Weiwen's religion blog (Free subscription) | 25/11/2009
As Americans go to share Thanksgiving meals with family, Rev. Giles Fraser writes for Ekklesia about the liberation meal that Christians share over Eucharist : “I promise you that many will come from the East and from the West to take their place at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in heaven’s reign.” So it says in Matthew's Gospel (8.11). Well, we as a family drove up from south...
Ethiopian Review (Free subscription) | 19/11/2009
The Beta Israeli Sigd festival falls on the 29th of the Hebrew month of Cheshvan. It is the 50th day, starting with Yom Kippur (analogous to counting 50 days from Pesach to Shavuos), and is a festival unique to the Beta Israel community. For their forebears in Ethiopia, the Sigd was a religious holiday renewing their [...]
Hirhurim - Musings (Free subscription) | 19/11/2009
R. Yosef Tzvi Rimon writes about the Ashkenazic custom to refrain from eating kitniyos on Pesach ( link ): Do The Various Rationales Apply Today? At first glance, one might have thought that all of the reasons mentioned above for forbidding kitniyot on Pesach are no longer relevant today. The truth, however, is that even today these reasons are pertinent. Even today, all types of kitniyot and grains...
The Kentucky Democrat (Free subscription) | 08/11/2009
CAUSE I'M A JEW... Lyrics by Country Yossi I wear a kippah on this head of mine. I daven mincha in the proper time. and by havdalah in my pockets I put wine cause I'm a Jew, I do that too. I put my sh'lok down when it starts to rain. I shake a lulav, which my neighbors think insane I like to bury my gefilte fish in chrein Cause I'm a Jew, I do that too. Chorus: Cause I'm a Jew, cause I'm a Jew, because...
Gila's Big Adventure (Free subscription) | 04/11/2009
One of my reasons for making Aliyah was the seasons. I could never reconcile myself with the fact than in Australia, when we went to synagogue and recited prayers for the beginning of a rainy season, it was the beginning of summer. At Pesach, we learned songs about spring time, just as autumn was beginning. It never made sense. I guess it must be something similar to the experience of being taught...
NY's Funniest Rabbi (Free subscription) | 01/11/2009
They just announced the NYC Marathon winners. A woman from Ethiopia won by eight seconds, a man from the US won (for the first time since '82) by a wide margin. A twenty seven year old American came in fourth. My friend Pesach ran. I hope it is/was a good experience for him. Yesterday at lunch there was a middle aged couple who are both running today. I am grateful to Mrs. Blachor for assigning The...
Jewish Internet Defense Force (Free subscription) | 26/10/2009
(Vos Iz Neias)A Text book, already being used in NSW schools, claims Jewish people spread the blood of lambs on doorposts on Pesach, blames modern conflicts on “reactions of other groups to the Jewish people”, and says polygamy is “commonly practiced” in Israel. The text book Cambrige Studies of Religion : Stage 6 has been distributed to HSC... [Read more....]
Vos Iz Neais (Free subscription) | 26/10/2009
Sydney, Australia – A Text book, already being used in NSW schools, claims Jewish people spread the blood of lambs on doorposts on Pesach, blames modern conflicts on “reactions of other groups to the Jewish people”, and says polygamy is “commonly practiced” in Israel. The text book Cambrige Studies of Religion: Stage 6 has been distributed [...]
SMITH Magazine (Free subscription) | 23/10/2009
The meanest thing I ever did was send someone flowers. Everything I couldn't abide in another human being was wrapped up into a tiny five feet tall package named Mindy. She was my co-worker at the Jewish non-profit where I’d been employed for seven years. Mindy was the apocryphal Upper West Side girl; Orthodox, Jewish, fresh out of college, and in New York to (chastely) find a mate. Mindy was...
Left Brain/Right Brain (Free subscription) | 19/10/2009
New paper, just out from the U.C. Davis MIND Institute: Blood Mercury Concentrations in CHARGE Study Children with and without Autism. The Authors are Irva Hertz-Picciotto, Peter G. Green, Lora Delwiche, Robin Hansen, Cheryl Walker, and Isaac N. Pessah. Abstract: Background: Some studies have reported higher blood Hg levels in persons with autism, relative to unaffected controls. Objectives: [...]
EU-Med Relations (Free subscription) | 16/10/2009
An open dialogue, cultural initiatives and exchanges between Palestinians and Israelis are rare and difficult to obtain. The ongoing military conflict, fixed prejudices and imaginaries, and a lack of openness in the region are hindering are joint dialogue for mutual understanding. However, there are a few civil movements who try to break down these collective barriers and raise the consciousness in...
Jewlicious (Free subscription) | 13/10/2009
Now the year gets serious. And stays that way for about 5 months. In Israel, The Day After Sukkot, until about Purim, is the window during which things – if they are going to get done at all – get done. (Of course, with a weeklong break for Hanukah about midway.) After Purim, it’s almost Pesach [...]
NY's Funniest Rabbi (Free subscription) | 13/10/2009
I did some research over the holiday on the meaning of the word atzeret , as it appears in Vayikrah 23:36: i 2 Rashi - cites a medrash and uses a phrase that is his own wording and has caught on. He tells a story of a host that has many people over and then asks his dearest friends to stay a little bit longer, saying, " Kashah alai preidatchem ," - "Your separation is difficult for me."...
Hirhurim - Musings (Free subscription) | 12/10/2009
Can you fulfill the obligation of kiddush by saying it over a shot glass of liquor? Ideally, it should be said over a glass of wine that is the size of a revi'is (at the very least 3.3 fl. oz.). A shot glass is less than half a revi'is (1.5 fl. oz.). The Maharsham (Responsa 1:175) permits using a smaller amount because liquor is normally drunk in that way. R. Tzvi Pesach Frank ( Har Tzvi 1:159) says...
My Right Word (Free subscription) | 11/10/2009
This is excerpted from Daniel Gordis' lastest blog post- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ No Right to Exhaustion ...But you know what I love about this place, Jay? I love that all the political baggage is mine. The Palestinians. The Israeli Arabs. (Some of) the Haredim. A collapsing educational system. Murders on the streets with a constancy we never used to have. A nation of roads and drivers...
Videos