In the Kabbalat Shabbat Siddur used by the Congregation I grew up in Rio de Janeiro there was a meditation after the Amidah that I used to love. It paraphrased a passage from Abraham Joshua Heschel’s “Man’s Quest for God”. The…
Today is Yom HaAtzma’ut, Israel’s independence day. This day comes during the Omer period. Sefirat HaOmer (the counting of the Omer) is the period of 7 weeks between the second night of Pessah and the eve of Shavuot. I have explained previously that the omer was a…
In 1981, I spent a year in Israel at Machon Greenberg, a school in Jerusalem that trained teachers of Hebrew as a second language. I had finished the course to be an elementary school teacher in conjunction with high…
Like everyone else, we needed to rethink our plans for Pesach this year. We originally planned to host a seder at my father’s house, but by mid-March it became clear that the lamb bone Dad had gamely…
Today’s Bissel Torah was written by Ellie Fried. Dr. Al Munzer’s story is a remarkable one. With the addition of excellent quality pictures, Dr. Munzer shared his family’s experience during the Holocaust. His parents, Simcha and Gisele,…
Like Nachshon wading into the Red Sea, Congregation Etz Hayim’s Religious School has entered a new world of online classes due to the coronavirus quarantine. Starting March 22, our students and teachers have met online Sundays and…
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Everywhere I go, I use a mask, and gloves. I disinfect things as they come into my house. I cringe as I hear the numbers, of people infected with COVID-19, the number of deaths. I am living…
Today, Holocaust Memorial Day, I am revisiting a reflection I wrote about a brilliant man I met. A few years ago I had the opportunity to meet a holocaust survivor, from Italy. I am always uncomfortable asking…
Today’s Bissel Torah was written by Laura Naide. In our CEH Religious School, students study a new Jewish value each month. We start each school year with Derekh Eretz which we translate as “the right path,” or…