Beloved wonderful human beings! Two kinds of news getting shared today.
First, I’m excited and wildly humbled to share some words that absolute rock stars have written about my forthcoming book (On Repentance and Repair: Making Amends in an Unrepentant World). I am, needless to say, speechless.
More on the book here, audiobook info here, and ebook version available in places where you get your ones of those. And international folks seem to be doing well with Book Depository. And yes, preordering is a big deal and helps authors a lot, so if you’re inclined to get in on this, now’s a great time.
So that’s News The One.
News the Two is something of an apology.
(I guess appropriate given the book topic, above?)
Today is the day we are supposed to begin
Making Leviticus Fun Again.
We will do this. Never fear! But in order to make sure that I am able to bring it with the appropriate level of, uh, strange fire, I need to pause to give myself a moment to set this all up for success.
Between some family crises (everybody’s OK, thank God) and COVID (whee!) and the small matter of SCOTUS apparently moving in the direction of taking away the Constitutional rights of half the country (which is the focus of much of my work as Scholar in Residence at National Council of Jewish Women; here’s one thing you can do to help people in need of access now) I just.. need a second. The good news is that I have a second blocked off! I know exactly which block of time mid-summer I will have to catch my breath, catch up, get my game plan (which already exists, obvi) up to speed so that we can burst forth into the high gear.
Listen, I know Leviticus gets a bad rap, but it’s going to be great.
Holy barbecue! Weird diseases! Big questions about spiritual practice and ritual! Lots and lots and lots of amazing social justice stuff, and economic justice stuff, and a vision and roadmap for a world that is so much more whole than the one we live in now! And yes, we’ll get there, but no, I don’t believe that the Torah prohibits queer love. It’s going to be a fabulous ride, and it will resume early or mid-summer.
So don’t go anywhere.
But there’s only one of me, and I just need a second to catch my breath now so I can bring it hard for you all. So I’ll pause billing for everyone for whom that’s relevant, and I’ll be back up your noses in two months or less.
And by the time I’m done with you, even the biggest of skeptics will become Leviticus stans. Mark my words.
See you very soon.
xoxoxo
Congratulations! Please take the time you need. I am very grateful for all I learn from you, Rabbi and this community.
Enjoy your well-deserved break, Rabbi! And, ya know, this gives some of us who are a little behind here (ahem) some time to catch up. And to share some news of my own, I'll be a Jew when you start up again.