Omer 2025 Day 34

Day 33 | Day 35

Day 34: The Tapestry of Jewish Time by Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin
Yesod in Hod, Foundation in Glory/Humility

I'll begin today with one of those nostalgic stories that makes me feel old: Back in my day, we checked out books by writing our name on the library card in a little sleeve inside the book. When I was converting to Judaism, this system was still in place in the Nashville Public Library system and my name must have been in every book about Judaism they had. Eternal thanks to whoever made the decision to include such a fantastic collection of Jewish books in the Nashville Library. One of the many books I checked out then was The Tapestry of Jewish Time by Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin, who I had the pleasure to meet a couple years ago when she came to Olam Tikvah as the Scholar in Residence. This book is one of her earlier works and, honestly, should be required reading for Jews. Her ability to lay out the complexities of the Jewish calendar and conception of time in Judaism is unmatched. And without the foundational understanding of how time shapes Jewish life, it's difficult to experience a connected Jewish life.