Shabbat (Seventh-Day Sabbath): Messiah And The Feasts (Moedim) Of Israel- Shabbat (Sabbath)
Shiloh Musings (Free subscription) | 11/01/2009
Posted by Jewish Israel In its annual International Religious Freedoms Report on Israel and the “Occupied Territories” , The U.S. State Department accused Israel of “governmental and legal discrimination against non-Jews and non-Orthodox streams of Judaism”. A disproportionate amount of the report is dedicated to depicting Torah traditions and Orthodox Judaism as oppressive,...
ON THE FRINGE—AL TZITZIT (Free subscription) | 10/27/2009
For me and my husband, becoming Orthodox Jews would certainly pose some challenges, but not all the challenges are obvious. "Shver tzu zein a Yid, It's hard to be a Jew" (not sure about my Yiddish transliteration) is certainly an obvious challenge. Giving up eating in non-kosher restaurants and becoming much stricter about kashrut in general, and giving up taking motorized transportation...
Life In The One Percent (Free subscription) | 10/11/2009
I'm trying to decide whether my participation in the High Holidays has made a difference to Me. And I think that it has, because I feel different. This weekend was the shabbat of Simchat Torah - the day to download our Surrounding Light for the whole year. The wisdom of Kabbalah is based on the principle of sharing which is promoted through many religions - Christianity promotes this as Do Unto Others...
ON THE FRINGE—AL TZITZIT (Free subscription) | 07/28/2009
Here's my own response to JDub's comment to this recent post of mine : "You have to acknowledge that you are a rarity -- an observant Conservo jew." I'm not sure I fit that description, since I still travel (by means other than my feet) on Shabbat/Sabbath, but I'm probably more observant than most of my friends and family. Recently, I mentioned to some of my oldest buddies that I'd decided,...
me-ander (Free subscription) | 06/21/2009
Turning 60 is a life-changing event. It has special significance in Judaism. Most important, after the age of sixty, one is no longer eligible for the serious Halachik , Jewish Law, punishment of Karet , being banished from the Jewish People. The age of 60 is half the number in the blessing, עד מאה ועשריםת ad me'ah v'esrim , until...
Shanghaiist (Free subscription) | 06/12/2009
We all know that moving to a brand new city without family or friends can be quite intimidating. For those of you that have come to Shanghai but left behind your much beloved bubbies (grandmas) at home with noodle koogle, white fish salad, lox and bagels, don't fret: We've found a community that will make you feel as if you never left home. Shabbat at Beit Menachem Synagogue , a Chabad in Shanghai,...
DCist (Free subscription) | 05/28/2009
Celebrating the Jewish holiday of Shavuot is pretty much the equivalent of a collegiate all-nighter. The religious festival commemorates the delivery of the Torah to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai. One associated tradition includes eating dairy foods—the Jews were just sorting out the complicated kosher meat laws—so bring on the cheesecake! A second tradition is also, naturally, food...
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