My Passover seder this year was spent in the company of the small Reform Jewish community in Lisbon, Portugal.
Galilee Diary: Fade to Black
The Lord, the Lord is gracious and compassionate, patient, and abounding in kindness and faithfulness, assuring love for a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin, and granting pardon. -Exodus 34:6-7
Not the Usual Barnes and Noble Minhag
Like so many of the things we've done in the last few months, the annual Yom Kippur afternoon jaunt of my father and me to Barnes and Noble following the morning service at temple was
The Rose Haggadah - Ancient Technique, Modern Sensibility
Each year the ancient story of Passover is told through the Haggadah, "the telling" of the story.
How Social Media Helps Me Keep Track of Jewish Time
When someone asked a friend of mine what his daughter enjoys most about living in Israel, he explained that she loves the way the country’s secular rhythms synch seamlessly with religious time in a way that doesn’t happen in North America. By way of example, he described Shabbat and holidays as characterized by closed shops, quiet streets, and low-key television programming.
This Year's Best Passover Parody Videos
Last year's Passover parody videos were almost universally set to the tune of Frozen's "Let It Go." It doesn't get more Passo
The Passover Seder: A Night for Love
If I invited you to do a Jewish program for Passover and asked you to please bring a mattress, a bottle of wine, and some kind of aphrodisiac, you would probably look at me askance – maybe even consider having me investiga
The Meaning of Passover: A Boxing Match Between Gods
To understand the Exodus narrative, we must view it as a war – a boxing match, if you will – between gods.
Passing Down the Dishes for Passover
A dim light appeared from above and only my dad’s face was visible, peering down reassuringly at us. Then one arm appeared, and with great care, one by one, each of our Passover dishes was handed down, passed from one girl to the next in a sort of human Passover chain that started our family’s preparations for changing our dishes and cleaning out the chametz for this fun holiday.
Freedom and Responsibility
…I will free you from the labors of the Egyptians and deliver you from their bondage. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and through extraordinary chastisements.