Dave had a fifteen-year-old son who dreamed of becoming a firefighter. Driven by the vision of his child taking over his law practice, Dave forcefully encouraged him to join the debate team, focus on academics and eventually get his law degree. His son did so, and joined his father’s firm. He did fine, but always [...]
Author Archives: Rabbi Daniel Lapen
Dancing With Snakes
July 2, 2009 – 8:19 am
I did not participate in the hysterical outpouring of emotion and mass mourning for Michael Jackson. I think he was a terribly tragic figure who lived a lonely life and died a lonely death. But he certainly could dance. His famous ‘moon-dance’ was magical. Smooth and seductive, it was hard to tear your gaze away; [...]
Wait Til You Hear This…
June 24, 2009 – 10:25 pm
Have you seen the latest episode of Gossip Girl? Read National Enquirer lately? How about People Magazine? Decrying gossip may seem quaint today, but with over one hundred magazines, TV shows and websites selling gossip, maybe we ought to remind ourselves of its dark side. The more we value something the more specific we are [...]
Thought Tools
June 17, 2009 – 10:22 pm
Ninety years ago, in June 1919, World War I officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. French field marshal, Ferdinand Foch, famously said, “This is not Peace. It is an Armistice for twenty years.” He was out by three months! By September 1939 France was again at war with Germany. A year [...]
Weightless Work
June 10, 2009 – 11:22 pm
Terry really didn’t feel like mowing the lawn. Nevertheless, he cranked up the mower and got to work. For the first half hour Terry grumbled. During the next half hour, he was silent. An hour into the job, he began to whistle and then to sing. When the job was done and his lawn looked [...]
Up the Down Staircase?
June 3, 2009 – 10:21 pm
“Man on Wire” is the title of a 2008 movie documenting Philippe Petit’s 1974 high wire walk between the twin towers of the World Trade Center, a quarter of a mile above the streets of Manhattan. The movie enchanted me. More importantly however, the film maker’s camera revealed a truly vital life lesson. During the [...]
THOUGHT TOOLS
May 28, 2009 – 8:20 am
NEXT Although it is finally my turn I feel no delight when, without even glancing up, the post office clerk yells out “Next!” I understand that she has experienced a tiring day; maybe even a frustrating one but her strident summons dehumanizes me. I feel as if my identity has been stripped away and I [...]
Pathways from Poverty to Prosperity
May 21, 2009 – 7:37 am
Bible festivals were never merely holidays to the Jews—they were holydays. The difference is that on a vacation or a holiday you don’t have to go to work or do things. On a holyday you get to do things, very special things that polish your personality, sculpt your soul, and redirect your life. Furthermore, Bible [...]
THOUGHT TOOLS
May 14, 2009 – 8:14 am
Psst! WANT TO BECOME FAMOUS? What regular daily activity did Ronald Reagan, Winston Churchill, Harry Truman, and General George Patton all share? The answer is that along with many other distinguished men and women, these leaders all kept diaries. If you consider it a coincidence that many famous people happen to have kept diaries, you’d [...]
Thought Tools
May 7, 2009 – 9:50 am
Foreword by Stan Lerner: Many years ago I had the great opportunity to learn with Rabbi Daniel Lapen who is one of the greatest thinkers of our time. His move from California to Washington State in many ways left an empty desert where a sea of knowledge had flourished. Now because of the internet and [...]
