à la carte spirit by ilona fried
Passover
Feldenkrais and Freedom
“Without learning to know ourselves as intimately as we possibly can, we limit our choice. Life is not very sweet without freedom of choice.” – Moshe Feldenkrais Last fall, after a Rolfer advised me to wake up my left pinky toe to heal my tendonitis, I recommitted to daily foot exercises. Not long after, warming … Continue reading
Ponderings: Passover in Two Places
I spent Passover’s first half in Israel. The day of the Seder, I traveled by bus to Jerusalem’s Malcha Mall with my oldest niece. She was meeting a friend, and I was on the hunt for comfortable shoes. At the entrance we went our separate ways. While I failed to find footwear, I wandered around, … Continue reading
Jerusalem from the Inside of a Pool
My Zen teacher likes to say, “How we do anything is how we do everything.” If the same can be said of a society, would the workings of a single pool reflect the culture at large? Last week I loosely considered this question while swimming almost every day at the Jerusalem Pool (it was closed … Continue reading
Of Kugel and Catholicism
On Rosh Hashanah I attended an intimate, lay-led Kabbalistic service at a private home in Denver. I hadn’t expected food, but the hosts graciously supplied several bagel varieties, four different cream cheeses, coffee and juice. People were milling around when I arrived so I decided to have a bite. I placed half a sesame seed … Continue reading
Matzah: Bread of Affliction or Tool for Introspection?
Most of the year I’m an à la carte spiritual being, but there are some holidays that return me to the Jewish “camp”. Passover is one of them. For some Jews, after the Seder ends, Passover becomes a week of dietary torture. Wheat and four other grains are prohibited, making meal preparation challenging if not … Continue reading
à la carte spirit by ilona fried 
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