Top Five Shavuot Songs
I’ve made a list of the top five songs for shavuot over on a new blog entitled Shavuot Songs. What made the list this year? Check it out.
Anne Frank Quotes, Remixed
Consumer Review: Alternative Ketubah
File this one as an “only in New York” moment… About a month ago I was in Williamsburg (the Brooklyn one) officiating a wedding for a wonderful couple who had the highly unusual ketubah pictured above. On their honeymoon in Argentina, they visited the artist. Then the artist wrote up a little story about it: http://thisisnotaketubah.com/meeting-one-of-our-couples/ I skimmed through the other Ketubahs on the site and all I can say is that I want to hang out with the couple…
Counting the Omer – The Musical
How to Chop Walnuts
Haroset? Charoset? Charoses? Haroses? Whatever you call it, I love it so much that I wrote a song about it. Anyways, enough blogging, click play and enjoy “Chopped Up Walnuts”
Did God Kill Egyptians?
My latest piece about the Passover story is up on the Huffington Post (click here to check it out!) and it is yet another example of how many people read that site. 106 comments within the first 24 hours…and I imagine that there are more to come. I love reading the comments for both the crazies and for my own learning. Anyways – enjoy!
I penned this piece ten years ago, back when I was on the faculty of CLAL. Reading it again, I am struck by the line: “We are living in a time of war, shifting alliances, new dangers, increasing uncertainty and growing poverty.” Even more true today than a decade ago, methinks. Anyways – Andre Neher’s words are still a powerful call: Passover – The Unfinished Manuscript By Daniel S. Brenner In the last sixty years, the words of the Passover Haggadah have…
Free Passover Play
If you’re looking for an easy way to add some good drama to your Passover Seder, then you are in the right place. I’ve got twenty people coming to the first seder and probably as many to the second. Rather than read through the Haggadah’s maggid section, we’ll have fun with this short skit that tells the story. I offer it free to all those who would like to spice up their seders. Enjoy – and Zissen Pesach! Daniel Free…
Congregation B’nai Israel, Rumson, NJ
Here is an excerpt from a recent speech that I gave “installing” a rabbi: When I was young, my favorite book that my parents read to me was Leo Leonni’s Frederick. Lionni was born in Amsterdam, the son of an Italian Jew, and he came to Philadelphia in 1939. He wrote Frederick in 1967. Here is the story: there is a group of field mice and they are all gathering grains and other foodstuffs for the coming winter months. All…
Free Purim Shpiel Script
Director’s note: This play can be performed with a cast of five actors…or expanded to include more. The Whole Megillah By Rabbi Daniel S. Brenner SCENE 1 KING A (swinging a drink) Show me the way to the next whiskey bar…oh don’t ask why…of don’t ask why…(he falls) I can’t reach it. Help!!!! Oh my gods, look at this. Dry cleaning! I need dry cleaning! You – you look at me and laugh. `but do you know how expensive it…