So Perhaps you heard that joke about the typical Jewish holidays: “They tried to destroy us, G-d saved us, so let’s eat!” (that applies to Pesach, Purim and Chanukah). But even though no one tried to wipe us out on the occasion of the holiday of Shavuot, which is coming up at the end of the week, food is still an important part of the holiday. It could be summed up playfully as “Hashem gave us the Torah, so let’s eat!” And that is exactly what seems to happen at shul. Men, women, children and even the smallest babies are … Continue reading →

I don’t think there is any time of the year in the Land of Israel I enjoy more than Passover. It is like a summer vacation without the heat and the hassle. While the amusement parks are crowded and sometimes hard to navigate my way around, I always run into people I haven’t seen in months or even years. One advantage to living in the Land of Israel is that the Jewish holidays are everyone’s holidays. No matter what level of observance, practically no one is working during the week of Passover and Succos. Most of the bakeries are closed … Continue reading →

It’s time to get out the brooms and the sponges and the Clorox! It’s Pesach (Passover) cleaning time again. Of course, it is always good to do a spring cleaning (if in your part of the world, it is actually spring yet), but Pesach cleaning is another level altogether. When I describe Pesach cleaning to people, I’m really reminded of what it is all about. The idea is to remove any trace of chametz (leavened products, such as bread, pasta, grains) from every corner of the house. While decluttering and getting rid of dirt is always a good idea, that … Continue reading →

Once upon a time, Purim was considered a minor Jewish holiday. It doesn’t have the kind of name recognition among the world at large that Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur and Chanukah do. You probably won’t see Purim listed on government calendars. But it is actually a major holiday disguised in a minor one. The holiday of Purim began as a celebration of the miracle Hashem did for the Jewish People in the 6th Century BCE when a Persian “Hitler”, Hamman, made a plan to annihilate the exiled Jews, but who ultimately was defeated through a series of apparently isolated incidents … Continue reading →

Chanukah is here again-probably the most famous of all Jewish holidays. Actually, it has traditionally been considered a “minor holiday” in the Jewish calendar: the holiday was not mandated by the Torah but established by the rabbis, we are allowed to work and pursue ordinary activities during these days (although we are encouraged not to work while the Chanukah menorah is burning), and there is no festive meal associated with Chanukah (although it is traditional to eat special foods such as latkes-fried potato pancakes, jelly doughnuts and diary foods). However, this “minor holiday” continues to take on added significance and … Continue reading →

First of all, a prosperous, healthy and meaningful new year to you all. I hope this year will bring peace, light and joy and hopefully, the ideal era we have all been waiting for. Amid frantic Rosh Hashana food preparations (unlike those of you who live outside of the Land of Israel, I am not used to two-day long holidays, with the exception of Rosh Hashana, which is celebrated for two days also in the Land of Israel), I have several ideas floating in my brain, but I wasn’t sure which I should write about. In the lectures I have … Continue reading →

So many of us have caught the election bug, following whichever convention appeals most to our political views, reading blogs, watching the news for speeches and comments from our favorite (or least favorite) candidate. Both candidates want to seem likeable, approachable, like regular guys (in Jewish speak, “Heimishe”). They shake hands, kiss babies, meet with people who, if they had their choice, they wouldn’t even want to talk to, all to send the message “I am the kind of person you can talk to and get along with.” While the month of Elul, the month leading up to the Jewish … Continue reading →

Yesterday I attended a Jewish birthday event for a friend who organizes monthly women’s events all throughout the year. She was the first real person I had gotten to know during my first few weeks in Pittsburgh. Literally for me, she was the light as I got to know other women of the Jewish community, learn a few insights on Judasim and kabbalah and participate in a little activity. In a circle, she told us how each one of us represented the light for her – our own little “neshama” or, soul. Each one of us represents the light for … Continue reading →

Dorit gave us a nice review of the various names of Shavuot. One custom of the holiday that puzzles many people is our practice of staying up all night in the synagogue and learning Torah instead of turning in after a late start to the holiday and a heavy meal. Both men and women often follow this custom, although in my circle, it is mainly incumbent on the men (and I don’t think I could manage to stay up all night, given the cooking, cleaning I do on Erev Shavuot, in addition to the fact that I have to work … Continue reading →

Since Shavuot is a minor holiday, many don’t know of its signficance especially those Jews living in the Diaspora. So here’s a bit about the holiday considering that it is known by three other names. The holiday of Shavuot, or ‘weeks’ in English, arrives exactly 49 weeks after the Passover seder. These 49 weeks are the counting of the Omer, during which time the wheat and barley ripen and are ready to be harvested on Shavuot. Jews in know Shavuot as ‘hag habikkurim’ or, the holiday of the first fruits. The holiday again, shows the intricate bond between the land … Continue reading →