Galilee Diary: Why is This Night Different?
"Tu" (the Hebrew abbreviation of 15th) in the month of Shvat was set (Hillel's opinion generally overrules Shammai's) as the beginning of the tithable year for tree fruit: Calculating the tithe on fruit starts again for fruit that sets after that date.
Happy Tu BiShvat: Environmental Responsibility in the Berkshires
Planting and Parenting: The Lessons of Tu BiShvat
Here is the quintessential Jewish question: How do we emulate God? We are told that we were created by God. We are told that we have a divine spark within us.
True Leadership Knows No Limits: People with Disabilities and Parashat B'shalach, Shabbat Shira
Did the Plagues and Other Passover Miracles Really Happen?
Here is what I consider as the Passover seder unfolds every year.
Why is This Night Different? Ending Slavery in Our Time
The Jewish people have a special connection to the curse of slavery and to its eradication. At the heart of our history is the Exodus.
“Avadim hayinu – We were slaves,” the Torah teaches.
Next Year, May We All Be Free
This year we are slaves. Next year, may we all be free.” (Haggadah, “Ha Lachma Anya”)
Making Everyone Feel Comfortable at Your Holiday Dinner
Let it Go: A Pesach Reflection
I choose to believe that we all have been enslaved at some point in our lives. Perhaps we have been chained to our fears, worries, and doubts. We may have faced addictions, coped with hardship, and sunk to the lowest depths of all that keeps us down.
Five Fun Facts About Passover
We all know about Passover, that holiday when we Jews whip out our flat, cracker-like matzah, talk about the massive exodus from Egypt, and drink a whole lot of Manischewitz wine.