I was recently speaking to a friend who is an operatic singer about the power of music and lyrics together. She surprised me by sharing that her passion was singularly for song, and that lyrics and poetry in particular held less interest—only melody had the power to truly move her. As a musician, I have always understood music and verse to be at their best when living in a symbiotic relationship, co-existing, supporting, and growing alongside one another. Every musical theatre composer duo, like Comden and Green or Rodgers and Hammerstein, have their own process about lyrics or music coming first but with both being equally essential. And yet, there can also be great beauty in hearing harmony with no words or a lyrical poem that can stand on its own two feet without melody. While 58 of our 150 psalms begin with the words Mizmor l’David (a song of David), as [...]

I’ve never been one to cook on a daily basis (luckily I married someone who does!), but I always enjoy recreating the special recipes of our Jewish holidays, consecrated instructions passed down from generation to generation. In particular, I loved cooking Passover and Hanukkah meals with my Grandma Miriam, may her memory be for a blessing, whose Hadassah cookbook is still my handbook for all things holiday food related. This year, with Thanksgiving and Hanukkah only a few days apart, I am looking forward to meal planning for the American and Jewish holidays together, and thinking about how, now more than ever, we are blessed to be able to gather ever more safely with family and friends to share festive meals and create new memories. Last night, Adam and I watched a fantastic episode of Padma Lakshmi’s program Taste the Nation. In this special installment, entitled Happy Challah Days, Padma explores the [...]

Lately, having spent so much time on the computer or phone this past year and half, I’ve been making small, conscious efforts to be more intentional about my screen time. Last week, after a cup of morning coffee and some reading time with Ruby, I opened up my phone to a headline that made me want to shut it down entirely. The title read How the Pandemic is Still Making Us Feel Terrible, which described how feelings of uncertainty and isolation as well as the overconsumption of virtual information during the past 18+ months have led to peaking numbers of anxiety and depression for residents of the United States. Even with interventions like masks and vaccines, routines developing increased normalcy, and kids returning to school, many of us are still struggling with and even reeling from the stressful effects of a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic and spending so little time unplugged. What can [...]