Category: Judaism
#blogExodus 9: Perplex
Today I tried to explain some of the Passover rules to a non-Jewish person, and yes, she was perplexed. "Well, you see, the prohibition is on leaven, and there are these five traditional grains that will puff up if they are exposed to water and air, so we can't eat any of their products unless … Continue reading #blogExodus 9: Perplex
#blogExodus 8: Expand
There are several different ways to interpret this word - is it the expansion of our minds and spirituality during Passover, or is it the expansion of our bodies during the same time period? The weeks before Passover are very busy and stressful for many people, and there's a tendency to collapse once the Seders … Continue reading #blogExodus 8: Expand
#blogExodus: 4, 5 and 6 are #Exodusgrams!
And here they are, if you don't follow me on Instagram ... #Exodusgram 4: Rise. The penultimate #challah before The Big Day! @imabima A post shared by Hadass Eviatar (@hadasseviatar) on Mar 31, 2017 at 3:53pm PDT #Exodusgram 5: Seek. These colourful bits of #chametz will be hidden in my living room, in just over … Continue reading #blogExodus: 4, 5 and 6 are #Exodusgrams!
#blogExodus 3: Cleanse
Passover is supposed to be a time of physical and spiritual cleansing - but is it? If you know what I do for a living, you will appreciate how tempted I was to insert something here about the nutritional cleansing that I help people with. But I will refrain. If you want to know more … Continue reading #blogExodus 3: Cleanse
#blogExodus 2: Exalt
When I think of the word "exalt", my mind immediately goes to those ancient Aramaic words that open the Kaddish - May His great name be exalted and sanctified. For many people, the Kaddish, a prayer of thanksgiving and exaltation, is inextricably bound with the sadness of death and loss, because it is recited by … Continue reading #blogExodus 2: Exalt
#BlogExodus 1: Launch
Happy Nisan! Today is just two weeks before Passover, and Rabbi Phyllis Sommer is launching #BlogExodus again! I'm so excited. This morning, I had the privilege and pleasure of reading from the Torah to a minyan, an assembled quorum of people, who had come together at 7:15 am for that purpose. I read them the … Continue reading #BlogExodus 1: Launch
Finishing and Beginning Anew
The month-long cycle of the Jewish High Holy Day season is now over. It seems that we had just begun, with the New Year and the Day of Atonement, and afterwards we built a little wooden booth on our deck, a sukkah, and had dinner in it almost every night for the seven-day Feast of … Continue reading Finishing and Beginning Anew
#BlogElul 10: Count
This blog post was supposed to have gone out yesterday, on the 10th day of Elul. But it's OK, nobody is perfect, especially me. I am determined to make it count anyway! Making things count is a matter of choice - if we are playing mind games with ourselves late at night, we might tell … Continue reading #BlogElul 10: Count
#BlogElul 9: Observe
"You see, but you do not observe." Such a famous quote from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories. What does that mean for someone who is trying to grow themselves? In the original story, Holmes is chastising Watson for being unable to remember how many steps there are in a flight of stairs he … Continue reading #BlogElul 9: Observe