Purim 2014 has Arrived

Today the event of Purim has begun…the streets are covered with children on their way to school in costume, all the stalls in the markets are outselling their costume accessories, and those in the city will not be able to pass through without being aware that something is going on today. Purim celebrates the story […]

Purim - From Cinderella to Queen Esther

Two very different stories have happened in Israel over the years, both of which include 3 very similar factors-     Both from Sephardi Backgrounds Both events happennd around Purim Both girls went from a quiet life to being Princesses   The Facts –  1928 -Tzipora Tzabari  –  From a Yemiite Background Tzipora  rode her donkey and cart to deliver milk to the […]

Shavuot? Cheese Please!

Shavuot, also known as the festival of Weeks, commemorates the anniversary of the day G-d gave the Torah to the people of Israel at Mount Sinai. It is the second of three major festivals with historical and agricultural significance, the other two being Passover and Sukkot. Agriculturally speaking, it commemorates the time when the first […]

Breaking the Yom Kippur Fast

Yom Kippur is a solemn day. A day spent asking for atonement, asking forgiveness for our sins and forgiving those we have mistreated. While I could take this time to elaborate on all this, I’ve decided to take a slightly different route. As important as it is to atone, after a 25 hour fast, my […]

Rabbis and Bonfires

Today we celebrated Lag B’Omer. For the past week, bonfires have lit the night around the country as the citizens of Israel commemorated the passing of 2nd century Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (whether they realize it or not). Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (Rashbi) is best known as a disciple of Rabbi Akiva and as the […]

Yom Ha'Aztmaut - Israel's Independence Day

Happy Birthday Israel! 64 Years Young! Israel’s Independence Day is celebrated on the fifth day of the month of Iyar, which is the Hebrew date of the formal establishment of the State of Israel, when members of the “provisional government” read and signed a Declaration of Independence in Tel Aviv. The original date corresponded to […]