As I suggested in my last entry, in thinking about what it will take for Jews and Arabs to live together in peace in Israel, there are (at least) four different dimensions to consider: the political, the historical, the cultural, and the personal.

by Marc Rosenstein
(Originally published in Galilee Diary and Ten Minutes of Torah)

...Priest and prophet alike, they all act falsely, They offer healing offhand for the wounds of My people, Saying "Peace, peace," when there is no peace.-Jeremiah 6:13-14 (and 8

(Originally published in Galilee Diary and Ten Minutes of Torah)

For now the winter is past, the rains are over and gone. The blossoms have appeared in the land, the time of pruning has come; The song of the turtledove is heard in our land.

by Marc Rosenstein
(Originally published in Galilee Diary and Ten Minutes of Torah)

Our hope is not lost, the hope of two thousand yearsTo be a free people in our land, the land of Zion and Jerusalem.-Hatikvah, Israeli national anthem

This year's observance of

As principal of a Jewish school in the US, I always felt that once we hit Tu Beshvat, the year is over - there is no time or energy left to do anything except cope with the succession of holidays, get ready for the end of the year, and work on the plans, hiring, etc. for next year. 

by Marc Rosenstein
(Originally published in Galilee Diary and Ten Minutes of Torah)

The ocean sounds, O Lord, the ocean sounds its thunder, the ocean sounds its pounding.

We learn in chapter 5 of Joshua that while the generation of the Exodus had been circumcised in Egypt, their children and grandchildren born in the desert had not been. And since only the circumcised may eat of the Passover sacrifice, it seems that this ritual too was not maintained during the forty years in the desert. Anyway, we couldn't have eaten matzah in the desert as we had no grain - only manna.

Haman, according to the Scroll of Esther, was a member of the tribe of Amalek. Thus, we learn the consequences of disregarding the Torah commandment to wipe out the memory of Amalek - as long as they are allowed to continue to exist, they remain a threat, the enemy who for no rational reason constantly plots our destruction. And we read the above passage on the Shabbat before Purim every year,

by Marc Rosenstein
(Originally published in Galilee Diary and Ten Minutes of Torah)

Happy is the man who has not followed the counsel of the wicked, or taken the path ofsinners, or joined the company of the inane. -Psalm 1:1

We do not go to the stadium because