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NEW ADULT EDUCATION CLASS FOR PASSOVER Thursdays, March 14 & 21, 7:00-8:30 p.m. at Temple Beth Tikvah, Fullerton, CA. How have Jews understood the Passover narrative? Since “The Torah has seventy faces,” (Bamidbar Rabbah 13:15), there’s no “correct” interpretation. Even so, various approaches have dominated at different times in our history, reflecting the circumstances in which we have found ourselves. We will sample such major genres as: Midrash, P’shat (rational/contextual), PaRDeS, and Kabbalah. Enrich your Passover Seder(s), future Bible (Torah/Tan”akh) study, and your understanding of Jewish history and cultural traditions! Please call Temple office at (714) 871-3535 or email tbtaa@sbcglobal.net to RSVP.
“V’shamru v’nai Yisrael et haShabbat, la’asot et haShabbat l’dorotam b’rit olam….” The Israelite people shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout the ages as a covenant for all time: Ex. 31:16 This familiar Saturday morning Kiddush verse comes from this week’s Torah portion, Ki Tissa. But the Torah says relatively little about how the Sabbath is to be observed. ...
For me, Purim’s predominant, eternal theme is the precariousness of life for all Jews. In a land ruled by others, even one that apparently welcomed and accepted us, (according to a Midrash, Mordecai, known to be a Jew, was a member of the royal security police; even if not, he was publicly honored for his action), an anti-Semite was nearly able to wipe us out. Only a series of unlikely “coincidences” ...
This week we read the Torah portion B’shallah, in which, most famously, G-d splits the sea and the Israelites are saved from destruction. We celebrate the “holiday of trees” -- Tu B’shevat (the 15th day of the month of Shevat) and, here in Israel, we voted in national elections. Coincidentally, this week I also learned, in Ulpan (Hebrew language school), that the word for “consult” is: להתייעץ (“l’heet-ya-etz”). Because the last two letters – etz -- are the word for “tree,” our teacher suggested that we remember the word for “consult” with the sentence: “I consult with a tree.” ...
In recent years at this time, I have researched the story of Hanukah, dressed up as Simon Ben Mattathias to give “dramatic historical presentations” at synagogues, and even lectured about Hanukah aboard cruise ships. This year, I’m doing something quite different …
Today is “Thanksgiving Day” in America. In 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed an annual “day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.” By so doing, he transformed the longstanding custom of individually-declared American “days of thanksgiving” into an annual observance. While gratitude is not uniquely Jewish, it is central to Jewishness. The very word ...
I lost my new “Smartphone” a few days ago. It happened somewhere between my Jerusalem apartment and my arrival at morning minyan. I think I put it on the bus seat when I opened my backpack to retrieve something that then took my full attention during the remaining short ride. I remember being surprised when I looked up and saw that we were arriving at my stop; I jumped up, grabbed my backpack, and alighted without checking around me. No one has turned it in. Yet, prompted by the Jewish calendar, I think that I have gained, rather than lost, from this incident ...
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