This week, Jaz is back, with some sad personal news but (with the benefit of Lulav's editing prowess) decent podcasting energy! We're talking about mistakes and new connections, condescending to unpleasant people who are nevertheless your people, and $2000 fancy dresses. Plus, elaborate wagon metaphors and the connection between personal breakdown and societal breakdown.

Transcript here.

Jaz mentioned some book recommendations about death. For talking to Jewish children, there's Zayde Comes to Live by Sheri Sinykin illustrated by Kristi­na Swamer. There's also Tear Soup, which is not Jewish, but applicable cross-religiously and for all ages eight and up. Some other books Jaz read about grief in the last year and a half, which were helpful in different ways, include:

• Saying Kaddish: How to Comfort the Dying, Bury the Dead, and Mourn as a Jew by Anita Diamant, 
• Rebellious Mourning: The Collective Work of Grief by Cindy Milstein,  
• Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande
• Advice for Future Corpses (and Those Who Love Them): A Practical Perspective on Death and Dying by Sallie Tisdale 

You can also listen to the episode "Unconscionable Ex," from what was at the time the Dear Prudence podcast. That's since been converted into a new podcast, also hosted by Danny Lavery, called Big Mood, Little Mood.

This week's reading was Amos 2:6-3:8, even though it should have been Zechariah 2:14–4:7. Next week's reading is Joshua 2:1-24.

Support us on Patreon or Ko-fi! Our music is by the band Brivele. This week, our audio was edited by Lulav Arnow, and our transcript was written by JJ Jensen, who you can follow on Twitter @pantspossum. Our logo is by Lior Gross, and we are not endorsed by or affiliated with the Orthodox Union.

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