Each morning, prior to beginning the formal prayer service, traditional Jews recite a series of blessings that prepare themselves for the day. One of these blessings involves thanking God for the opportunity to study Torah; it reads something like this: “Blessed are You, Lord of the Universe, Who has … commanded us to engross ourselves in the [...]
Archive for January, 2008
Remembering Daily the Purpose of Torah
Posted in Ideas, tagged blessings, commandments, interpersonal relationships, tipheret shlomo, Torah Study on Tuesday, January 22, 2008 | 3 Comments »
Miracle Girl
Posted in People, tagged Jerusalem, Sharansky, weddings on Monday, January 21, 2008 | 2 Comments »
The following are observations about the recent wedding of Rachel Sharansky by Katie Green, an independent film director and producer, and PR head for Ma’aleh Film School in Jerusalem: The wedding of Rachel Sharansky, the eldest of Natan and Avital Sharansky’s two daughters, and Micha Danziger, a new immigrant from the United States, was one of those [...]
The True Worth of a Shekel
Posted in halacha, Practices, tagged Charity, kavana, prayer, Tzedaka on Friday, January 11, 2008 | 1 Comment »
If you’re looking for a description of the human chain formed around Jerusalem’s old city walls, go here. *** Tzedaka — the giving of charity — is a Jewish custom we are all familiar with. Slightly less known, though, is the custom of a person giving tzedaka — even if just a small amount, a shekel (or dollar) [...]
Ramat Gan and Selma, Alabama
Posted in Events, Ideas, Uncategorized, tagged Discrimination, Prayer in School, Ramat Gan, Selma on Thursday, January 10, 2008 | 1 Comment »
The below post was picked up by Israel National News and appears here as well. *** The other day I read a disturbing piece of news. Updates about the situation appear here. Apparently, a small of group of Israeli high school students had begun praying on a regular basis the afternoon prayer service (mincha) during [...]
A Giant Hug
Posted in Events, Ideas, tagged Human Chain, United Jerusalem on Tuesday, January 8, 2008 | 3 Comments »
I just returned from Jerusalem’s Old City after participating in a wonderfully heartening experience. As you may recall from yesterday’s post, a human chain was to be formed today around the Old City walls as a sign of the Jewish people’s commitment to keeping Jerusalem united. I rode my bike down to this event organized by One Jerusalem and [...]
A Positive Protest
Posted in Events, tagged hug, Jerusalem, protest on Monday, January 7, 2008 | 1 Comment »
I just received this announcement via e-mail: “Thousands will form a human chain around the Old City this Tuesday, January 8 to dramatically demonstrate our commitment to a united Jerusalem, on the eve of President Bush’s visit. Participants will be gathering at the Jaffa Gate beginning at 2:30 p.m. For more information, call One Jerusalem 1-800-20-20-91.” [...]
Michael Jackson, Gandhi and the Exodus from Egypt
Posted in Ideas, Torah Portions, tagged Change, Exodus, Gandhi, Va'era on Monday, January 7, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Mahatma Gandhi once said, “If you want there to be change, you must be the change.” What did he mean by this statement? (If you don’t have time for the full answer, go down to after the three asteriks below). I believe one way to answer this question is to look at an odd arrangement [...]
Surrounded by Geniuses
Posted in Ideas, tagged Genius, mitzvoth, Pick and Choose, Positive Judaism on Friday, January 4, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
One of the premises of this blog is that a focus on positive aspects of Judaism can inspire identity and increase commitment more so than the unfortunate all too often reliance on negative aspects — such as fear and guilt. Someone might honestly critique this position by suggesting that yes, a focus on the positive [...]
(Another Reason) Why a Prius is a Jewish Car
Posted in Ideas, Torah Portions, Uncategorized, tagged Aharon, Jewish Leadership, Moses, Peace, Truth on Friday, January 4, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
A friend of mine recently purchase a Toyata Prius, one of the more popular new hybrid cars. When I asked him how he liked it, he enthusiastically responded, noting of course that in addition to being a good car, it was a car that was also good for the world. And indeed, environmentalists the world over have highlighted the [...]
