Date Submitted: Jan 29, 2010 - 8:04:59 AM
Summary: I once watched a drunken man running down the street in the rain, weaving from one side to the other. When I asked him what he was doing, he responded, “I’m running through the raindrops!”

Date Submitted: Jan 19, 2010 - 7:17:12 AM
Summary: The Sages teach us that the Egyptians gave everyone jobs at which they were not skilled in order to increase their frustration and prevent them from having any sense of accomplishment. How did the Sages know?

Date Submitted: Jan 7, 2010 - 5:01:51 AM
Summary: I don’t have to go to the gym today! It took more time for me to shovel the snow than I would usually spend in the gym and I certainly burned enough calories. In fact, although my muscles ache and my back is sore, I enjoy shoveling snow (without Pip’s help. See Silence) more than using a treadmill. When I walk off the treadmill I am exactly where I began. When I finish shoveling the snow I have tangible proof of my work. (A Measure of Success)

Date Submitted: Jan 4, 2010 - 6:27:37 AM
Summary: One of the essays that made Jamaica Kincaid famous was “Charm” about the Ophelia DeVore School of Charm for young black women. “At some point, all this will become extinct. As black people integrate, they won’t want to do the special little things that they needed to do in an earlier time to get them across.” Ms. Devore was certainly correct, and her school is now extinct.

Date Submitted: Dec 9, 2009 - 12:28:00 AM
Summary: I was overwhelmed with all the posts on Shalom Aleichem that I received in response to my invitation. I spent so much time responding to emails, posting, editing etc. that I barely had time to write anything this week. I was thrilled to receive so many beautiful insights into a song that so many take for granted, but I was also distracted. I am far from the best time-manager. (Busy-itis)

Date Submitted: Dec 3, 2009 - 12:17:54 AM
Summary: Standing on the corner of 95th and Broadway, I had a perfect opportunity to observe peoples’ faces. I love the fact that New York provides a glimpse of people from all over the world. I tried counting how many different countries were represented by the people climbing up from the subway, when I noticed that no matter where these people came from, they had assumed the New York Face: no one was smiling. People didn’t look happy.

Date Submitted: Nov 26, 2009 - 12:40:08 AM
Summary: I was trying to turn right and was waiting for people to finish crossing the street. I considered forcing my way through, after all, it was New York City, but there was a policeman at the corner attempting to direct traffic. Some drivers and pedestrians obeyed his hand signals. Others simply ignored him. My impatience got lost as I observed who followed his instructions and who pretended that he wasn’t there.

Date Submitted: Oct 22, 2009 - 5:11:48 AM
Summary: “Why can’t you be like other kids who behave perfectly?” is a refrain I often hear parents complaining to their children. Yes, there were and are certainly moments when I wish my children were as “perfect” as other kids, but those moments are rare. I am more than happy for my kids to be individuals, albeit imperfect.

Date Submitted: Oct 13, 2009 - 7:54:31 AM
Summary: My wife and I turned onto 26th street, between 6th and 7th, the New York City area known as ‘The Plant District’, and strange things began to happen. Storeowners ran outside and began to pull their security gates down, closing their stores. Others were rushing to cover all the plants on the sidewalk with sheets and blankets. People were staring at us with hatred and fear. We could hear strangers whispering, “Killer!”

Date Submitted: Sep 29, 2009 - 6:12:19 AM
Summary: The Chafetz Chaim had an interesting approach to the Talmudic statement that “Whoever forgets the Torah he has studied has forfeit part of his eternal life.” (Chapters of Our Fathers 3:8) It is commonly understood to refer to someone who does not constantly review what he has learned.