Simplify & Soar – 10 – TEVET
SIMPLIFY & SOAR 2022 /5873 TEVET Hod: Humility and Devotion, Joshua, and the Color Saffron O Lord, how […]
Simplify and Soar – 11 – SH’VAT
Yesod: Connection and Bonding, Joseph, and the Color Brown Breath, which I draw in, from You it comes, Light in my eyes, from you it alights, Advice which I follow, it is grounded in You, My spirit, no matter what obstacles it encounters, beholds You, and yields. ~ Yehudah HaLevi (A singer of Zion, born […]
Simplify & Soar – 9- (KISLEV) Endurance, Moshe and Purple
KISLEV – NETZACH, MOSHE, AND THE COLOR PURPLE “When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple, with a red hat which doesn’t go and doesn’t suit me.” ~ Jenny Joseph Welcome to Kislev – a month of wonder, light, miracles and inspiration. It falls in Israel, and the Northern hemisphere, at the darkest, […]
Hanukkah – How To Celebrate
Ancient Jewish writings describe a delightful exchange between God and His people: ISRAEL: God, You illuminated the whole universe and then tell us to light the menorah?GOD: The little lights of your menorah are more precious to me than the lights of all the stars I have placed in the sky. For You light my […]
Hanukkah Reads
photo credit: Juniper Books As the flickering lights of Hanukkah invite us into their warmth and holiness, it feels like the most natural thing in the world to cuddle up with a good book together with those we love. Reading together has been part of my family’s celebrations for years and many of the reads I recommend […]
Hanukkah – Seeing the Light
Hanukkah is the only feast that originated in the land of Israel.Pesach originated in Egypt; Purim in Persia; Shavuot and Sukkot in the wilderness. Hanukkah, however, happened Poh – פה – here, in Israel. The Holy Temple was cleansed and rededicated and the miracle of the menorah lights occurred. Light broke in and overcame the […]
Simplify & Soar – 8 – (CHESHVAN) Tiferet – Compassion; Jacob; and the Color Green
After the whirl of the Fall Feasts in Tishrei, Cheshvan is a welcome quiet month. ‘Mar’ means ‘bitter’ in Hebrew, and the month sometimes is called MarCheshvan because there are no biblical feasts in it at all. This proves to be a blessing in disguise, however, because it provides us with the opportunity to slow […]
Simchat Torah – Joy of Torah
A JOYOUS NEW BEGINNING The conclusion of the annual Torah reading cycle at this time and the immediate beginning of the cycle for the next year is the central reason and focus of the holiday of Simchat Torah. An old gate is closing and a new one is opening. We celebrate the new beginning and the […]
Simplify & Soar – 7 – (Tishrei) Gevurah – Discipline, Yitzchak – Isaac, and the color Red.
Shalom dear fellow-learners, A blessing is not said for Rosh Chodesh Tishrei because the month is overshadowed, as it were, by the glory of Rosh HaShanah – the start of a new Hebrew calendar year. Nevertheless, Tishrei is a very special and holy month. It is bursting with festivals, just as the pomegranate – the […]
Sukkot – Feast of Tabernacles – Part 1
SUKKOT – SEASON OF OUR JOY – A HARVEST FEAST ~ Keren Hannah As we approach the week-long festival of Sukkot [soo-koht], we are aware that the seasons are changing. Summer is slowly but surely giving way to the cooler nights and days of Fall. We are reminded that time is divided into years and each […]
Sukkot – Part 2 – The Four Species
THE FOUR SPECIES After the sukkah, the most visible elements associated with the celebration of the festival of Sukkot are the Arba Minim, the Four Species. While the sukkah is a reminder of the temporary nature of our journey and the need for God’s supernatural provision and protection in the wilderness, the four species are […]
Simplify & Soar – 6 – (ELUL) – Lovingkindness, Avraham, and the Color Blue
For the next seven months we will be taking a closer look at the seven core attributes or character traits, and will be making a connection with a biblical character and one of the seven colors! As human beings created in the image of God we are designed to reflect His attributes. Just as He […]
Simplify and Soar – 5 – (Av) Self Care
Finally, in the midst of winter,I discovered in myself an invincible summer. ~ Albert Camus Self care necessarily needs to be applied and undertaken in the four major area of life: the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.Let us recognize straight off that self-care is not a selfish pursuit but is vitally important if we are […]
Simplify and Soar – 4 – Surrender (Tammuz)
Summer teaches us love of life and pity for the falling flower. ~ Jill Hammer When I first considered the topic for this month of Tammuz, I must admit I felt rather hesitant and dubious. Surrender seems to have a negative aspect to it. Surrender. Quit! Give up! But, as I have given it more […]
The Three Weeks – 17 Tammuz to Tisha B’Av
Bein HaMetzarim – In the Narrow Straits Adapted, with thanks, from article in HaMizrachi Parsha Weekly: Parshat Matot 2022 Worth a read. May the Final Geulah / Redemption come quickly. BEATINGS OR BLOSSOMS? Rabbanit Shani Taragin (Educational Director, World Mizrachi) During the twenty-one days “Bein HaMetzarim” (In the Narrow Straits) between the 17th Tammuz (17th […]