Said to Myself

Gratitoad: A Thought on Big Mouth

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One of the best things I did with my boys was watch Big Mouth. It is a great show and super awkward to watch together. In watching it we got talk about a ton of important and age appropriate things. I am currently working through it with my 14 year-old daughter.

One great thing about the show is how embodies emotions as characters. One of our favorite is the Gratitoad

The Gratitoad is a toad that represents gratitude in humans. The Gratitoad is a very nice, chipper, and friendly toad, who has a knack for making people very happy just by being around. He is obsessed with the concept of gratitude and is always showing gratitude for all of the wonderful little things in life and he encourages people in distress to do the same, as he knows it’ll make them feel better because he knows that the magic of gratitude can help people cure their depression and anxiety; issues which he handles and crushes with a smile on his face and a skip in his step. Gratitoad likes to cut loose and be a little silly sometimes, playing the maracas and singing silly songs about all of the great things in the world. The Gratitoad is also very generous and lives by idea that if you make others feel happy, you’ll make yourself feel happy. Zach Galifianakis the voice of the Gratitoad and is perfect.

Clearly this is important for Thanksgiving. More so than ever need to appreaicte all that we have. Today I need to express my Hakarat HaToad- Have a great Thanksgiving

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Quote of the week

But now, please forgive their sin—but if not, then erase me out of the book you have written.

~ Exodus 32:32

Said to Myself

About

My name is Rabbi Avi Katz Orlow. I have always had a deep love for the Jewish people and making the world a better place. It was while building community in the Former Soviet Union for YUSSR that I realized the transformative power of being a rabbi. After spending time learning in Israel, I moved to New York to be a charter student in Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, the Open Orthodox Seminary. After graduating in 2004 until 2008 I served as the Rabbi and ran the program at St. Louis Hillel at Washington University. Now I have the great pleasure of thinking about how Judaism is seriously fun. In my mind I am up at camp every day in my work at the Foundation for Jewish Camp. My wife, Cantor Adina Frydman, and I are the proud parents of Yadid, Yishama, Emunah, and Libi.

Said to Myself

When my son Yadid was four years old he came home from daycare and reported to me that he got into trouble. He got put into timeout for throwing sand at another child. Yadid said,” Myself said to myself, I do not want to be in timeout. Myself said to my cry, I do not want to cry”. And with that we started a conversation about his conscious life. It seemed only fitting to continue that conversation with a blog with the same name.

אָמַרְתִּי אֲנִי בְּלִבִּי

My son spoke in the words of Ecclesiastes, “I said in my heart: ‘Come now, I will try you with mirth, and enjoy pleasure’; and, behold, this also was vanity.” (Kohelet 2:1) My mission is to model a life that is personally meaningful, universally relevant, and distinctly Jewish. I aspire to be frank and to speak of Torah in real life.

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