It's My Turn #16, by Nora T. Cat

My people have rearranged the furniture in the living/dining room.  I don't understand it.  Every year at Passover they have to move the furniture.  Is it not enough that they move dishes?  One year they moved the dining room to the basement.  This year they switched the living and dining rooms for two days, and put pieces of it in the master bedroom and the basement.  But to make things worse, when the moved the table back, they put the living room back in a different order.  What could possibly be the reason for that?  All my regular spaces are no longer in their regular places.  My kitty tower is moved.  My favourite seat is in a different place.  I'm not sure I can adjust to this strange new order.  I've jumped onto my kitty tower, but the view is different, and I cannot decide if it will work.  How will I watch the living room, dining room, foyer, kitchen, and steps at once?  I simply don't know what to do.

I'll give it a few days.  If it doesn't work I'll have to come up with a plan to get them to move it back.  Meanwhile, at least now there's space for both Gandalf and me in the best lookout in the living room.

Kitty Blog #15, by Gandalf the Grey

The weather has turned.  Spring is finally here!  It's so much nicer outside.  Still cold, but the sun is out, and the snow is mostly melted.  I can enjoy the yard, sitting on the sun-warmed rocks.  I still need to come in frequently to warm up, but I warm quickly, and am ready to head back out in a jif.

The squirrels are very active right now.  With so many about now, I know that it's just a matter of time before I can catch one.  There are new small ginger squirrels.  They sort of hop forward when looking for food, on their guard.  But once they've found it, they dash off willy nilly.  I'm sure they must be slower than the black and the grey squirrels that dash about.  My people keep putting out food for them, leftover matzah brei, matzah crumbs, a few extra nuts.  It keeps them busy and distracted.  The more distracted, the better for me.  Soon.  It'll be soon.  I's just a matter of time.  I can't wait.

Kitty Blog #14, by Gandalf the Grey

Nora has cast some aspersions upon my sleeping habits.  First, I do not snore, and if I do it's caused by my deviated septum.  It's a medical condition, and she shouldn't make fun of it.  At least I'm quiet at night.  Nora doesn't sleep.  Instead she chases her toys around the house, meowing loudly at them.  She even meows at them while she carries them around the house like they're her children.  Does she think she's scolding them?!  You'd think at her age she'd stop that.  She only does it at night when she thinks we're all asleep.  Doesn't she realize that by meowing at the toys, she wakes all of us up?

It's ridiculous.

Shabbat Pesach

This dvar is excerpted from a dvar I received for distribution by Rabbi Gustavo Surazski, the Masorti rabbi of Kehillat Netzach Israel, Ashkelon.  I hope you will enjoy it.  Next year may we all celebrate in Israel together.  Shabbat shalom.

Rabbi Jennifer Gorman

……………………………………………………………

“Every year, my daughter asks me which of [the Hagim] is my favourite. My immediate response is always, “Pesach.” I know…. when Seder night arrives, we are left with almost no energy. We cleaned. We arranged closets. We worked around the clock preparing holiday meals. Yet my response remains firm. My favorite holiday among all of the Jewish festivals is Pesach. The reason is that nothing about this holiday should be taken for granted.

The Haggadah opens with “Why is this night different…” and concludes with “Who Knows One?” At the beginning of the Seder, the child asks and the father answers. At the end, the father is the one who asks and the child answers.

When I claim that nothing concerning this holiday should be taken for granted, I mean to say: It shouldn't be taken for granted, especially in our day, that when a child asks a question, the father will respond, nor that when the father asks a question, the child will respond. It shouldn't be taken for granted that the parent will tell his children a story before they go to sleep. Nor can it be assumed that the children will wait until the meal is completed to get up from the table. I find it curious that in this age of communication, where at the touch of a button we can make contact with friends that live across the ocean (and even see them on our screens), it is so difficult to hold a conversation with the members of our family who live under the same roof.

A member of my congregation told me that, a few days ago, her adolescent daughter invited a friend to stay over. Upon entering her daughter’s room, she found both of the girls sitting separately; one was surfing Facebook and the other playing a game on her i-phone. “A total lack of connection”, she told me. She gently took away the phones and said with a motherly smile, "Now, talk!".

This happens in almost every household with children. One child is with an i-phone, another child is on the computer. Mother is checking emails, father is sitting in front of the television.

Let’s suppose that Moses were to come down today from Mt. Sinai with the word of God in his hands. Naturally, he wouldn’t bring two tablets of stone, rather one could assume that he would bring two 5th generation i-pads in his hands. Moses would descend, and instead of hearing sounds of shouting from the camp, he would hear silence. The golden calf at the outskirts of the camp would be left alone, and all of the children of Israel would be in their tents with their smartphones in their hands, communicating with the world, but disconnected from their families and their people.

I am convinced that Moses would still break his Tablets…

In this new reality, “Telling your son” (Ve-Higadta Le-Bincha) is a mitzvah that takes on a new significance. We are not just speaking of passing on a tradition from one generation to another. We are simply speaking of strengthening and improving communication within the family so that there can be dialogue, a table set and orderly, a family dinner that begins and concludes at the same time for all the members of the family.

My heart fills with gladness at the sight of my daughters getting up from the table at the end of the Seder, running to search for a thin rectangle that isn’t the i-phone, rather the Afikoman. Pesach is my favorite holiday because it provides us with rare quality family time.

Shabbat Hagadol (Tzav)- Even If We Were All Wise...

Va’afilu kulanu chachamim, kulanu n’vonim, kulanu z’keinim, kulanu yod’im et haTorah, mitzvah aleinu l’sapeir yitzi’at Mitzraiyim

Even if all of us were wise, all of us understanding, all of us knowing the Torah, we would still be obligated to discuss the exodus from Egypt. (From the Magid)

The Passover seder is the most observed Jewish ritual. So ingrained in our psyche, there are even secular, humanistic haggadot. The challenge then is not to encourage sedarim, but to ensure annual sedarim that we all want to attend. Perhaps you, like me, can recite the translation from the red and yellow Ktav haggadah that seems to have been passed down at Sinai. But this is not enough. The seder is meant to be a living text, one that grows each year with our own knowledge. Frustration by generations, who recognize this, combined with inspiration from countless haggadah texts, centuries old and from around the world, has sparked a plethora of new haggadot. They seek to inspire and to teach, to aid current and future seder leaders to create sedarim as they were meant to be, an exciting first-person reenactment of our collective story. It matters not if we have heard the story before. Each year we bring new experience, new knowledge to the seder.  Each year we are new, and our relation to our story and our people is new. Therefore, even if all of us are wise, with knowledge and understanding of the Torah, we are still obligated to discuss, teach, and learn the story of the exodus from Egypt.

This presents us with a challenge. How are we to prevent the rote repetition of the Pesach story? When our children are you they bring questions. The seder itself is designed for this. Strange practices make us wonder. But by the time we reach our teen years they seem old hat, just part of the ritual. Our challenge is to make the seder new each year, not just for our children, but for us all.

The seder is not a static ritual, but a living text. We all know the parameters. We begin our sedarim with them each year. Kadesh, Orchatz, Karpas, Yachatz, Magid, Rochtza, Motzi Matzah, Maror, Korech, Shulchan Orech, Tzafon, Barech, Hallel, Nirtza. Rather than worrying about the rote repetition of the words, follow the steps. Tell the story through your actions. Explain the required symbols[i] and discuss what they mean to you today. Make the seder your own.

Songs, questions, art, news stories, and more can make the seder real for each of us. Our music changes each year. There are the traditional songs, from Had Gadya to the Ballad of the Four Sons, but there are also songs that represent us. We sing labour movement songs. Hallel changes. We have used Jewish and Israeli music, Broadway show tunes, and Disney songs. We have consulted with guests to find out their favourites, and invited them to bring their own songs and stories. 

Each year we buy a new haggadah. They come from the full range of Jewish experience, from around the world and throughout history. We find new ideas and inspiration from these haggadot. We begin to pull them out after Purim, and mark pages or make notes. Last week I found a note I had written over ten years ago. It spoke to me, and I will bring it to our seder.

The story of the exodus is our formative Myth.[ii] It makes us who we are as a people. It is a story that we should live and breathe. It should make us proud and make us wonder.

---

[i] Rabban Gamliel used to say, “anyone who does not discuss the three Pesach symbols has not fulfilled his/her obligation: they are Pesach, Matzah, and Maror.”

[ii] Not myth as in fable, but Myth meaning a traditional origin story embodying a particular idea or ideal in a culture.

Entertainment That's Not Garbage

How is it that shows like Emily Owens and Zero Hour get cancelled and pulled, whiled Celebrity Wife Swap is going strong?  I don't really need an answer.  I understand.  These shows force the viewer to use his/her brain.

First it was Off The Map.  Then Combat Hospital, a show that addressed real issues in a thought provoking way.  Emily Owens was a show I could watch with my kids without too much horror.  Zero Hour requires an educated audience.  We need to understand and be interested in Christian theology.  It's not that viewers needed to be believers, but they did need to be able to follow the theology presented.  The more educated you are in this area, the better the show is going to be.
I am a TV addict.  I love TV.  I love to unwind with something that thinks for me.  The key here is "thinks."  I don't want mindless drivel.  I don't want reality TV that has nothing to do with reality.  I don't mind dark, but there needs to be a reason and purpose behind the darkness.

Enough with the hours of doing all sorts of things "with the stars."  If they were really stars they wouldn't have time for these shows.  Stop the madness and give me something good!

Thank you for listening to my rant.

I now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.

Everything Is Beautiful At The Ballet

Keren and I attended the ballet Tuesday night.  It was a surprise birthday gift for us both from Sean.  He handed me an envelope with directions and an address written on the outside, and told us how to dress.  I had figured out the surprise was the ballet.  So had Keren, but she didn't know for sure until we arrived.

The ballet was Romeo and Juliet.  We dressed up, took the subway, and headed to the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.  Our seats were high but with good sight-lines.  We brought antique opera glasses (okay, not quite antique, but really old).  We discussed the challenges of converting a play to a ballet, of converting words to dance.

She asked why people were applauding before anything started.  I pointed out the conductor coming to his podium.  As the music began, the smile on her face was amazing.  She was lit up.  As the curtain rose, she leaned forward to catch every bit.  I tend to watch a bit of everything.  I am fascinated by staging and costumes.  To see ballet in heavy dresses and robes is interesting.  Of course Lady Capulet cannot be expected to leap and twirl.  She's much too refined for that.  Romeo was well cast, capturing his youth and impetuousness.

Beyond the dance, there were other fun pieces.  Keren enjoyed the architecture of the Four Seasons Centre.  She wanted to walk through what she called "the tunnel."  I took her down to the first floor for a snack at the first intermission.  She got a Coke in a small but classic bottle.  On the way back upstairs, she saw people eating Haagen Daz bars.  "Eema, can I get ice cream?"  "Keren, we have ice cream at home."  "Yeah, but not chocolate covered and on a stick," she said with eyes wide.  On such a special night, how could I say no.

Wednesday Keren slept in.  She missed school.  It was worth it.  We'd never want school to get in the way of her education.

I also asked Gavi if he wanted to see Romeo and Juliet.  He said yes to the play, but no to the ballet.  "All that music and dancing, it just makes me crazy."  Not sure what that means, but I think it's a no.

It's My Turn #15, by Nora T. Cat

To set the record straight...  I do not attack Gandalf.  I am being perfectly nice.  I think a bath before bed is very relaxing.  Everyone likes to have his/her hair combed.  It's just like that.  But just when I get to his face, Gandalf grabs me.  I don't know what his problem is.  He never cleans his face properly.  As for the sleeping spots, mine is the bottom left corner of the bed.  It's close enough to watch over the people, but out of kicking range.  It's also the spot where the air currents from the two floor heating/cooling vents cross, making it perfect all year round.  Gandalf is just wrong about me wanting to steal his spot.  I am better than that.  He's just cranky because his diet isn't working.  Hah!  I said it, even if he won't admit it.

And really, nothing is lurking in the blankets.  Just go to sleep.

Kitty Blog #13, By Gandalf the Grey

There has been some talk in the house lately about my sleeping habits.  First off, I want Sean to stop calling me a floozy.  I do not sleep around.  It is my solemn role to check on all the people in my house each night.  If this means jumping on a bed for a little while... tough.

I do a room-to-room check every night.  First Keren.  She's the first in bed.  She can't sleep unless she's petted me.  It calms her, and makes for a peaceful night.  I try to be back with her in the morning so she's comforted when she gets up.  It helps since she is not a morning person.

Second, I go to Gavi.  He's usually reading by headlamp.  He reads until 10:45 each night.  I try to remind him when it's time to turn off his flashlight, but sometimes he's in the middle of a chapter, and he just has to finish.  Usually just walking into his room is enough, but I'm not above jumping on his bed if I have to.  Third, I check on Jesse.  He's never ready for bed when he should be, so I usually just do a look-in, and come back later.  Then on to Jen and Sean.  They have a really large bed, and it has to be checked to make sure it's safe.  I check out the whole thing.  Who knows what might be lurking in those blankets.  If Jen and Sean want to scratch my head or back, okay.  It's good for them. My regular settling place is between Jen and Sean.  That way I can watch them both.  As the night goes on, I move to Jen's legs to avoid being squished in the night.  Lately, Nora has been coming to hog my sleep space.  She's sneaky.  She comes and cuddles.  Then, she grooms me like she wants to be friends, but NO, that leads to an attack trying to get me out of my space.  Usually Jen kicks us at this point.  I don't know what her problem is.  After all, it's my sleeping space Nora is trying to steal.  Anyway, to avoid this I've been sleeping on Sean's other side.  Nora never cares about sleeping there.  I miss my favourite spot, but not the kicking.

By the way Sean, I don't snore.

It's No Worse Than Kissing

If you get grossed out easily, stop reading now.

On the scale of gross, this is really not even close, but you never know how people feel.  So, if you're worried, stop reading.

Okay, warnings aside.

I hate sleep deprivation.  You've already heard about Saturday night's lack of sleep.  Sunday afternoon was a family and friends event.  Sunday night was a MERCAZ-Canada event.  Monday night was another MERCAZ-Canada event followed by a late dinner.  Tuesday night was the ballet with Keren.  More on that later.  Wednesday night was kick-boxing followed by students at the house.  Add in how messed up Daylight Saving Time makes me, and I am a sleep-deprived mess.

But forget that I feel like I have a hangover every morning.  Forget the difficulty in focus, the dizziness and nausea that takes over at times like this.  Forget that in just over 50 words I have hit the delete key almost 25 times.  Oh wait, I just hit it three times in the last three words ("almost 25 times").  REALLY?!

Now the gross part...

This morning I dragged my ass out of bed (I started to write tush, but felt it was missing the oomph.).  I wanted to wear comfy, lounging around clothes, but my conscious mind worked its way through the fog (after snooze for 20 minutes) to remind me that I have two meetings today, and need to look at least human, and hopefully professional.  I found clothes.  I actually had to turn on the light, which made me cringe.  I managed to get dressed, although it took three tries to get my right leg into my slacks.  Keren & I could not find her sneakers.  She finally wore a different pair of shoes.  By the way, they're in the kitchen, and not even under the table.  I burnt my hand, not once, not twice, but three times getting by slightly overdone (damn it was a good NY bagel) bagel out of the toaster oven.  (Really, how hard is that?)

Finally I went to brush my teeth.  All was going well.  Two minutes with my fancy tooth brush.  It turned off, and I reached to replace it in its holder.  As I reached out I saw that the toothbrush still in the holder was...  MINE.  EEEEEWWWWW!  In my sleep-deprived state I had grabbed Sean's toothbrush.  This despite the fact that I have painted a large "J" on mine and a large "S" on Sean's in nail polish.  Yuck.

Oh well, when you think about it, it's really no worse than kissing.

Don't Patronize Me When It's Partly Your Fault

I am tired.  Not just sort of tired, but down to the bone, feeling like I'm hung over tired.  If you've read my entry on Daylight Saving Time, you know that is part of the problem.  The second part of the problem comes from Keren's birthday party.  It was Saturday night, and it was a slumber party.  Of course there was little slumber invoved.  Still that is not what makes me tired.  What makes me tired is that Sean ditched.  He completely and totally ditched his responsibility for this party.  I did the shopping for the party.  I did the cooking for the party.  Oh wait, he did order the pizza.  I served the pizza.  I started the girls cleaning up, and shooed them to the den for a movie.  He tried to make a shiva call Saturday night, but the family got up from shiva early.  When we discovered that we were short on eggs and milk for Sunday during the party, I went to the supermarket.  I filled the completely empty gas tank, standing outside in the cold before I could go to the market.  I schlepped the bags back in.  Sean had finished clearing the table.  I wiped it down.  Sean went to bed.  I prepped the baked french toast for breakfast.  I set up the ice cream sundae bar.  I served ice cream.  I sent the girls back to the den, and finished cleaning the kitchen.  I stayed up (especially since I am a light sleeper) until 4:00 AM reminding the girls that they needed to be a little quieter.  They were playing caterpillar wrestling at 3:30.  I got up a 7:40 to make breakfast and bake Keren's cake.  Sean had decided to go to minyan (important for a rabbi, but not actually in his job description, and he usually takes off for birthday parties.)  I woke the girls, and woke them again, and woke them again.  I fed them, lit candles, took pictures, got them to gather their stuff, rolled sleeping bags, and picked up after them to try to ensure they didn't leave too much behind.  I greeted parents and had Keren say goodbye.  Debbie & I cleaned up after Keren opened gifts. (Yes, Debbie was very helpful).  I gathered up and id'ed the few items left behind.  I packed them up for return.

Oh I also worked Sunday night and Monday night.

Today, so over-tired and punchy I cannot sleep, Sean patted my knee and looked at me pityingly.  Seriously?  If I'd known I had the morning, you would have taken the night shift.  This is your fault.

I am sure Sean will comment on how he's the innocent, injured party.  Please tell him it just ain't so.

Vayikra- The Yeast in the Dough

Kol hamincha asher takrivu lA-donai lo tei’aseh chametz ki chol s’or v’chol d’vash lo taktiru mimenu isheh lA-donai.

Every mincha (grain offering) that you bring to God shall not be made with leaven, for any leaven or any honey you will not offer as fire to God.     (Vayikra 2:11)

 The mincha was the meal, or flour sacrifice that was offered in the afternoon, to which our Mincha service is connected. It had to be pure grain without leaven or honey. Honey was, in the ancient world, considered a food of the pagan gods. We were meant to separate our sacrifices, which were eaten by the bearer and the kohanim, from pagan sacrifices needed to feed their gods. For this reason, honey was forbidden, but why leaven? Today we see beautifully risen loaves of bread as special. We seek large, fluffy challot for our holydays and s’machot. But in ancient times, and in our text, chametz and s’or, two kids of leaven, are seen as corruption and degradation. They are things from which we must separate ourselves.

Yeast in dough, leavening, can be enlightening and expansive. It can be a positive agitator or create a thing of beauty. Yeast transforms. Motivational speaker, Paul J. Meyer has said, “Enthusiasm is the yeast that raises the dough.” This is true.  However, leavening allowed to run unchecked creates fluff without substance.” Dough, which is leavened without the balance of salt to keep the yeast in check, will, at best, be tasteless, and will eventually collapse in upon itself. Dennis Potter, an English journalist, wrote, “A bad act done will fester and create in its own way. It’s not only goodness that creates. Bad things create. They have their own yeast.” Our tradition sees leaven as decay. It is a process that creates gas but not substance. It is not pure, and therefore, has no place in our sacrifices.

Pesach is almost upon us. On the first two days we are commanded to eat matzah, the unleavened bread that the Israelites ate. We are commanded to eat this, as our ancestors did, since they did not have time for their dough to rise. But beyond the mitzvah to eat matzah, we are commanded to remove all chametz from our homes for all eight days of Pesach. To our tables we bring only the pure, that which is without leaven, without decay. The month of Nisan is one of our new years. While we count our years from Tishrei, Nisan is the first month of the year, which is renewed each spring.  As such, it is an appropriate time for us to again look around and inward to remove impurities from our lives. But unlike Tishrei, at Nisan we seek hametz, impurity, together, as families and as a community. The search for hametz is shared, and no one need do it alone.

Together we should remember the lesson of Pesach, it is not only the hungry who need to come and eat, all who are needy should come and celebrate the Pesach with us. No one need be alone in his or her search for purity. We are supported by our families and the community around us.

An Interesting Idea for Your Seder Menu

The invasion of locusts into Israel from Egypt has chefs singing (okay, not literally.).  If you didn't know there are a number of kosher locust species.  Identifying these is a lost art among most of the Jewish community.  However, the Yemenite community has a tradition of eating locust, and can identify them.

Check out this article from the National Post, http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/03/08/invasion-of-locusts-have-israels-rabbis-asking-one-question-are-these-things-kosher/.

Are you looking for new ideas for seder.  How about a plague-themed meal?

I Hate Daylight Saving Time

I HATE DAYLIGHT SAVING!  I really do.  I have hated it for decades now.  When President Bush decided to make it longer I hated it even more.  Children cannot adapt.  Small children cannot sleep, and teens cannot wake.

Plenty on places don't even have a single day of Daylight Saving Time: Hawaii, American Samoa, most of Africa, Bahrain, Guyana, the Virgin Islands, Indonesia, Laos, Nepal, Suriname, Venezuela, most of Asia, South and Central America, Australia, parts of Arizona, and Kazakhstan.  Israel does not begin until after Pesach, and ends before the fall holidays.

Central America, South America, Asia, and most of Australia have seen the light.  They used to observe, and they have given it up.  They have realized that in our worldwide society people are not up from sunrise to sunset.  Rather than saving candle wax, we are instead, burning the candle at both ends.  We simply rise in the dark, but still stay awake beyond the light.  Conceived as a money saving measure, Daylight Saving Time no longer saves resources.

To top it off, your likelihood of having a heart attack rises 17% in the first  week following the switch (some studies say the effect lasts longer).  

*& %$&* was my first thought this morning when my alarm peeled out in the darkness.  "Why?" My brain cried out.  Where before it was light, no it is dark.  Kazakhstan did away with Daylight Saving in 2005 when it was shown that over 50% of the population reacted badly to it.  There is no excuse that we live in the north.  A 2008 Finnish study showed negative effects.  Sleep patterns are disrupted by DST, although night owls have more difficulty.

Toss in the fall and spring hagim, which no seem to begin and end in the middle of the night, and summer Shabbatot, and I crave Standard Time.

Give it up people.  Call upon our governments to pass on this ridiculous custom.  The day is the same length.  It does not change merely because we've moved the clock.

A New Year- Shabbat HaChodesh

Hachodesh hazeh lachem rosh chodashim rishon hu lachem l’chod’shei hashanah

This month will be for you the beginning of the months; it is the first month for you of the months of the year.   (Shemot 12:2)

Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 1:1 teaches that we have four new years. The first of Nisan is the new year for kings and festivals. The first of Elul is the new year for tithing animals. Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Shimon say it is the first of Tishrei. The first of Tishrei is the new year for years, for the shmittah and jubilee years, and for planting and vegetables. The first of Shevat is the new year for trees. These are the words of the House of Shammai. The House of Hillel says it is the fifteenth day. The mishnah is simple. In order to count for tithes, we need to know what the tax year is.  For animals, the fiscal year begins in Elul; for vegetables the year is counted from Tishrei. For fruit [trees] the start is Tu B’Shevat [15^th of Shevat]. We mark our years from the start of Tishrei, our present Rosh Hashanah. For kings it is a ceremonial date. We mark the anniversary of a king’s rule from the first of Nisan. We also mark our holidays from this point.

Thinking upon it, it makes sense. The first holiday of our year is not Rosh Hashanah, but Pesach. It is the holiday when we remember and celebrate God’s having brought us out of Egypt. It is the holiday that marks our formation as a nation instead of a family. From here the cycle makes sense. We are brought out of Egypt, redeemed by God. Fifty days later we stand together at Mount Sinai to receive the Torah on Shavuot. From there we recognize our people’s wandering in the wilderness at Sukkot. This is the chronological and theological path of our year. Our nationhood begins at Pesach. Each Pesach we begin anew the ultimate in bibliodrama, a re-enactment of our redemption from slavery.  As the Torah tells us, “And you shall tell your child on that day, saying, ‘It is because of that which the Lord did for me when I came forth out of Egypt.’” We do so in our foods from the seder’s ritual foods, to the dairy of Shavuot. We do so in our actions: teaching the story of the first Pesach in the first person, “what God did for ME,” eating the unleavened travel provisions and the bitter herbs. Some even put the matzah on their backs as if starting a journey or hit each other with scallions or leeks to represent the lashes of our taskmasters. We repeat this at Shavuot, remaining awake all night prepared to study this new gift of Torah from God, and again as we dwell in our sukkot, leaving the comfort of our homes to expose ourselves to the elements.

Each year we begin again. Not only at Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, looking inside and reimagining our individual selves, but again in the spring as a entire people, reconnecting to and sharing the experience with our community.

My family & I wish everyone a good year and a sweet and meaningful Pesach. Let all who are hungry come and eat. Let all who are needy come and share the Pesach with us. Our door is always open.