Three Steps Forward, Three Steps Back
While Jewish prayer has many aspects that are introspective, prayer is also designed to serve as a vehicle of communication with the Divine. The central focus of every prayer service is…
Hail the Holy Pomegranate
The pomegranate is a funny sort of fruit. Rather than eating the flesh and throwing away the seed, as one does when eating an apple or orange, pomegranate seeds are the parts that are…
Bostoner
Boston is a famous and historic American city, with a rich early American flavor. So, it might therefore be surprising to learn that Boston is the home of its own unique chassidic sect.…
The Thanksgiving Synagogue Service
While Thanksgiving is most certainly an American festival of gratitude, its founders prominently articulated its religious underpinnings, which ultimately traces to a source in Judaism.…
Request Wisdom and Guidance
The decision whether to use diplomacy, prayer or action or all three is not an easy one. Consider approaching a rabbi to seek wisdom and request guidance when faced with a particularly…
The Story of Chanukah
Around the year 167 B.C.E., the Syrian-Greek rulers of Judea tried to force the Jews to assimilate into Hellenic culture. They summoned the Jews to the town squares where they were forced…
These Lights We Kindle
While the mitzvah of lighting the menorah is an outward-focused mitzvah – the menorah is lit in a window or doorway – it is also an opportunity for personal reflection on the deeper…
The Chanukiyah
The term “menorah” is used for both the classic symbol of the holiday of Chanukah and the great seven-branched candelabra that was built in the wilderness following explicit Divine…
Chanukah Yum
While Jewish holidays are known for their food (except Yom Kippur, of course), most of them are not known for being particularly healthy. Chanukah is no exception. Forget matzah or…
The Final Analysis
After the soul departs, it journeys to the gates of heaven where it must present its case for entry. The Talmud (Shabbat 31a) states, “When an individual is brought before the Heavenly…