Snow is a rarity in Israel, and if it comes, it’s usually only the children in Jerusalem and Judean Hills and Tsfat (Safed) who get ready to make snowmen. But when it comes, it’s not just time to frolic, it’s also time to reflect on what this rare event in Israel really means. The Land […]
Tu B’Shvat – New Year for Trees in Israel
Tu B’Shvat has great significance in the agricultural laws that are relevant in the Land of Israel. The 15th day of the month of Shvat (which falls on Feb 10, 2020) is the cut-off date in the Hebrew calendar for calculating the age of a fruit-bearing tree. Each tree is considered to have its “birthday” […]
Abraham taught us “It takes a Village”
Genesis 18:1-8 finds Avraham recovering from his circumcision in the heat of the desert day. Yet, when he sees three men appear, he runs to greet them and invite them into his tent to refresh themselves. The Midrash tells us that after Avraham would feed his guests, he would ask them to recite a blessing […]
Miss the target this year? What now?
The days between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur are taken seriously in Israel… you can feel it in the air. Everyone is preparing – whether they are in Torah study halls or in businesses. I teach once a week in Netanya at a post-high school gap year seminary program for English-speaking girls from abroad. The […]
Celebrating Shavuot… the giving of Torah at Sinai…
In Israel this past weekend we celebrated Shabbat followed by the Festival of Shavuot. Since Passover, we counted 49 days, and on the 50th day (Saturday night and Sunday) we mark the day that the Nation of Israel stood at the foot of Mount Sinai and accepted the revelation of Torah as a gift and […]
Sukkot – Time of our Joy
We had a wonderful and meaningful Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur — and now Sukkot is just about here in the Galilee. Sukkot is called Zman Simchateinu (Time of our Joy) and it is the happiest time of the Jewish year as we celebrate with our families in our Sukkah. One of the reasons for […]
Feasting Your Way to Holiness
This year the Hebrew month of Tishrei coincides with most of the month of September. The festivals of Rosh HaShanah (New Year), Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), Sukkoth (Tabernacles) and its intermediate days, and Simchat Torah and Shemini Atzeret all fall within a few weeks! That means, in addition to all the praying we will […]
Kabbalah – What does the word really mean?
Most people would translate “Kabbalah” as “Jewish Mysticism.” But that definition fuels many misconceptions about Torah. [NOTE: I do not encourage anyone reading this to study “Kabbalah” as it is popularly presented in the English-speaking world. Many of those presenting it are charlatans distorting authentic Torah for their own gain. This article is primarily focused […]
Seek Me and Live!
When King Solomon died, the ten northern tribes refused to submit to his son, Rehoboam, and they revolted. Jeroboam, a banished leader of Solomon’s court, led the rebellion and when Rehoboam refused to work out the grievances of the northern tribes, those tribes declared their independence and proclaimed Jeroboam King of a newly formed Kingdom […]
The Moon and the Menorah
The 17th day of Tammuz (July 24, 2016) is a sun-up to sun-down fast day in the Jewish Calendar. It is the day on which five major tragedies happened in our history. The Roman siege of Jerusalem began on this day which ultimately led to the destruction of the second temple in the year 70 […]