Rejoicing Proud Jews: Reflections on Lag B’Omer

Posted on: May 9th, 2012

The victory of the Jewish idea is celebrated on Lag B'Omer. It fits neatly between Israeli Independence Day and Yom Yerushalayim. These three days are all driven by the same spirit: the liberation of Jewish peoplehood, the return to the land, and the reemergence of authentic Jewish culture.

Jewish Press Radio: Journey Into Passover

Posted on: April 12th, 2012

Special Pesach edition kicks off with Yishai and Malkah sharing the story of their own inspiring journey into Pesach 5772. Then Yishai is joined by Shmuel Sackett, the International Director of Manhigut Yehudit, who tells the moving story of his personal discussions with Jonathan Pollard during visits to see him in prison. The third segment of this week’s show features the true meaning of Pesach, presented by David Sacks, a television writer and producer for The Simpsons, 3rd Rock From the Sun, and more. Finally, Yehuda HaKohen talks about how love breeds courage and destroys fear, and gives an example with a masterful presentation of the history of the Lehi movement.

Video: Under the Prayer Shawl – Secrets of the Priestly Blessing

Posted on: April 10th, 2012

“Under the Prayer Shawl – Secrets of the Priestly Blessing”, was shot on location at the 2011 annual massive blessing by the Jewish Priests (Kohanim) at the Western Wall (Kotel) in Jerusalem during the Passover festival. The Kohanim (priests) are Jews descended directly from Aaron, the older brother of the Biblical Moses, who was given [...]

The Battle for Eretz Yisrael, Then and Now

Posted on: April 6th, 2012

At this time of the year, "Jewish eyes are smiling" as we look back to our Egyptian experience of 3300 years ago and the great salvation that HaShem had brought forth for us. But on this 10th of Nisan, corresponding to the general calendar of April 2, the eyes of all enlightened nations are on Egypt, but for different reasons. The Moslem Brotherhood political party in Egypt, that now controls the two houses of the Egyptian Parliament, is going to have their man as the next president of that country. This group is among the most radical Islamists in the world, and they have an unabashed, open, straightforward Islamic agenda. Not only will they turn Egyptian society back 300 years, their end game is to uproot the Jewish State.

Pesach Video: Baking Passover Matzah in Israel’s Heartland

Posted on: April 4th, 2012

Yishai Fleisher takes us to Beit El in Israel’s heartland, the location of Yaakov’s (Jacob’s) ladder, to bake matzot (unleavened bread) the old fashioned way by hand.  A crew of friends and neighbors carefully follow the detailed processes laid out in Jewish Law (Torah) for preparing and baking the matzah in less than 18 minutes [...]

The Audacity of Redemption

Posted on: April 2nd, 2012

It has been said ‘It is easier to take the Jew out of the Exile, than to take the Exile out of the Jew’. While in Egypt, the Jewish people could not even hear Hashem’s promise of Redemption because of their “shortness of spirit.” Their bondage wasn’t merely a physical bondage, but a mental one. And so, while still in Egypt, Hashem began the process of taking the Jew out of the psychology of Exile, ridding him of his slave mentality.

A Child-Centric Seder

Posted on: March 29th, 2012

Dear Gary, As Pesach approaches, I get worried because I want to have a great Yom Tov, and yet, every year, the seder ends in some sort of fighting and arguing. My husband wants the seder to be all about divrei Torah and so do I, but between the younger children (who we want to be awake for the whole seder) and guests, we somehow end up in stern looks and squabbles. I'm happy we have guests or else we'd probably start yelling at each other and even Eliyahu Hanavi would bail. I know everyone jokes about how tough Pesach is, but I can't see the humor anymore – and neither can my children. What can we do to manage a calm (I don't even wish for happy) seder? A Sad Mom

The No-Potato Passover: A Journey of Food, Travel & Color

Posted on: March 29th, 2012

Most of the No-Potato Passover recipes are as casual as the title’s spelling: some include only six ingredients and limited prep time - half to one full hour. They’re good for heart health and waistlines, too.

The Art of Ignoring – So Safe, So Repulsive, So Dangerous

Posted on: March 28th, 2012

As one that has trained and followed rabbis throughout their careers, I can generally say that rabbis gain detractors not so much because of their sermons, vision, lectures or the like, but rather when they fail to return phone calls, when they avoid bikur cholim, and when they fail to respond to emails. One can deal with refusal, disagreements, debates and the answer 'no', but how should one deal with being totally and utterly ignored?!

Rabbi Shimshon Nadel: My Essential Haggadot

Posted on: March 22nd, 2012

With thousands of Haggadot in print, it can be overwhelming to decide what to buy and what to use at the Seder. Just like kashering the home for Pesach requires preparation, so too the material for the Seder. And according to the investment is the return. Below are twenty of my favorite Haggadot.