Israel

Kiddushim: Israel and our "Just Deser-vts"

Four floors below my Ben Yehuda Street window, Israelis and tourists are enjoying loud music, street performers, window shopping, felafel and hummus on pita, and otherwise having an enjoyable stroll.  I'm happy for them -- albeit I'm not... Continue Reading »
Apr 25
Posted in: Torah Commentary, Israel

Yitro: The Most Jewish Thing We Can Do.

Yitro: The Most Jewish Thing We Can Do.
What's “the most Jewish thing” we can do?   Say the Sh’ma?  Light and bless Shabbat candles?  Fast on Yom Kippur?   Keep kosher? Tell a Jewish joke?  (For the latter, see Pew Report opinions). Gi... Continue Reading »
Jan 17
Posted in: Torah Commentary, Jewish History, Israel

Lech Lecha: My Land, But Maybe Yours, Too.

Lech Lecha: My Land, But Maybe Yours, Too.
Having just returned to California, I’m still thinking about the ruins of ancient Jewish communities in Samaria (Northern “West Bank”) that Barbara and I visited last week.  This was our land!  This is again our land! &nbs... Continue Reading »
Oct 11
Posted in: Torah Commentary, Israel

Noah: Don't "Go With the Flow"

Noah: Don't "Go With the Flow"
Now the earth was corrupt in G-d’s sight, and filled with violence.  (Genesis 6:11).   Thus begins the fateful story, told in this week’s Torah portion, of G-d’s destruction by flood of life on earth, except for Noah, h... Continue Reading »
Oct 04
Posted in: Torah Commentary, Israel

Rosh Chodesh at the Kotel

Rosh Chodesh at the Kotel
This week I participated in the Rosh Chodesh (new month) Women of the Wall [WOTW – womenofthewall.org.il] service at the Kotel (Western Wall).   You might find my observations and thoughts of interest.  [Introduction: If you are fa]... Continue Reading »
Jul 12
Posted in: Israel

Pinchas: Exercising our Privilege

Pinchas: Exercising our Privilege
(Given at Kehillat Moreshet Yisrael, Jerusalem) A few years ago, I read an “historical novel” by Howard Fast called My Glorious Brothers.  Its narrator – Simon ben Mattathias – tells how his father killed a man to prev... Continue Reading »
Jun 28
Posted in: Torah Commentary, Israel

Balak: Better Depressed Than Dead!

Balak: Better Depressed Than Dead!
In this week’s Torah portion, King Balak of Moab hires the prophet Balaam to: “Come, curse Jacob for me and come invoke wrath against Israel.”  Balaam describes Israel as “a nation that will dwell alone, and will not be r... Continue Reading »
Jun 21
Posted in: Torah Commentary, Jewish History, Israel

Chukat: Moses was Here!(?)

Chukat: Moses was Here!(?)
The entire congregation of the children of Israel arrived at the Wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people settled in Kadesh. … The congregation had no water; so they assembled against Moses and Aaron.  (Numbers 20:1-2). &... Continue Reading »
Jun 14
Posted in: Torah Commentary, Jewish History, Israel

Shelach: Cutting the Cord?

Shelach: Cutting the Cord?
When Jews recite the Sh'ma and V'ahavtah, our custom is to gather the tassels (tzizit) of our Tallit and recite aloud the following verse from this week’s parasha, Shelach, (among others):  דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְ... Continue Reading »
May 31
Posted in: Torah Commentary, Focus on Prayers, Jewish History, Jewish Rituals, Israel

Behaalotecha: “Throwing the Book” at Our Enemies

Behaalotecha: “Throwing the Book” at Our Enemies
7,500 miles, and perhaps an even greater distance in liturgical philosophy, separate the two synagogues to which I belong.  One is a Conservative (Masorti) congregation in Jerusalem, a less-than 20-minute walk from where the Ark of the Covenant ... Continue Reading »
May 24
Posted in: Torah Commentary, Jewish Rituals, Israel
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Jewish Proverb