is foreseen, yet the freedom of choice is given. The world is judged with Goodness, and everything depends on the abundance of good deeds. – Pirkei Avos I’m in love with freedom. I love that I can choose where I go to dinner, who I can marry, what I should do for my career,

Last night, I attended my second Passover Seder. It took seven hours. It was the longest dinner party I’ve ever been to. I arrived at 8 PM and left at 3 AM.  As I’m writing this, I’m thinking about how warm and inviting my bed looks…. This Seder was hosted by my Minyan friend who

Yesterday was the first day of Passover, which is celebration of the ancient Jews’ liberation by God from slavery in ancient Egypt.  Even if you’re not Jewish, you are probably familiar with some elements of the story. Moses, a fugitive at the time for killing an Egyptian who was beating a Jew, returned to Egypt

In my third week of Judaism, I learned that the factors that bring people into a community are complex and nuanced. Some people grow up with Judaism and are always observant. Others become more involved with a Synagogue as they “settle” down. Some seek the solace of a community during a particularly difficult time in

The Kesher Israel Synagogue is located on the corner of 28th and N Street NW in the Georgetown neighborhood in Washington, DC. The building is a three-story brownstone that almost blends in with the surrounding homes; if it weren’t for the Star of David and the stained glass windows, you could easily confuse the synagogue

Today’s Mishnah from the Pirkei Avot reads: Rabbi says: Which is the proper path that a person should choose for himself? Whatever [path] is a credit to himself and earns him the esteem of fellow men. Be as scrupulous in performing a “minor” mitzvah as in a “major” one, for you do not know the rewards

Yesterday morning I went out to coffee with my Minyan group. It’s a weekly Wednesday tradition that takes place at a nearby pastry shop. It was a lot of fun. Rarely do I get to hang out with a group of “aged” Jewish friends. It had a much different vibe than grabbing coffee with my