Month: September 2007
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The five senses of Sukkot.
Sukkot gets a bad rap. It’s tough because it comes right after the High Holies of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, so people get sick of the physical aspects of the season, eating feasts and lying low. But Sukkot has so much to it; the holiday is part of the Shalosh Regalim (three pilgrimage festivals).…
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Gmar chatima tova.
Yom Kippur starts in a few hours; ideally I wouldn’t be lounging around and writing this, but nothing is ideal. I’ll go start mincha (afternoon prayers) in a few… Mincha of erev Yom Kippur is my favorite prayer of the whole year. It is something about the fact that it is still a regular day,…
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Learn to read in Hebrew for free.
UPDATE (2011): Found another excellent resource for learning Hebrew online for free… I just came across the website of the National Jewish Outreach Program, which I’ve never heard of before. It seems like a great resource though, for North American Jews who want to become more affiliated and educated in their Judaism. What caught my…
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Celebrate 5768 with some more fruit.
You know the drill. And here is an obligational photo of fruits, somehow associated with completing one year and bringing in the new one: ————————— Brought to you by… Do you love eating food? If you love tasting, cooking and celebrating with food, sign online today and find Christmas food recipes and so much more!…
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Aliyah Reason #243: Kosher Ikea.
You know you’re getting old when you’re perfectly happy spending your birthday at Ikea with your husband and mother. Ikea in Israel (currently located in Netanya, but coming soon to a Rechovot lot near you) is… pretty much the same experience as Ikea in Newark and anywhere else for that matter. Cheap apartment furniture, capitalistic…
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People-watching in a mirror.
Waiting for my mom at the airport this morning, I got to engage in the curious ritual that is people-watching. Airport arrival halls are the best places to people-watch. This pre-holiday Friday morning was even more interesting. One family particularly stood out to me. I watched a middle-aged couple – probably around my mother’s age…
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Overheard in the (Jerusalem) office.
At the start of the new year, perhaps it is important to take Redemption very seriously, especially on lunch breaks in the office: Me: “I haven’t been to the Old City in so long. Man, I haven’t been to the Kotel in over a year. I wonder if it looks different.” Coworker: “Oh yeah, there’s…
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Energized in pre-sunrise.
It’s 4:22 am in Jerusalem. It’s freezing. I like it. The season is changing. The summer is ending, and I’m ok with that. Frankly, it was a bit dull. I’m looking forward to shlav ha’ba, the next stage. For some reason, I have this feeling of excitement, that huge things are coming. Is it the…
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Motherland.
My mom is arriving in Israel tomorrow, bright and early (or rather, early and very dark, before sunrise). It’s her third trip to Israel and her third time coming all the way out here to visit me. It’s always exciting to get visitors out here, especially those among my inner-most circle. With my mom, it’s…
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City feature: Ashkelon
It’s not hard to imagine immense burnout after a vacation-less summer, so this past weekend we ditched Jerusalem and ventured to Ashkelon. For a lot of people, the coastal city of Ashkelon is not the first place they’d go for a break. But for us, it was a great idea: relaxing, quiet, sunny and plenty…