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by Michael Jaron
An amusing tale of the adventure of attempting to toivel
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utensils at the beach in the sea including instructions for care that are guaranteed to keep you smiling.
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by Lydia Aisenberg
Over one hundred Haggadot written and illustrated by
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Jewish soldiers and refugees in the 1940s make up the fascinating historical and illustrative content of The Exodus from Egypt – Then and Now compiled by Israeli Judaica collector, historian and sculptor Aviram Paz.
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by Aryeh A. Frimer
The two themes central to the festival are the military
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victory of the Jews over the Syrian-Greeks, and the miracle of the cruse oil. This symbolizes the victory of the eternal Jewish spirit. Rabbi Frimer refers to the two dreams of Joseph - the material and the spiritual, and compares them to the situation in Israel today.
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by Aryeh A. Frimer
What is the significance of the shofar blast and the
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"next year in Jerusalem" prayer at the end of Yom Kippur, when the Jew dedicates himself to spiritual renewal. Rabbi Reisman suggests the centrality of "ahdut" (Jewish unity), and gives the example of Moses' last blessing to Israel, who are about to enter the promised land without him. The shofar blast is our reliving of these great moments at Mount Sinai and a message of unity, focusing on what binds us.
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by Eli Libenson
Eli Libenson found a treasure trove of High Holiday
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sermons on YouTube some of which he recounts here. He also tells this true story about the late Rabbi Julius Goldberg who was hospitalized with severe back pains, and told he would have to miss Yom Kippur services. 'That is not going to happen,' he decided, and all drugged up he went to the synagogue and delivered the sermon. Afterwards congregants told him it was the greatest sermon they had ever heard. "And you know what", Rabbi Goldberg confesses, when telling the story, "I have no idea what I said".
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by Aryeh A. Frimer
Does suffering lead to spiritual growth? Why were
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the Jews sent down to Egypt?
People do not choose to suffer but many of life’s experiences do strengthen peoples' ability to cope with life. Rabbu Frimer discusses how the seder service each year enables values to be passed on to the next generation.
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by Richard Shavei Tzion
When he was thirteen Richard Shavei Tzion proudly used
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his brand new Rosh
Hashanah Machzor. He could not understand why the chazzan’s book was so old, why did he not buy a new one? Now thirty years later he understands.
Understanding music and leading services himself, his own Machzor is now full of
markings and notations - not only a useful book but one that holds many precious
memories for him
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by Deborah Fineblum
When asked, “Where does God exist?” the Kotzker
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Rebbe replied, “Wherever you let Him in.” Deborah described how she gradually began to let God into her life, and became one of the baalei teshuva - Jews who turn to embrace Orthodox Judaism. She describes the joy and satisfaction she derives from her religion as well as the struggles and effort she has to make to fill her knowledge gap.
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by Aryeh A. Frimer
Rabbi Frimer explains that the Greeks who ruled the
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land of Israel during the Maccabean revolution were not the followers of Socrates and Aristotle, but were Hellenists trying to force their culture onto the Jewish population. He discusses how we too have taken on much of the Western culture and queries whether we are becoming modern day Hellenists.
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by Marian Lebor
Marion explains the significance not only of round
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challah, apple and honey, and tzimmes, but also many other varieties of food that symbolize sweetness, goodness and abundance and are part of the Rosh Hashanah 'seder'. Judy Shapiro has also contributed 2 traditional and festive recipes for the holiday meals.
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by Aryeh A. Frimer
We’re now in the period between Pesach and Shavuot,
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when we mourn the thousands of Rabbi Akiva’s students killed by plague for disrespecting each other. But perhaps the real reason was discord and strife in his academy, writes Rabbi Aryeh Frimer.
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by Judy Shapiro
A redeemed Torah scroll is one which has been repaired,
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either after having been saved from one of the European communities decimated in the Holocaust, or given by a synagogue in which it is no longer used. Judy Shapiro describes how a redeemed Torah scroll found a home at an IDF base.
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