Sunday, June 15, 2008
The Blessing Over my Bowel Movement
If we enjoy earthly pleasures, without reciting a blessing, the Talmud says that it is like stealing from G-d. And so there are blessings (short ones, thankfully) for virtually everything. Breaking bread - there's a blessing for that. Is it cake? Different blessing. You say a blessing after washing your hands before a meal, and right before taking off on a trip. There's a blessing for seeing a RAINBOW! And a blessing for the sunrise. There is even a blessing for going to the bathroom - which I'd...
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Friday, June 13, 2008
Shavuoth
A holiday that most non-Jews don’t know about came and went this week. Shavuoth, which was celebrated this past Sunday night until Tues. night – commemorates the receiving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai. Shavuoth began as one of three “festival holidays” when thousands of years ago Jews from Palestine and surrounding countries made pilgrimages to Jerusalem to offer first grown grains and fruits of the season. The Book of Ruth, the quintessential story about a non-Jewish wife taking on her dead...
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Saturday, June 7, 2008
Jesus Freak
I never gave much truck to fortunetellers, but this one’s message was vague enough to spark a niggling of worry; “Company’s coming. Could be trouble.” “Company’s coming,” I told Jeff, my new husband. “Oh yeah - I forgot to tell you,” he replied. “Ben’s coming for the weekend.” I remembered Ben vividly. Tall. Excellent bone structure. A hunk. Lived with his mother. Late 20's. One girlfriend after another. Drove a UPS truck. Anti- Semite. He and Jeff used to get in trouble in High School, like...
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Thursday, June 5, 2008
Importance of Learning Hebrew
When I was six years old, I’d come home from my Hebrew Day School bursting with the knowledge of a new language. Filled with enthusiasm, I’d grab my closest neighborhood friend, Carol, fresh from St. Roch’s Catholic, and, sitting on my front porch we’d engage in a grassroots religious exchange. I taught her Hebrew. She taught me Catechisms. My instructional technique consisted of writing each Hebrew letter on an index card and repeating its name and sound until Carol either got it or went home...
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Monday, June 2, 2008
From a London Journalist Re: Israel
Happy birthday, Israel and Shalom By Andrew Roberts, The Daily Express -- May 8, 2008 The State of Israel has packed more history into her sixty years on the planet – which she celebrates this week – than many other nations have in six hundred. There are many surprising things about this tiny, feisty, brave nation the size of Wales, but the most astonishing is that she has lived to see this birthday at all. The very day after the new state was established, she was invaded by the armies of no...
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