Category: religiousness
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Ma nishtana ha Pessach ha ze?
What makes this Passover different from all other Passovers? It’s the first one where I’m making my own seder while combining the traditions I grew up experiencing with someone else and his own traditions. I feel like this is the type of thing we all think about and wonder as kids (ok maybe just those…
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Something for all Jews to remember around Pessach.
There is a lot going on in these days before Passover. Cleaning our houses, shopping for food, cooking that food… and then of course, eating that food as we tell the story of our freedom from the slavery of Egypt. We are catching up on halachot (laws) of keeping kosher during the Pessach holiday. Some…
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The Computer Engineer's Haggadah.
Had to share this email I got at work today. Bear with me, I work in the hi tech realm; therefore, I thought this was funny: The Computer Engineer’s Haggadah Release ISRAEL ISRAEL running in slave mode, cannot release Set ISRAEL;mode=master Pharaoh already running in master mode, cannot change ISRAEL Set Pharaoh;mode=slave Command ignored Load…
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My time in jail.
Remember the nationwide drill I wrote about? The emergency sirens went off today at 10 am all over the country, wherever you happened to be standing. And me? I was standing in Ma’asiyahu prison in Ramle. And let me tell you, it’s a little surreal to hear a siren go off in a prison. I…
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Note to Israelis: This is what a Kiddush Hashem looks like.
This is dedicated to Israelis of many stripes – mainly the inattentive who go global traveling and give Israel a bad name, the fanatically religious who give Judaism a crazy name, and the extreme outback settlers who give Zionism a psycho name. There is a better way to be a light unto nations or to…
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Religion: gets high with a little help from its friends.
I’ve always suspected this myself, but a Hebrew University researcher is daring enough to say it out loud in a recent article: Hebrew University researcher: Moses was tripping at Mount Sinai On perusing the momentous occasion of Moses’ trip up Mount Sinai to collect and deliver God’s words to the people, Professor Benny Shanon is…
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Today's word: שנאת חינם
Here’s a backup to my last post in case it wasn’t enough to get my point across. I proudly observe my own brand of Jewishness – and consider it great, holy and everything else – if my alternative for spiritual ‘climbing’ is this: U.S. immigrant beaten up in ‘pogrom’ by ultra-Orthodox gang “An American immigrant…
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On high school reunions, halacha, nostalgia and everything in between.
Between running into my high school principle, the recent Flatbush fiasco and my friend attending her ten-year reunion couple nights ago, I’ve had high school on the brain in the last few weeks. High school is something I have successfully managed to block from the forefront of my mind. Part of it was my own…
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Sephardi synanogues of Katamonim.
Something I’m going to miss about my little Jerusalem hometown of Katamonim are the amazing Sephardi beitay knesset that pepper the streets: Most of the residents in this neighborhood are some strain of Mizrachi, mainly Kurdish, Bucharian, Moroccan or Yemenite. The synagogues carpeted and fluorescently lit, reflect that. I feel 100% comfortable attending services at…
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Get me latkes, woman.
Here’s (another) חנה זלדה video… Courtesy of some bored (genius) IDF soldiers… Happy Chanukah!
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Menoras and the city.
From my wanderings yesterday I noticed two major menoras up in Jerusalem in time for Chanukah, which started tonight: Safra Square Menora. Chabad-style Menora at the Mashbir on King George (a similar one stands in Kikar Tzion).
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Download – and learn – Jewish prayers.
Even though it’s been a while since I’ve (really) prayed, I haven’t forgotten the power of prayer or what it can do for a person – believer or not. This site got me all nostalgic, warm and fuzzy: Siddur Audio. I can’t believe someone was cool enough to post audio recordings of davening along with…