This is the season of long nights, so it is fitting that we are reading the story of our ancestor, Jacob, the patriarch most closely connected with the night. When Jacob first leaves home, he is running from the rage of his brother, Esau, and stops to...

I’m always surprised when friends say they can’t be bothered to make homemade latkes for Hanukkah. Takeout latkes or latkes from the frozen foods section or a mix never taste as good as latkes made from scratch. There’s nothing like a golden...

A thorough Google search of the phrase “Hanukkah traditions” results in a laundry list of familiar activities, but you won’t find the Dreidel Magic game or a reference to the Hanukkah Fairy. These offbeat traditions are annual favorites among two...

There’s no shortage of in-person, free, family-friendly events this Hanukkah season to commemorate the Festival of Lights, which begins on the evening of Sunday, Dec. 18 and concludes the evening of Monday, Dec. 26. Here is a roundup of the communitywide...

Did you know that a great deal of Christmas songs were actually written by Jews? That’s right, the songs that keep playing in stores and doctor’s offices for months leading on to Christmas were written by Jews — from “Santa Baby” to “Rudolph...

“Alexander the Great had a soldier in his army who bore his own name but was a great coward. The emperor, enraged at the soldier’s conduct, justly said to him, ‘Either change your name, or learn to live up to it.’ ” (From “A Complete Treasury...

The countdown is on. Time is running out. The clock is ticking. (Insert your own cliche here), but basically you still have time to donate new toys, books, gift cards and other fun items for this year's Hanukkah Hugs” program. Every year, more than...

“Sticks and stones may break your bones, but names will never harm you.” How many of us have heard this adage during our formative years? Usually it was the response to a complaint that so-and-so called us a (pejorative) name. It meant that as long...

This week’s Torah Portion, Chayei Sarah, introduces us to Isaac and Rebecca’s love story. I have always been interested in Isaac and Rebecca’s relationship, and a few years ago, I used the medium of midrash to dive more deeply into their story....

I offer a teaching by Rabbi and scholar Arthur Green about the Jewish artistry for words in his introduction to the Zohar. Based on an understanding of the Second Commandment (no graven images), Jewish creativity was channeled into words.  While others...

When we look back at our lives, we can probably count on both hands and feet the number of times we did something that we wish you could take back. Hopefully, most are minor, but still, crawl under your skin. Like the time when I was 10ish, and...