Tu B’shvat is the annual birthday of the trees in the Jewish calendar. The harvest holiday is commonly celebrated by gathering for a feast, eating fruits and nuts, and planting trees. This year, in the wake of rising concerns and the dire need for environmental attention, perhaps the birthday of the trees is the perfect…
In a timely alignment, four cultural and traditional holidays take place within the same time period, right before the turning of a new decade into 2020. The holiday jumble kicks off on December 21 with Winter Solstice, followed by eight days of Chanukah starting on December 22. Christmas is on December 25, and Kwanzaa closes…
From our family to yours, we wish you a sweet new year! How has another year gone by? I could have sworn I just downed a tub of apples and honey and blew into a ram’s horn. It feels like mere minutes ago that I repented, atoned and journaled my way into the Book of…
Imagine standing on the bottom of Mount Sinai, about 3,300 years ago. Moses had just come from a brainstorm session with God, a hackathon for humanity, and was finally ready to present his power points in front of a select group of chosen people. An ecstatic energy must have danced through the air. Only seven…
Fueled by high temperature heat waves, over 1,000 fires were put out in Israel in the past week. Possible causes currently being investigated include electrical negligence and arson, in addition to the local bonfire holiday, and the dry Mediterranean climate. The wave began with Lag B’Omer, Israel’s “fire holiday” where locals often light bonfires. Despite…
