This yikes-twice-over spoken Kaddish was my Kaddish for the time that didn’t need to pass before an important friend and I both talked and listened to each other.
Month: April 2011
the shikse makes charoset—and Elijah likes it
I had the chutzpah to challenge Mira to a charoset-off. Uff da.
daily kaddish: for those who die in bondage
On Erev Pesach, a Kaddish for those who don’t escape bondage—for those who have died in bondage, recently and throughout history, and especially for those who have died in the recent uprisings in Egypt, Yemen, Libya, Tunisia…
daily kaddish: a moment of silence for the missing beat
In a lengthy, geeky post the other day, I wrote about discovering a missing beat in one bar of Lev Kogan’s “Kaddish.” Tonight’s Kaddish has a moment of silence where I think that missing beat ought to be.
anyone who is hungry, let them come and eat
The tzaddik grew up in the Bronx, across from Yankee Stadium. That must say a lot about him, but I’m not sure what exactly. His family lived in a shvitzy little apartment, overcrowded with uncles and cousins and such. That was in addition to mamma, poppa, the tzaddik and his two younger brothers. Of course,…
the mystery of the missing beat: on meter in Kogan’s “Kaddish”
How I came to notice that Lev Kogan’s “Kaddish” for solo horn is missing a beat. After TWENTY-FIVE YEARS of caring passionately about the piece. Hm.
daily kaddish: for Walter Bruening z”l
A Kaddish for Walter Bruening of Great Falls, who died on Wednesday at age 114. Since 2009 he’s been recognized as the world’s oldest man.
the very best sephardi charoset ever, hashisha candy, and the religion of labor
I mean, it’s not really chauvinistic to admit when something is without question and beyond doubt just the very best, right? This is something that can be tested empirically. Blind taste test, right? Well, actually not. There’s the nostalgia factor. People are attached to family traditions, especially with regard to foods, and they become…
bondage, sephardi style
I have heard this bit every single Pesach of my life when my mother has been present. And when she wasn’t, I’ve taken it upon myself to tell it myself (albeit a short short version). All my stories are the short short version, in case you haven’t noticed. Mrs Tzaddik is much better on detail….
next lifetime: on the origins of religious experience
I don’t believe any of this stuff, right? So how come I can see it all so clearly? Maybe I’ve just got no imagination at all. I can see the house vividly. Every detail, from ceilings to secret balconies and sunbathing decks. The place needs a major paint job. You’d think my next lifetime would…