Galilee Diary: New Grain
Driving across the Jezreel Valley these days, you can't miss the biblical echoes of the landscape. On Pesach we are to eat only cereal products made from the last year's harvest, baked with no leavening – and at the same time we are to clean out completely any remnants of any grain products from the old supply.
Lag BaOmer: Little Sleep, Lots of Smoke
Lag BaOmer was completely off our radar when we lived in the United States. We never had any real exposure to it until we made Aliyah, and now its approach is easily recognizable by kids walking down the street, schlepping huge pieces of wood, old furniture, sticks, and anything else that burns.
Lag BaOmer
Lag BaOmer is a break, a time out, a moment to recall an ancient plague that may or may not have occurred, and perhaps a moment for reflection.
Living Lag BaOmer
The Hebrew letter equivalent of 33 is pronounced Lag (lamed gimel), giving rise to the name Lag BaOmer for this particular day. There is no one particular reason that this day stands out from the other 48 days counted between Pesach and Shavuot, yet many fascinating traditions surround the special nature of this day.
14 Recipes for a Festive Sukkot
ReformJudaism.org has the perfect recipes to help you give thanks for the fall harvest. Find your nearest sukkah and start noshing!
Rosh Hashanah: A Time to Reflect on Climate Justice
Climate change is more just an issue of the trees and oceans around us. There is a real human cost associated with the warming of our planet.
5777 Rosh HaShanah Sermon Roundup
It is hardly surprising that 2016/5777 was an interesting Rosh HaShanah for rabbis and sermons. I hope you will enjoy all these sermons and find them as meaningful as I did.
Sukkot and Food Day: A Time for Earthly Intentions
The Jewish Holiday season is in full swing. We have celebrated Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year and Yom Kippur, the day of repentence, and now we are rounding the corner to Sukkot and Simchat Torah. Jewish tradition asks us for introspection and reflection during this season.
My Dream Ushpizin (Guests of Honor) This Sukkot
It’s been a particularly great year for Jews in pop culture, and I’d be honored to celebrate the fall harvest with some of them.
Remembering our Impermanence: Sukkot and Congress' Continuing Resolution
“All citizens of Israel shall live in booths, in order that future generations may know that I made the Israelite people live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt” (Leviticus 23:42).