July 20, 2021
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Jump To: Hanukkah | Chag HaBanot/Eid Al-Banat | The Shmita Year Looking for Judaica? Heritage Judaica has free Jewish ritual items (and so much more)! Head to our TC Jewish Directory to connect with a local synagogue if you’re looking for holiday services. Hanukkah Hanukkah is celebrated this year from sundown Sunday, November 28 – sundown Monday, […]
Continue readingNovember 5, 2021
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This is the story of Isaac,” begins this week’s Torah portion, “son of Abraham.” After weeks of stories that star Abraham and Sarah, it seems as though Isaac will finally have his 15 minutes of fame. This promise doesn’t bear out, though. Instead, Isaac (arguably the least dynamic of our forefathers) is led from place […]
Continue readingSeptember 10, 2021
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This week’s Torah portion is short and sweet — just one chapter of the book of Deuteronomy — which suits me just fine. Who has time to be reading long portions of Torah during the first two weeks of Tishrei, anyway? We have plenty of extra readings on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur without worrying […]
Continue readingAugust 19, 2021
July 23, 2021
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A few weeks ago, my cousins came to visit us from Boston. It was a joyous day — we hadn’t seen one another for ages due to COVID-19 regulations. We hugged, and caught up, and ate cherry pie. Also, they brought a birthday gift for our little one — magnetic tiles to build with. Our […]
Continue readingJuly 2, 2021
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In two weeks, my older sister will basically be my neighbor. Okay, that’s not exactly true — Jersey City is not next door to Brooklyn. Nevertheless, it’s a heck of a lot closer than Chicago, where she’s been living for the last while. And it’s a whole lot closer than Israel, where the rest of […]
Continue readingJune 18, 2021
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Talk to the rock, says God. The rock will give you water.
Continue readingJune 17, 2021
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This past Saturday wasn’t just a normal Shabbat morning service at Beth Jacob Congregation — it was the first time the senior rabbi had the opportunity to lead services to a room full of people. Adam Rubin, who moved to Minnesota a year ago to take the leadership of the Mendota Heights synagogue, had spent […]
Continue readingApril 23, 2021
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My toddler knows how to say the word “no” now. To be completely fair, he also knows a lot of other words. Actually, this week he said his first full sentence — when my wife asked what he was doing (building a Lego tower), our little one slowly said “Ani boneh!” (I’m building!), and we […]
Continue readingApril 16, 2021
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Welcome to a world of disease. This week’s double Torah portion features dozens of verses detailing skin maladies — ingrown hairs, oozing pustules, discoloration, and a whole lot more. Every year, when Tazria-Metzora rolls around, anyone in the congregation who speaks Hebrew grimaces. The first quarter of 2021 has wrapped up, and we’re living in […]
Continue readingApril 9, 2021
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Shemini, or ‘eighth,’ is not a portion about Crazy Eights. It does start by telling us what should happen on the eighth day (unusual for the Bible, wherein so many things happen on the seventh day), and dives right into some more sacrifices, in case you hadn’t had enough yet. Then the book of Leviticus […]
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