The Bread of Affliction, a Poor Translation — By Ben
On Seder night, as we begin the Maggid (story telling) section, the matzah is broken and lifted as the leader proclaims, “Ha Lachma onya”, this is the bread of our […]
Category Archives: Holidays
Purim: Permission to Defend — By Ben
Not more than a couple of weeks ago, I was wasting time on Facebook, when I came across something that stopped me cold. A friend had posted “Man Shot in […]
All I Want for Chanukah is to get Married — By Ben
It was just before Chanukah two years ago that I proposed to my wife. I had planned to pop the question during Chanukah, but after getting the finished ring from […]
Yom Kippur – “Is Confession Jewish?” Mistranslating Viduy — By Ben
Teshuva! Teshuvah! Teshuvah! Is there anything more trumpeted during the high holidays? (Other than the shofar of course.) With Yom Kippur imminent, our leaders implore us to perform this holy […]
Rosh Hashanah – Write Yourself into the Book of Life — By Ben
The critical theme of the high holidays is the hope that we will be written and sealed by God in the Book of Life. But the truth is, most of […]
Iyov – The Suffering and Silence of Job — By Ben
This Sunday we’ll observe the fast of Tammuz, kicking off the mourning period known as the 3 Weeks. The ritual culminates with Tisha B’Av which remembers the destruction of the […]
Shavuos, Ruth, and Being Chosen — By Ben
I don’t recall the exact circumstance, but somewhere in the deep recesses of my memory I remember talking to a devout person of a different religion. They had found out […]
The Free Will Choice of Passover — By Ben
Sitting on my desk are two pieces of electronic equipment. One is a Wacom Cintiq 21UX drawing tablet monitor. The other is a Nintendo Switch. Neither of them are particularly […]
Purim: Stroke of Bad Luck and Blindness — By Ben
My mother may have had a stroke, God forbid. On Monday, my parents were taking the dog for a walk and on the way home, my mother felt tired. Upon […]
Adar – What if You Had an Extra Month? — By Ben
If you count your months via January, February, and March opposed to Tishrei, Cheshvan, and Kislev, you’ve probably noticed that Jewish holidays bounce around a bit. Some years Chanukah is […]
Six Degrees Of Kosher Bacon 