Since reciting Selihot is done before Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and is a significant, often repeated part of the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services, and these holidays teach essential lessons, Jews should read this book to become knowledgeable about what tradition understands Selihot is designed to accomplish. (Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin)
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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion
Mindfulness and teshuvah. What else need be the focus at this time of the year, with the beginning of Elul and only several weeks away from Rosh Hashana? This is the “Shabbat of Judges,” in which we learn about the ultimate Judge, before whom we all stand, particularly on the day when the book of our lives opens and our thoughts, our feelings, and our behaviors stand bare. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]
Parashat Shoftim: Mindfulness and Teshuvah Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
While most of the book is a hoot – imagine creative adults on the floor happily expressing their inner children as they experimented with toy prototypes – there are some very serious, reflective chapters as well. In 1976, a mentally unbalanced employee killed two executives at MGA and wounded three other workers before killing himself. The man had a “hit list” and on it was Breslow, who, to take a phone call, had just stepped out of the meeting room where his two colleagues were slain. Breslow discusses the impact of that horrific event on his life. [Donald H. Harrison]
How Those Children’s Toys and Games Come Into Being Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA
The Wine Company Alessandro Lunardelli was founded in the Pasian di Prato region of Italy (the northeast corner) in 1968, with an annual production of around 100,000 bottles. Why is the Lunardelli Wine vineyards controversial within the Jewish community [Mark D. Zimmerman]
Jewish Trivia Quiz: Italian Wine Read More »
International, Jewish Religion, Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire
For the first time that I can recall, former President Trump managed to imperil, almost directly, a large bloc of American Jews in far northern Palm Beach County. The synagogue was readying to host a “beach Shabbat” when Donald Trump’s henchmen lashed out at U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce E. Reinhart for signing the Department of Justice’s search warrant of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, 16 miles south of the judge’s synagogue. [Bruce S. Ticker]
Mar-a-Lago Raid Backlash Imperils Jewish Congregation Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Jewish History, Opinion, USA
The Jewish calendar is a lunisolar calendar because the Torah requires Passover to fall in “Hodesh Ha-Aviv,” the month of spring. If the Jewish calendar were not linked to the seasons, ruled by the Sun, the Jewish calendar would retrogress about 11 days a year, or one season every eight years. The calendar achieves this balance by adding thirty-day month 7 times every 19 years, a scheme learned during the Babylonian captivity and taught by the Greeks. Rosh Hashanah falls early or late every year compared to the secular calendar because these “make-up days” are sometimes added two years and sometimes three years apart, rather than annually. [Fred Reiss, Ed.D]
Some Little-Known Jewish Calendar Facts Read More »
Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish History, Jewish ReligionThe Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BCE) wrote that humans are better than plants and animals because humans can think. He stressed that a person who does not think is no better than a plant or animal. The Jewish philosopher Maimonides (1138-1204) agreed but took one step further. He added that when the Bible states that God placed the image of God in humans, this image is the ability to think. The main benefit of reading is acquiring information about the world, how it functions, how humans behave, and how we can use this information to improve ourselves and society. [Rabbi Israel Drazin]
What Should We Read and Why? Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, USABy Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. Look for the “I” in the words happy, joy, glad, cheerful, and pleased and you obviously won’t find it. In this week’s Torah reading, we learn an important insight into this simple observation. There is a recurring theme in Re’eh regarding simcha, meaning happy or joyful. The Hebrew root of
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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
Project RUTH – “Remember Us: The Holocaust” – which was on exhibit for two years at the Chula Vista Public Library is in the process of closing, but even though it soon will be gone, creator and curator Sandy Scheller vowed Sunday, August 21, that its content won’t be forgotten. [Donald H. Harrison]
Curator Vows Holocaust Exhibit Will Find a Permanent Home Read More »
California, Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, Jewish History, San Diego County
By Rabbi Israel Drazin BOCA RATON, Florida — Although virtually all readers of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer did not live or think as Tom, they enjoyed and still enjoy his adventures, Mark Twain’s sterling writing, his humor, and insights. The same applies to Levi Welton’s magnificent memoir, Be Like the Moon. Welton’s book does this
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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, USA
(Press Release) OneTable, a national non-profit that empowers people (21-39ish) to find, share, and enjoy Shabbat dinners, today announced two new exciting features for Guests and Hosts to elevate hospitality at Shabbat dinner tables. The “guests +1” feature and “open your dinner, unlock $300 nourishment” options are immediately available through OneTable [onetable.org]. “We are excited
By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. With half of the month of Av behind us, many of us are focused on the benefits the month of Elul and the High Holy Days present to us. How will we change for the better? How we improve ourselves and become better than we’ve been? Surely, we know that
Parashat Eikev: Self-Improvement Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
By Jerry Klinger Passing through Indianapolis in early August, I had to stop at the Greatest Car Racing Track in the World, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I wanted to see “it.” The “it” was more than the dedicatory paver/brick I had placed for the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation outside the Museum. The big
Jews, the Indianapolis 500, and the Story of a Brick Read More »
Jerry Klinger, Jewish History, Opinion, USA
By JD Krebs As Rosh Hashanah comes around the corner, Jews across the country are looking for ways to enhance the High Holiday experience. Fortunately, Jewish National Fund-USA’s Online Mitzvah Marketplace has a wide variety of Holiday gifts designed to make everyone’s Rosh Hashanah one to remember. Originally established by Jewish National Fund-USA during the
Jewish National Fund-USA’s Top Rosh Hashanah Gifts to Enhance the High Holidays Read More »
Israel, Jewish Religion, Middle East