A “three-ply” cord is not easily broken. Historians have often asked, “Why are the Jews still here keeping Judaism? What makes them eternal?” Judaism has three traditions woven together that make for a fierce combination. This is one of the reasons...
It is said that more Jews celebrate the Passover seder than any other Jewish ritual. Unfortunately the seder is often misconstrued as a prayer service or recitation, a gauntlet that must be endured in order to reach...drum role...the meal. As the old...
Rabbi Josef A. Davidson
• Published April 21, 2011
It is not often that the festival of Pesach (Passover) coincides with the Torah portion, Aharei Mot (After the death [of two of the sons of Aaron]). It is interesting when they do as the first third of this week's Torah portion is also read on Yom Kippur...
By Gail Appleson, Special to the Light
• Published April 13, 2011
Can you remember exactly when you graduated from grape juice to super sweet Manischewitz or Mogen David Concord wine? I have to admit that I don't recall the precise holiday or Shabbat, but I do certainly remember a childhood Passover when my older brother...
By Dasee Berkowitz, JTA
• Published March 30, 2011
NEW YORK - What woman has changed your life? My toddler intuited his answer when he said to me, "Thank you ima for making me." That's right folks, mothers, hands down, have probably had the single biggest impact on our lives. Giving birth to children...
SCARSDALE, N.Y. - You can find the secret to creating lively Passover seders in a surprising place -- an 1,800-year-old law code called the Mishnah. For starters, the Mishnah did not envision reciting a Haggadah at the seder. Instead, it designed a careful...
By Arthur Waskow and Phyllis Berman, JTA
• Published March 30, 2011
If a pharaoh fell in the Red Sea but nobody told the story, did it actually happen? No. If no pharaoh fell in the Red Sea, but we told the story for 3,000 years, did it actually happen? Yes. Is it still happening? Yes. To people brought up in the modern...
BY RABBI STEPHANIE ALEXANDER
• Published April 1, 2010
A couple of years ago, I found a flyer hanging on our front door: "Shock your mama - go to church this Easter." On the back was all of the information I would need to take part in a variety of holiday offerings at a local church, just a couple of miles...
Passover is a great Jewish holiday. Think about it -- adults eat all night long if they want, and the kids are allowed to literally act like animals at the table. I'm referring to the 10 plagues, of course. In my family, the seder is simply not complete...
