We’re back home in Neve Daniel. While it was sunny at the Dead Sea, there is a cold, pounding Neve Daniel rain outside. It’s dark and gloomy. And so am I. Ever notice how many kids’ movies revolve around the theme of kids whose mothers die? Thought I had picked out a fun movie to […]

Amazing what a night’s sleep (even if medicated) can do for you. That and a good run. I ran today. I ran the length of Ein Bokek and then some. Twelve kilometers at a fast — at least for me — pace. In Ein Bokek, you run by ancient stony mountains that have stood over […]

Kids, please don’t read this one. Please? Dads have to have their moments, but I will always take care of you. You know that. Now stop reading. —— Do you know the most enjoyment you can get out of a delicious cake? It’s not what you think, unless you really think. We’re at one of […]

The other day, I received the following e-mail: Hello Yarden, Last year I struggled a lot with running. One early morning I ran from Kfar-Etsion towards Sde-Boaz. Around 6 AM I was climbing Neve-Daniel and thinking seriously to give up. The streets were empty except for one woman walking very slowly with a dog. She seemed very […]

This was the story people kept asking for at the Shiva, so here goes: There were a group of us starting Colgate University in 1985. I don’t know quite how the group formed, but this person knew that person who roomed with this other person and so forth. Probably about a dozen of us all […]

As human beings, we have a natural desire to comfort others. We want to find the right words that will ease a friend’s pain. Especially with men, if something’s broken, we want to say something that will fix it. We’re not that great at silent empathy. So when there is a great pain, many people […]

Here’s another story from the shiva that people seemed to like. Rabbi Singer is our (I guess “my,” but it just seems wrong to write that) spiritual mentor from Potomac, Maryland. But he is much more than our (again, I’ll just leave it I guess) “Rabbi.” He is one of the wisest and funniest people […]

Shiva week is over. The chairs and guests, and food have been put away. The home that was turned into a medical clinic and then a synagogue is slowly being transformed back into a home. There were many amazing stories that were told about Stella over the week. This one was my daughters’ favorites: I […]

I can’t sleep. I just ate half a loaf of chocolate bobka with enough sugar to keep me going for a week. So I think now would be the right time for me to write what happened from my perspective. I warn you first, this post may get rough.  The lyrics that I have put […]