Religion

Brighter than Chanukah candles

Dec 06, 2018 Go comment!

This weekend is one of the busiest on the Jewish calendar. It’s called Shabbos-Rosh Chodesh-Chanukah. On Friday afternoon, we will light two sets of candles, the Chanukah menorah with its six burning candles, followed by the regular Shabbos candles. On Shabbos morning, we will read from three Torahs in shul, compared to the regular Shabbos, when we read from one and sometimes two Torahs.
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Heavenly multiplier effect found in a jar of oil

Nov 29, 2018 Go comment!

One of the great heroes of the Holocaust was Rabbi Avraham Grodzinsky, the spiritual leader of the Kovno ghetto. Until the outbreak of the war, he had been Rosh Yeshiva of the famed Slabodka Yeshiva and one of the leading sages of his generation.
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Low GI inspiration

Nov 29, 2018 Go comment!

Either I am a very good mother or a very bad one.
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What do we want our children to know about Chanukah?

Nov 29, 2018 Go comment!

Let’s start at the beginning. The story of Chanukah in a nutshell. During the time of the second Beit Hamikdash (Temple) the Holy Land was ruled by the ancient Greeks. They were not very kind to the Jewish people, they stole their property, and even set up idols in the Temple. No one could stand up against them, until Mattityahu and his sons rose up, together with a small army of Jews called the Maccabees. They managed to overcome the Greek army, and drove it from the land.
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Chanukah – the battle for Jewish identity

Nov 29, 2018 Go comment!

How quickly the Jewish year slips by! One minute we are enjoying Purim; next we are agonising over Pesach; suddenly, the frantic timetable of the Yamim Noraim (the High Holy Days) and Sukkot is upon us!
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The ultimate Jewish symbol

Nov 29, 2018 Go comment!

Religion and religious practice is studded with symbols – and Judaism is no different. For millennia, these symbols have been used to convey meaning, build identity, and declare faith to outsiders.
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Shining light on Chanukah’s ‘love me’ message

Nov 29, 2018 Go comment!

One of my favourite bedtime stories for my children is The Love-Me Bird by Joyce Dunbar. It’s a wise tale about a little bird who longs for someone to love her, and so she coos, over and over, “Love me, love me”.
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The big power of small stories

Nov 29, 2018 Go comment!

Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi famously speaks of the “danger of a single story”, in the TED talk by the same name.
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The mist and the snake

Nov 29, 2018 Go comment!

Jerusalem has always been the eye of the universe. Since time immemorial, the city, and particularly, the Temple Mount, has always been a place of profound spirituality and prophecy.
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How to be Jewish in a non-Jewish world

Nov 29, 2018 Go comment!

Unlike a generation ago, the walls of the ghetto no longer sequester us from the rest of society. We fraternise, shop, and do business outside our own immediate community all the time. We are all part of the dominant western culture. The contemporary question, then, is how do we strike a balance between retaining our Jewish identity while being citizens of the world, especially when that world may be indifferent or even hostile to our Jewishness? Especially at this time of year, when trees are dwarfing menorahs, and Santa Clauses outnumber rabbis.
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Menorah miracle lights up endless debate

Nov 29, 2018 Go comment!

Chanukah! Can you smell the latkes? Can you hear the faint echoes of Moaz Tzur? Do your fingers already feel a little slippery in anticipation of the impossible-to-remove olive oil? (Or hot from candle wax, if that’s your vibe!)
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The chanukiah – history and mystery

Nov 29, 2018 Go comment!

December rolls around, and the shopping malls of South Africa are filled with Christmas merchandise and song. You are lucky if your local Pick n Pay or Woolworths pops up a “Happy Chanukah” sign, but it’s no comparison to the huge bling that is thrown at Christmas shoppers.
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The elixir of olive oil

Nov 29, 2018 Go comment!

Think of Chanukah, and you almost always think of olive oil. Beyond being a key ingredient in fried latkes or doughnuts, oil is traditionally used to light Chanukah candles, though these days most of us are accustomed to lighting wax candles. But, regardless of the time of year, the story of olive oil is illuminating, flavoursome, and worthy of appreciation.
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Chocolate babka doughnuts the best of both worlds

Nov 29, 2018 Go comment!

Babka is nearly a weekly occurrence in my house, and I can think of few things better. But it’s not just me: Babka has really been getting the recognition it deserves all over the country, making appearances everywhere from artisanal bakeries to Jewish delis, even high-end restaurants.
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Is the Chanukah dreidel just a children’s toy?

Nov 29, 2018 Go comment!

Central to every Jew’s childhood memories of Chanukah is a game of dreidel and a stash of gelt. It is true to say that after the chanukiah, the dreidel is Chanukah’s most iconic symbol. However, according to Rabbi Yehuda Stern, there is far more to this spinning top than we may think.
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Confront horror by asking ‘why?’

Nov 22, 2018 Go comment!

In Parashat Vayishlach, we find Jacob fearing for himself and his family as he prepares to confront his brother Esau for the first time since stealing his birthright so many years before.
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Resist the Laban herd mentality

Nov 15, 2018 Go comment!

Modern-day society has sprouted all types of gurus. We have experts on childcare and healthy eating, education, and entertainment. Self-help books top best seller lists every year.
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The ultimate blessing

Nov 08, 2018 Go comment!

On the first night of Pesach in the Jewish year 2171, Yaakov Avinu, the studious, devoted servant of Hashem, followed his mother’s prophetic advice and tricked his father, Yitzchak, into giving him the blessings of the first born. His older brother Esav, the talented, brilliant trickster and murderer, was furious, and bent on revenge. Yaakov was forced to flee, while Esav resided in comfort.
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Pittsburgh’s Jewry needs us more than ever

Nov 01, 2018 Go comment!

In 1943, my great grandfather, Rabbi Sholom Posner, was sent by the Lubavitcher Rebbe to Pittsburgh to secure the foundations of the fledgling yeshiva school.
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Time for ourselves

Oct 25, 2018 Go comment!

The past few weeks have been replete with Jewish holidays. From days of awe to days of joy, we experienced mega doses of holiness, joy, and inspiration.
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