Holidays 480 articles

Every year I hold a private celebration of the reunification of Jerusalem. It is a treasured ritual whereby I lock the door to my office, turn off the lights, place a...

I am sure psychologists call is some fancy term, but permit me my own: Delayed Cry Reaction (DCR) Moshe’le (age 4) and Rochel (age 3) are playing in the park. Moshe...

A bright light of confusion surrounds the day we call Lag B’omer. Ask one Jew what it is and he might even give you two opinions. According to Pri Megadim (1),...

The phone rang at home last fall and a voice said “Is this Ashley Farnell?”“Yes,” I replied.“Ashley Farnell the kosher chef?” again I replied “yes”, now wondering if this is some...

The elimination of chametz has two distinct parts: the search for chametz and the nullification of chametz. Our sages tell us that according to strict Torah law, one of these would...

When Shakespeare wrote that April is the cruelest month, he sure knew what he was talking about. In New York, where I live, April showers have less to do with rain...

What is unique about sheep? They play a prominent role in the Pesach story and its commemorative commandments. Starting back in Egypt, G-d tells Moshe that each Jewish family should take...

PART ONE – On the Wings of Eagles (and F-16s) PART TWO: The fifth son PART ONE – On the Wings of Eagles (and F-16s) You saw what I had done...

Passover is the most observed Jewish holiday of the year. Even those who never step inside a synagogue pull out all the stops for this one. With our celebratory meal, the...

In the spirit of fours…Four quick Mini Reflections on Pesach 1. As I sit by my computer considering the mountain of work (and the molehill of time) that still lies before...