Shavuot is a mysterious holiday. This commemoration of receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai isn’t given a specific date for its celebration; instead we are told in Sefer Sh’mot (the Book of Exodus) to schedule it seven weeks from the second night of Passover. This year Shavuot will arrive the evening of Thursday, May 28. [Sam Glaser]
A Shavuot revelation Read More »
Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Sam Glaser
In the video above, Carla Sitton Berg and her daughter Liora Sitton Berg of San Diego perform a mother-daughter duet urging us “Don’t Dream It’s Over.” Carla, wife of Geoffrey Berg, a board officer of Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School, will be among artists presenting a free online concert Sunday at 3 p.m for which you can register via this website. The concert is co-sponsored by Music on the Inside (MOTI) and Balanced Guitar (BG) “through their shared belief in community and the powerful role of music, especially now.” [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]
San Diegan Carla Berg performs in concert Sunday Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA
StandWithUs celebrated the 19th anniversary of its founding on Thursday with an international webcast that showcased its growth and successes helping students on college campuses, high schools and middle schools learn about Israel and defend against anti-Semitic attacks. The program was emceed by comedian Elon Gold and also featured the singing of “Hatikvah,” Israel’s National Anthem, by Rabbi/ Cantor Alison Wissot of Temple Judea of Tarzana, California, and a popular, optimistic Hebrew song by Israeli singer David Broza on the theme of “things will get better.” [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]
StandWithUs celebrates 19th anniversary of its founding Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA
A desert is also known as a wilderness. A wild place. A place where the rules of polite society are not followed. The desert is an extraordinarily harsh environment where it gets extremely cold and extremely hot. The sand of the desert is not conducive to agriculture, in fact, there are next to no nutrients in the sand, as opposed to the soil in other areas. Wild animals run amok and endanger the lives of human beings, who are not suited for desert life. Yet it was precisely to the desert that G-d lead His people and had them dwell for 40 years. Why? [Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort]
A Word of Torah: How Jewish experience progressed Read More »
Jewish Religion, Yeruchem Eilfort-Rabbi
“Iftar” is the break-the-fast meal at sunset each night during the Muslim month of Ramadan. Ordinarily, participants–often including welcomed non-Muslims–will eat a prodigious meal together and share family stories and high points. On Thursday, two organizations teamed up to host a different kind of Iftar that brought together celebrants from around the world and from several different religions. [Donald H. Harrison]
30 leaders gather for an interfaith Iftar Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, The World We Share, USA
The administrations [of Hebrew day schools] wanted the students to understand what it was to be an American, what the sacrifice of our Soldiers was all about and how Jewish Soldiers honorably served their Nation. They took great pride in knowing that we as Jewish-Americans served and continuing to serve, bleed, and die for our Nation. To this day, an Orthodox Hebrew day school in Rockland County displays at their entrance a six feet by five feet Iraq battle flag from the 101st Airborne Division that I sent them in 2003. They display it so that all their students, staff and faculty will not forget the sacrifice of our Jewish Soldiers to their Nation. {Rabbi Carlos Huerta]
If you cut me, I bleed American Read More »
Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, USA
A roundup of Jewish content available on the web and via the Public Broadcasting System, Sunday May 24-Thursday, May 28 by Laurie Baron, Ph.D
Streaming Jewish content for Week of May 24 Read More »
Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lawrence Baron, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
I was asked to explain the verse in Malachi 1:3, “Esau I hated.” He wrote: “This is one of the few verses in the Bible that truly disturbs me…. I believe everyone who has ever lived … will attain supreme, lasting happiness…. What exactly does it mean that God hated him, I don’t know?” A similar question can be asked about Malachi 1:2 where the prophet chastises the Judeans for not loving God despite God loving them. Does God feel hatred and love? [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]
Does God have emotions: anger, hate, and love? Read More »
Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion
I have chosen three passages from this parasha (Bamidbar) for comparison with ancient pagan practices, from internet sources. [Irv Jacobs, M.D.]
Censuses, war camps and first-born redemptions in the ancient world Read More »
International, Irv Jacobs, MD, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East
The wilderness. To some it may seem freewheeling, perhaps even disorganized, chaotic and confusing. In this week’s parasha, Bamidbar, always read on the Shabbat prior to Shavuot, we learn about not just any wilderness, but the wilderness of Sinai, through which we embark on a forty-year passage with a very specific goal, the Promised Land. To help organize and provide focus to people in the midst of a vast expanse of open land, the parasha tells us of Hashem’s command to Moshe to take a census, not just to count (some of) the people, but perhaps more importantly to help assure that people know they count and for us to remember that every human being has an important contribution to make. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]
Like Moses and the Israelites, we are in wilderness Read More »
Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Michael MantellSome Jewish film festivals that were scheduled during the pandemic are streaming their films for the price of a ticket. Others are streaming films they’ve shown in the past or interviews with filmmakers and lectures. [Laurie Baron, Ph.D]
Streaming Jewish Film Festivals Read More »
Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lawrence Baron, Theatre, Film & BroadcastThis week we are again treated to a double portion, Behar-Bechukotai, which translate as “On the Mountain (Sinai),” and, “In My Statutes”. The first portion goes into great detail concerning the Mitzvot of Shmittah / the Sabbatical year and Yovel / the Jubilee year. Every seven years the fields in Israel must lie fallow. Farmers are ‘freed’ from working the land and even the beasts of burden are allowed to rest. The land itself rests and its nutrients are allowed to be naturally replenished. [Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort]
A Word of Torah: Looking heavenward and earthward Read More »
Jewish Religion, Yeruchem Eilfort-Rabbi
Chag Sameach! Happy Holiday! This week’s Lag BaOmer was a day on fire. This is historically the day to signal triumph over oppression, and to drive away a deadly plague. A Lag BaOmer Kumzits, a Yiddish loanword, is a traditional musical gathering, usually by a campfire, meaning come (kum) sit (zit). So come sit, and enjoy Moshav Band’s Lag BaOmer Facebook watch party: [Omer Zalmanowitz]
Music review: Moshav Kumzits: The Light of Rabbi Shimon Read More »
Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual ArtsDr. Irv Jacobs scours the Internet to find parallels and contrasts between biblical ideas and those of the pagan world on such subjects as leaving land fallow every seven years, duties of slaveholders to their slaves, and the concept of divine rewards and punishment.
Ancient ideas: agriculture, slavery, divine punishment Read More »
Irv Jacobs, MD, Jewish Religion