Jewish Learning

When does Passover end?

In Israel the three Festivals are 7 days long. The Festivals, Sukkot, Passover and Shavuot, were the times when the ancient Israelites traveled to the Temple in Jerusalem to make sacrifices, as commanded in the Torah (five books of Moses). In Israel today the Festivals are still observed for 7 days. When the ancient Temple…

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We need to make it a FAST Seder! Now what?

There is a 30 minute Seder that you can buy online — regular size, large type and downloadable. They even have music you can order. Look at the website and see if it works for you. The 30 Minute Seder Here’s a 10 minute Seder by Rabbi Yonah Bookstein A 5 minute Seder here. Here’s…

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Purim shpiels everywhere!

Homemade Bollywood costume Purim is coming! Along with it comes the commandment to Be Happy, Have Fun and Get Drunk! OK, you don’t actually have to get drunk but you are supposed to really whoop it up. Every synagogue is holding a Purim Shpiel – that is telling the Purim story. Many synagogues pick a…

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Jewish New Years (yes, plural)

Time is a human construct. If you read Jewish wisdom you will learn that God exists outside of time. How does this work? I don’t know, since I am time-bound it is hard to grasp. Think of it as if you are a goldfish in a bowl and God is oxygen – existing in the…

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