Shared by Aharon Varady on כ״ד באייר ה׳תשע״ב (May 16, 2012)
The time we are in now is a time to ask: are we so determined to undo God’s rainbow covenant? Will we truly burn the sea, chemically and literally, with the oil we unleash from inside the Earth? Will we flood the sea with death as the land was flooded according to the Noah story of so long ago? As the cleanup continues and the effects will continue for decades, what new floods will we unleash in the coming years? . . . → Read More: יום קשת מ״ב בעומר | The 42nd Day of the Omer is Rainbow Day
Shared by Aharon Varady on כ״ב באייר ה׳תשע״ב (May 14, 2012)
Psalm 67 is a priestly blessing for all the peoples of the earth to be sustained by the earth’s harvest (yevulah), and it is a petition that all humanity recognize the divine nature (Elohim) illuminating the world. Composed of seven verses, the psalm is often visually depicted as a seven branched menorah. There are 49 words in the entire psalm, and in the Nusaḥ ha-ARI z”l there is one word for each day of the Sefirat haOmer. Similarly, the fifth verse has 49 letters and each letter can be used as a focal point for meditating on the meaning of the day in its week in the journey to Shavuot, the festival of weeks (the culmination of the barley harvest), and the festival of oaths (shevuot) in celebration of receiving the Torah. Many of the themes of Psalm 67 are repeated in the prayer Ana b’Koaḥ, which also has 49 words, and which are also used to focus on the meaning of each day on the cyclical and labyrinthine journey towards Shavuot. . . . → Read More: Scaling the Walls of the Labyrinth: Psalms 67 and Ana b’Koaḥ
Shared by Trisha Arlin on י״ג בניסן ה׳תשע״ב (April 5, 2012)
We lift Miriam’s cup, Dancing prophet celebrating the world that is now. And we tell God we are grateful For the water from the earth that was Miriam’s gift, Welcome necessity, On God’s behalf. Miriam announces joy! And teaches us to save ourselves. Miriam, the bringer of mercy, There’s no prayer for her in the haggadah– So make one up! . . . → Read More: Two Cups: Elijah and Miriam
Shared by Aharon Varady on ט׳ בניסן ה׳תשע״ב (April 1, 2012)
In honor of Pesaḥ this year, I’ve transcribed “The Ritual of the Seder and the Agada of the English Jews before the Expulsion” by Dr. Dávid Kaufmann (1852-1899) which first appeared in The Jewish Quarterly Review, Vol. 4, No. 4 (Jul., 1892), pp. 550-561. In the article, Kaufmann describes an English Haggadah contained in an . . . → Read More: The Ritual of the Seder and the Agada of the English Jews Before the Expulsion.
Shared by Michael Plotke on ד׳ בניסן ה׳תשע״ב (March 27, 2012)
A haggadah shared by Michael Plotke that he made for his family many years ago based on the haggadah of the late Rebbe of ḤaBaD, R’ Menachem Mendel Schneerson. . . . → Read More: The Plotke Family Haggadah
Shared by Hillel Ḥayyim Yisraeli-Lavery on כ״ז בשבט ה׳תשע״ב (February 20, 2012)
The following seven lessons by Rabbi Hillel Ḥayim Yisraeli-Lavery to help the student prepare for their reading of Megillat Esther. The nusaḥ taught is Israeli style Ashkenaz-Lithuanian.
The complete reading of Megillat Esther We are grateful to Rabbi Hillel Ḥayim Yisraeli-Lavery for sharing his instructional videos (1, 2) with a CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported license.
. . . → Read More: Learn the Kriyat Megillat Esther as taught by Rabbi Hillel Ḥayim Yisraeli-Lavery
Shared by Abe Katz on כ״ו בשבט ה׳תשע״ב (February 19, 2012)
The following prayer for the government was composed by Congregation Beth Shalome in Richmond, Virginia in 1789. Please note the acrostic portion of the prayer in which the initial letters of the succeeding lines form the name: Washington. . . . → Read More: Prayer for the government in honor of George Washington, First President of the United States of America by Kahal Kadosh-Beit Shalome (1789)
Shared by Abe Katz on י״ח בשבט ה׳תשע״ב (February 11, 2012)
Exalted are you Lincoln. Who is like you! You were highly respected among Kings and Princes. All that you accomplished you did with a humble spirit. You are singular and cannot be compared to anyone else. Who among the great are like Lincoln? Who can be praised like you? . . . → Read More: Memorial Prayer for Abraham Lincoln by Isaac Goldstein the Levite
Shared by kungfujew18 on י״ד בשבט ה׳תשע״ב (February 7, 2012)
The Tu Bishvat seder is a metaphor. But usually we use metaphor in our daily lives to accomplish, persuade, inspire or explain. There is something we’re bending metaphor to accomplish. This meditation is an exercise in free-thinking. Here, just play with metaphor for the sake of expressing and exploring your emotional state, history, anticipations and apprehensions. Each of the quotations from the Torah or rabbinical writings below represents an emotion. After we say the blessing over the olives, read the quotations, pick one (or more) that resonate, and play with the metaphor to reach a deeper understanding of yourself and others. . . . → Read More: A Tu Bishvat Seder Meditation on the World of Yetzira by Ben Murane
Shared by David Seidenberg on י״ד בשבט ה׳תשע״ב (February 7, 2012)
From [the Holy One’s] form/to’ar the constellations are shimmering, and God’s form projects the exalted ones. And Her crown blazes [with] the mighty, and His garment flows with the precious. And all the trees will rejoice in the word, and the plants will exult in His rejoicing, and His words shall drop as perfumes, flowing forth flames of fire, giving joy to those who search them, and quiet to those who fulfill them. . . . → Read More: On Sweet Fruit and Deep Mysteries: Kabbalistic and Midrashic Texts to Sweeten your Tu Bishvat Seder by R’ David Seidenberg
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