fbpx
[additional-authors]
August 17, 2018

Blessed be the One
who made me me.
Yes, the One might have aimed higher:
made me smarter, nicer,
more loving, more generous.
But the One could have also have done far less:
given me limitations and burdens
and weaknesses that might have broken me.

Blessed be the One
who made me the daughter of my parents,
who brought me to existence in the United States
in the last third of the twentieth century,
a time after penicillin
and before social media.

Blessed be the One
who made me a reader,
a questioner, a thinker.
Who gave me life and faith
and health and so much—
so infinitely much—
more.


Erika Dreifus is a New York-based writer and book publicist.

Did you enjoy this article?
You'll love our roundtable.

Editor's Picks

Latest Articles

Print Issue: The Year Everything Changed | March 13, 2026

Crazy as it might sound, it all started with the Dodgers, and how they won back-to- back World Series in 2024 and 2025. That year, with those two championships on either end, is the exact same year l became a practicing Jew. And I don’t think that’s a coincidence.

Rabbi Jerry Cutler, 91

In 1973, he founded Synagogue for the Performing Arts, drawing the likes of Walter Matthau, Ed Asner and Joan Rivers.

Pies for Pi Day

March 14, or 3/14 is Pi Day in celebration of the mathematical constant, 3.14159 etc. Any excuse to enjoy a classic or creative pie.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.