In a provocative article, New York University philosophy professor Samuel Scheffler proclaims that he unequivocally believes in life after death. He asserts that he is absolutely certain that those who we know and who are affected by our presence will continue to live after we are gone. That is the one “life after death” concept that we can all agree on. And so, he says, we must live our lives with that realization every day. The world will not be erased after we have left it, and the memories that we have left, like the bubbling wake of a boat as it moves through the ocean, will linger for as long as they are meaningful for others. This is not a coronavirus-induced insight, it is an idea that we should embrace throughout our lives. We create a wake as we pass through the temporal space of the lives of others. What [...]

In a graduation speech at Kenyon College, the American author David Foster Wallace tells the following familiar parable: There are these two young fish swimming along, and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says, "Morning, boys, how's the water?" And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes, "What the hell is water?" He tells the graduating seniors that this story illustrates how the most obvious truths are often the hardest to see. There are so many things that we take for granted, just assuming that, well, since that is what I’ve always heard, it must be the way things are. Or, because so-and-so said it, it must be true. Thousands of years ago, Rabbi Eliezer advised and cautioned: “warm yourself before the fire of the [...]

Nature is back! As human beings have retreated into our “caves,” the bears and bobcats are out in Yosemite, the birds are nesting around our local beaches, whales are even coming closer to shore as the din of powerboats fades. The poppies are exploding with color in the desert and the hillsides of the Santa Monica mountains are alive with the flowers of spring. There’s even a startling blue fluorescent light that emanates from our local beaches at night with each crashing wave. As the restrictions on our mobility are lifted, make sure that you (safely) take in some of the natural beauty that surrounds us. Then take a moment to reflect on what it takes for that natural beauty to appear: We have to step back and let nature take over. Jewish tradition has long held on to the idea that our world reveals the wonder of God’s presence [...]

There’s a podcast called “Rough Translation” that explores the many ways that we humans don’t understand one another. In this episode, the host explores the profound cultural differences that lead a husband and wife to utterly fail in their compassion for one another until they literally walk in one  another’s shoes. Both are American citizens—the wife is originally from Wuhan and as the virus ravages her town, her Italian-born husband is complacent—then the virus hits Italy and he discovers empathy. How is your empathy? This is the perfect time to do an empathy check. Do we feel for others beyond our own circle who suffer? What would it take to extend our compassion to those who are not like you?  Jewish tradition says: “Love your neighbor as yourself”—there is no greater command for empathy. So many in our community and our world need us and need our care. The pandemic reminds us that [...]