As the days get shorter and the nights longer, you may be looking for your next great read, listen, or watch to enjoy and inspire as you cozy up on the couch. As the People of the Book (and note that this month is the 100th Jewish Book Month!), there are always great Jewish books and other types of media to learn from. These are a few of my favourite things from the last month!
If you’ve had a meeting or a conversation with me lately, you may have heard me reference one of my favourite recent reads, Heart of a Stranger: An Unlikely Rabbi’s Story of Faith, Identity, and Belonging, by Rabbi Angela Buchdahl. Rabbi Buchdahl’s wrestling with impostor syndrome, with being committed to a serious Reform Judaism, and her love of music and prayer spoke deeply to me, and I hope you’ll find something in her story that speaks to you too.
For those who prefer to learn by listening, rather than reading, the Shalom Hartman Institute has a collection of excellent podcasts! Their latest release, Thoughts and Prayers, offers insights from Jewish tradition and personal experiences to help us connect with Jewish prayer today. I’ve been loving listening to, and being challenged by, the excellent Canadian Jewish News podcast, In Good Faith, which brings Jews and Muslims together in conversations. Any opportunity to connect across lines of difference is so precious these days.
And on a lighter note, I enjoyed watching Nobody Wants This on Netflix, a romantic comedy depicting the challenges of a Los Angeles rabbi and his not-Jewish girlfriend. While I would have had much to say had the writers called and asked my opinion, it was an enjoyable two seasons!
What have you been reading, listening to, watching, and learning from lately? Even in these darker weeks, may we find light, insights, and humor in all sorts of places.
