NATURAL ANGER vs. HOT TEMPER Shalom, This Shabbat we will read the Torah portion ‘Hukat’. Our portion tells us that after forty years of journeying through the desert, the people of Israel arrive in the wilderness of Zin. Miriam dies, and the people thirst for water. Question: What is the connection between Miriam’s death and the lack of water? Millions of Jewish […]
SEEING IN THE DARK Shalom, The Hebrew month of Tammuz started at the beginning of this week – Sunday, June 25th. Tammuz is the fourth month in the Hebrew calendar, which starts with the month of Nissan. On the 17th of Tammuz – שבעה עשר בתמוז Moses smashed the two tablets with the Ten Commandments, after […]
by Tova Horwitz Between February and March, there is an explosion of miraculous color all over Israel, from north צָפוֹן to south דָרוֹם. Spring אביב has arrived, and with it the wildflowers פרחי בר including the כלנית anemone, iris איריס, cyclamen רקפת, narcissus נרקיס, lupine תורמוס, and daisy חִנָנִית which are in full magical bloom. […]
By Tova Horwitz Are you visiting Israel or maybe you are an oleh (new immigrant)? If so, then you are most likely very familiar with the experience of speaking Hebrew with an obvious foreign accent מִבטָא. It’s like a neon label on your forehead screaming, “I’m not from here!” For those of us who are […]
By Tova Horwitz The holiday of Purim פורים is just around the corner and the festive spirit can already be felt on the streets of Israel. The joyous day celebrates Esther, Mordechai and the Jews’ victory over the evil Haman, and is commemorated today in modern Israel and around the world with a host of […]
By Tova Horwitz Jews around the world are celebrating Tu B’Shvat (ט”ו בִּשְׁבָט), the New Year of the Trees and Fruits, which takes place on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shvat. This special holiday is first mentioned in the Talmud, in Tractate Rosh Hashana, where it is written, “The Academy of Hillel […]
by Tova Horwitz While Hebrew is indeed the language of the Bible, modern Hebrew is a fast paced, ever-changing language full of vibrant expressions, idioms and fun slang. Some of modern Hebrew’s linguistic jewels – those phrases that make just the perfect point – simply don’t translate well into English. Here’s a list of ten […]
Most of us go through life trying to make some kind of an impact on the world either by leaving an impression on a person or just being interesting to someone else. We’d like to be witty, clever, quick and be taken seriously which many of us succeed in doing on a daily basis to […]
Memory is such a crucial part of everyone’s life, yet I for one always manage to forget. Throughout the years I’ve learnt to trick myself into remembering things using different methods. I remember things through songs or short poems I make up, visualizing what i need to remember and leaving notes around the house. I’ve […]
by Tovah Horwitz For Jews around the world this past month has been spent preparing for, celebrating and recuperating from all the holidays. Together with the many holidays came many occasions for Jews around the world to linger at festive meals; eating, drinking and especially talking with family and friends. For many, these extended meals […]