Jewish Blogs

Reinventing Rituals: June, a month of Pride and same-sex marriages

June is full of irony: not only is June Pride month, but it is also the unofficial start to wedding season. So many are still fighting for equal marriage. As I write this, lawmakers in Albany are struggling to garner enough votes to make same-sex marriage legal in New York state (see resources to get involved at the end of this post).Read ...

Reheating Food on Shabbat

Chazal forbade putting fully cooked food on the fire on Shabbat because one could come to stoke the coals. Additionally it is mechzi k’mevashel, it appears as if one is cooking. However, if one satisfies five requirements, then bishul becomes chazara and is permitted l’chatchila.The five conditions are,1. the flame must be covered,2. the food must be fully cooked,3. it must still be warm,4. one may not ...

Register Now for Shir Hashirim with Rabbi Yehoshua Geller in our upcoming Summer Semester!

Shir Hashirim, written by Shlomo Hamelech, and one of the five megillot, is a poetic allegory of the relationship and love between Hashem and the Jewish people. We will look into the text and explore both the simple and the deeper levels of the words, using Midrash and other commentaries, and attempt to uncover the deeper meaning in the story ...

Regards From Tornado Alley-Bama

Dear Rabbi Lazer,During the past 24 hours, Roy and I witnessed Psalm 91 in action. We are located right in the middle of the path of the tornado outbreak that left destruction in Mississippi and across the state of Alabama. In addition to thanking Hashem for His wonderful protection, we also thank Him for all of your emuna CD’s and books. While other people were gripped with ...

Re’eh – Giving Blessings Not Curses

It has become very common for businesses and organizations to send out weekly email messages to their list of subscribers. There is nothing unusual about that. But I’ve noticed an increasing number of individuals who have begun to share their own wisdom and commentary on the issues of the day with their friends and family.Each week, I receive many weekly ...

Red Lentil Soup

Yes, you’re right, red lentils aren’t really red, they’re orange! But that just makes things all the more interesting when discovering a new food! Red lentils are found widely in Indian and middle eastern cuisine, and until last night’s dinner I’d never really cooked them. And boy have I been missing something! Red lentils make a wonderfully tasty and thick ...

Red Hot Chili Peppers and Claire Danes Dig Tel Aviv

Israel’s Ministry of Immigration and Absorption might have taken a hit following its ill conceived PR campaign to get Israeli expats to return to Israel, but Tel Aviv is doing great right now in the PR department.Tel Aviv was on everyone’s mind yesterday as news circulated about a planned Red Hot Chili Peppers concert in Tel Aviv next fall and ...

Recycled Toilet Paper Roll Wall decor

I hope you’ve been saving those toilet paper rolls because this project is fantastic! But I can’t take credit for the brilliant idea, that goes to my friend Tali the architect. I’ve had this one on my agenda for ages and I’ve been diligently saving those rolls, and now I’ve got something special hanging in my kitchen. Yippee!Read More: @ creativejewishmom.comTags: paper ...

Recognizing the Greatness of a Small Act of Kindness

I’m not exactly sure why I was so struck by this act.There are many times when we play the equivalent of musical chairs at Mincha. We’re all listening to the Chazzan repeat the Shmoneh Esrai and then it’s time to put our heads down for Tachanun, the next part of the prayer service. And often we find there are more ...

Recalling an Evil Idealist

Three days after Pesach in 5721 (1961), the trial of Adolf Eichmann, a top deputy of Adolf Hitler known as “the architect of the Holocaust,” opened in Jerusalem. April 11 marked that day’s fiftieth anniversary on the non-Jewish calendar and yielded an assortment of commemorations, reflections and revelations.Yad Vashem, the Israeli Holocaust museum, uploaded footage of the entire Eichmann trial ...

Rebbetzin’s Perspective: What are some ways I can motivate my husband to think about Elul and Rosh Hashana?

Question:What are some ways I can motivate my husband to think about Elul and Rosh Hashana without sounding like an annoying seminary girl? I’m not worried about his learning because he has a learning seder (session) every day, but whenever I bring up the idea of change or growth he gets annoyed.Answer:Some men like hashkafa, but most don’t. No man likes to feel as if his wife is the ...

Rebbetzin’s Perspective I Class #2

It’s not so simple. What one person might call critical and destructive, another person might call involved and committed. What one person might call harsh and cruel, another person might call persistent and dedicated. Parents don’t think of themselves as evil. They think that they must not allow problems to develop or that they must act authoritively so that the ...