My Favorite Posts of 2008

I guess it is the thing to do now, review the year that was and then look to the year that will be. American Jews get to do this twice every year. Once on the spiritual new year, Rosh Hashanah, and once on the secular new year.

I wrote 55 blog posts in 2008. I generally opt for quality over quantity. But I was curious how many of those 55 are really quality. 55 blog posts means an average of 4 posts per month. I know without looking that the recent wheel of the year monthly posts for Rosh Chodesh that I’ve added are among my favorites. I’m really enjoying exploring the year this way, and I hope you are too.

My favorite posts of 2008
in no particular order

Pesach Menu Planning
This post really allowed me to show my process and practice around food. The spirituality of food and eating is central to my practice, and yet a survey of my posts shows I really don’t share much on this area. The final menu was also posted, but the post itself doesn’t shine.
Miriam, a Midrash
It took a lot to get this written down. I told this story twice before I managed to commit it to paper and post it. I still think it’s one of my best pieces of work.
Kashrus Wrestling
This post generated a lot of comments and a bit of controversy. A first time commenter took a position which provoked quite a response from myself and others. This is still a post that I think about a lot.
Rosh Hashanah Drosh 5769
In my head this was an incredibly thought provoking post that would generate all kinds of comments from readers. It didn’t. When I gave this drosh at Rosh Hashanah, it had the intended effect, but I was really surprised by the silence online.
Kislev, a Study in Opposites
Maybe I just like this one because it’s recent, but I think this marked a turning point in my work around the wheel of the year and really took the Rosh Chodesh Guides up a notch.

Honorable Mention: My Altar
I just think this picture turned out awesome and while there were only a couple of comments here, I also posted this to the “Pimp my Altar” community over on Live Journal and received a lot of interesting comments.

Seders: Seder of the Seven Prophetesses for Shavout, Hanukkah Seder for the 8th Night
While these were posted this year, I have a hard time considering them blog posts. Yes, I wrote the Shavout seder in one marathon 5 hour session, but still, it’s not just blog post! I’m pretty proud of both and the fact that I managed two in one year. Next up is the 5th anniversary edition of the PeelaPom Passover Haggadah!

[tags]2008, year in review, blog, blogging, judaism[/tags]