By R Nico Soco I love you, I love you because you give me space. I love you because you have space not only for me but also for my siblings who came to you from the four corners of the earth. Because in your heart there is room not only for us but also for them and in that
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In every generation, one must see oneself as if one had personally experienced the Exodus from Egypt. As it is written: “You shall speak to your children on that day, saying, this is how the Holy Blessed One redeemed me from Egypt. Isn’t it puzzling that despite the horrors and hardship of slavery, the children of Israel weren’t eager to
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What could TikTok and Facebook users learn from a 600 year old man who built an ark? “These are the stories of Noah. Noah was a righteous and perfect man, for his generation” The Torah contextualizes a human being, who in the midst of a corruptive and chaotic reality is told by God to build an ark in order to
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Learn what Jewish tradtion says thing and being mass spreaders of healing.
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Jerusalem isn’t just the physical entity of a city. Jerusalem is a concept that evokes our spiritual aspiration for unity. In Tisha B’Av, as we commemorate the destruction of the Earthly Jerusalem, we also recognize the beginning of a spiritual exile. Through the text we connect with the tears of our ancestors, weeping by the waters of Babylon and yearning
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How many of you complain about forgetting things? We usually think about memory as a purely positive value and forgetfulness as a negative one. It turns out that in Jewish tradition these two values are a bit more nuanced. In this week’s Torah portion, Parashat “Ki Tisa”, we learn about Moses descending from Mt Sinai with the tablets of the
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“I see why you wear that shirt, you’re trying to hide your belly, but you can’t do that, it’s right there so you better do some diet”. I remember that I felt beyond embarrassed, totally naked. “It’s late in the evening; she’s wondering what clothes to wear She puts on her make-up and brushes her long blonde hair And
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Taking the Time: Parashat Yitro 5779/2019 This week while trying to get an idea for a Tu’bshvat inspired Shabbat dinner I bumped into an article that compared between the traditional Jewish dish Cholent made over 16 hours and Cholent made in the instant pot. The conclusion was clear, the instant one doesn’t work. http://foodaism.com/instant-pot-cholent-v-le-creuset-cholent/ Once we used to think about
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Parashat V’zot Habracha 5779-2018 V’zot Habracha…FOOTNOTE: Footnote This is the blessing that Moses the man of God pronounced for the Israelites before his death.3 Surely it is you who love the people; all the holy ones are in your hand. At your feet they all bow down,and from you they receive your instruction,4 the Torah Moshe commanded us as an
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I once heard the following story… It was one of those years when baseball’s World Series coincided with Yom Kippur. A man, a good Jew was having a serious spiritual crisis about the issue. So he went to his rabbi and said, “I know that Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year and that the Kol Nidrei prayer
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Po Ve Sham 