Today is July 27, 2026 /
Today is July 27, 2026 /
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By Aryeh Ben David Recently, an Ayeka educator proudly described her successful teenage class dynamic to me. She said that usually a third of the kids actively participate, a third sometimes participate, and a third remains on the side throughout most of their activities. I paused, took a chance, and asked her: “When you Continue Reading »
At the Seder we celebrate talking. The very name – Pesach – is referred to in the Kabbalah as “Peh-Sach”, “the mouth that talks”. Usually we understand this as the talking of the people sitting around the Seder table, reading and expanding on the words of the Haggadah. But what if the objects at the Continue Reading »
If I invited you to do a Jewish program for Passover — and asked you to please bring a mattress, a bottle of wine, and some kind of aphrodisiac — you would probably look at me askance. Maybe even consider having me investigated. But what do we do on Passover Seder night? We drink 4 glasses Continue Reading »
One of the most surprising things for me as a parent has been how different my kids are from me. I guess it was naïve – but I just thought it would have been natural for kids to be like their parents. Though one could point out that I have turned out very differently Continue Reading »
I have had a recurring nightmare for over 20 years. During reserve duty in the first intifada I was sent at night with two other soldiers into the city of Hebron. Our jeep got lost amidst the endless alleyways and twisting dead ends, and we couldn’t find our way out. We got more and more Continue Reading »
There are different kinds of broken hearts. The kind that many of us experience occurs when someone we love dies, or a close relationship breaks down. We are left with the deep emotions – and no outlet to direct or release them. The sadness can be overwhelming. But there is another kind of broken heart. Continue Reading »
We are right now in the midst of the journey from Passover to Shavuot. If Pesach is our moment of physical courage, Shavuot is our moment of spiritual courage. Shavuot is an encounter with God’s presence. How would you feel if you were told, “Next week you will have the most powerful life-changing spiritual experience of your life?” Continue Reading »
A friend of mine once aptly said: “A family vacation is really just relocation, but without all of your stuff that makes your life easier.” And after our recent jaunt down to Orlando to introduce our daughter to her grandmother, I realized just how right she was. Seeing the family was a hit, seeing this as our vacation, however, Continue Reading »
