My Passover seder this year was spent in the company of the small Reform Jewish community in Lisbon, Portugal.
Four More Passover Questions for the Whole Family
Emor: Words for the Next Generation
When the Rabbis divided the Torah into its 54 parashiyot (portions), they generally arranged for each portion to begin with a unique or otherwise significant word that would in some way summarize major themes of the entire section.
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 Congregation Offers a Safe Space To Celebrate Passover
For individuals handling addiction and in recovery, the act of engaging with others as part of Jewish holidays and celebrations can be difficult.
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.
The Rose Haggadah - Ancient Technique, Modern Sensibility
Each year the ancient story of Passover is told through the Haggadah, "the telling" of the story.
10 Coconut Recipes with a Jewish Twist
What It Means To Be Prepared
In this week’s Torah portion, Parashat Bo, the Israelites are given precise directions for how to prepare and eat the Passover sacrifice. The text describes what kind of animal to bring (a yearling lamb or baby goat without blemish) and who should eat it (each family, gathered together as a household). The Torah explains how the sacrifice should be prepared (roasted over an open fire, cooked or served with unleavened bread and bitter herbs). And it gives instructions for when the Israelites should eat the sacrifice (at night, leaving nothing behind until morning). The text not only describes how the Israelites should prepare the meat of the sacrifice, but also how they were to prepare themselves: