My son did something unusual the first night of Chanuka. He proudly came home from school with a menorah he made himself, and put a candle in each holder. Nothing unusual about that, except that this was the first night of Chanuka when we light only one candle. He was so excited about the holiday, that he wanted to bring as much light into as possible and filled the holders with the maximum amount of candles, when only one was required. This isn’t really unusual when one considers that the venerable Torah sage Shammai indicated that one should begin burning … Continue reading →

Simchat Torah: Rejoicing with the Torah The Jewish Playwright Arthur Miller, legendary author of such American classics as “Death of a Salesman” and “All My Sons” describes in his memoir Timebends: a Life, of the time he was taken to the synagogue with his father and placed in the back row. This was in the middle of the night and he wondered why his father was taking him at such a late hour. Suddenly, he saw grown and elderly men dancing with a large sefer Torah, laughing and acting like men decades younger. He felt shocked by this sight, and … Continue reading →

On Rosh Hashana, we ask Hashem to grant us another year of life, prosperity and blessing. It is said on this sacred two-day holiday, it is determined who will be inscribed into the Book of Life and who will go to the Garden of Eden, who will be rich and who will have to struggle for their needs. After the judgment is written down, it is finally sealed on Yom Kippur. The atmosphere in the final prayers of Yom Kippur can be quite desperate and earnest, a final rush for a blessing and a chance. However, it was only a … Continue reading →

How to Survive the Yom Kippur Fast Yom Kippur is the second longest fast in the Jewish calendar (Tisha B’Av is longer, since it takes place in the summer months.) The fast is from sundown (this year on Friday night) until nightfall (this year on Saturday night)—a total of 25 hours of fasting. The entire day is filled with prayers at the synagogue. Many people find the constant prayer makes the fast go easier, and some find it challenging. Just like an athletic event, it is essential to approach the Yom Kippur fast prepared. Here are some ideas: 1. Eat … Continue reading →

It is no coincidence that the usual English translation for Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement, contains the words “at-one” ment. When we atone or ask forgiveness, we are re-establishing a relationship or revitalizing a unity with someone else. This is just as true concerning G-d’s forgiveness and that of our friends and neighbors. This is the time of year to make an accounting of all of our deeds in the past year and to decide where we owe and what our assets are. Spiritual debts need to be repaid and transgressions need to be forgiven. If we have made … Continue reading →

Shana Tova: A Good and Sweet New Year You all haven’t heard from me in a while. I regret that. Since this is the season for asking for forgiveness, I want to ask forgiveness for my neglect in posting. Gd willing, with a new year, new priorities and a new schedule, we can explore the Jewish year together through this blog at Families.com. You may have heard of the traditions of Rosh Hashana. We hear the shofar in the synagogue. The shofar is meant to rouse our hearts to repentance. We prepare to meet and crown the King who is … Continue reading →

The fast and mourning of Tisha B’Av has ended, and now I am awaiting “Elul air,” or those first breezes here in Israel that give a hint of autumn, which here is really more like a kinder, gentler summer. Soon the hard, green pomegranates will start to blush on the trees and I’ll be able to walk at mid-day. The change in the weather is reflected by the spiritual climate of this time, as we turn away from tears over the destruction of the Temple, the fires that consumed the Beis Hamikdash which we sense through the intense heat, and … Continue reading →

When I think of the customs associated with Shavuot, the expression “land of milk and honey” really comes alive! Shavuot occurs in the summer months when bees (like them or loathe them, but they make honey) are buzzing away, and a favorite custom of the holiday is to consume dairy products. Here is a list of customs associated with Shavuot, the holiday that commemorates the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. 1. A Dairy Meal While most Jewish holidays enjoin us to eat meat and drink wine at a special meal, on Shavuos, we eat a dairy meal after … Continue reading →

Shavuot is translated as “weeks” in English, and it refers to the holiday Jews celebrate to commemorate the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. It can be regarded as a continuation of the holiday of Pesach, or Passover, which celebrates G-d’s deliverance of the Jews from slavery in Egypt. Seven weeks later, after a long journey through the desert, the Jews arrived at Mount Sinai where the Ten Commandments and the rest of the laws were given to the Jewish People. Most people are familiar of the image of Moses descending from the mountain with two tablets (contrary to … Continue reading →

Sunday is Lag B’Omer, a special holiday which is usually celebrated by building bonfires, having parades and singing songs. Lag B’Omer is the 33rd day in the Omer period, the days in the Jewish calendar which fall between the second day of Passover and the holiday of Shavuot, and which commemorate the daily grain offerings in the Holy Temple. It is customary to count every night from Pesach until Shavuos. What makes Lag B’Omer unique is that it is celebrated in honor of two great Torah scholars: Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. Rabbi Akiva was a simple, uneducated … Continue reading →