Religious Life

"To whom shall I turn when the clouds of the present eclipse the rays of tomorrow?... I enter the sanctuary, again, to await the echo of your promise. — Rabbi Harold from “When I Cry”

Parshat Sh’lach Lecha, Numbers 13:2

Parshat Naso, Numbers 4:21–7:89

Parshats Behar-Bechukotai; Leviticus 25:1–26:2, Leviticus 26:3–27:34

Parshat Acharei-Kedoshim, Leviticus 16:1-20:27

Parshat Shemini, Leviticus 9:1–11:47

Passover

While I love Passover, I find breakfast the most challenging meal during the holiday of unleavened bread. Removing foods made with flour and grains from breakfast menus means digging deep into the creative side of my brain.

In the Friday night Kiddush we recite at the Shabbat table every week, there is a phrase that is puzzling at best, nonsensical at worst: “Blessed are You … Who has sanctified us ... gave us His holy Sabbath … a remembrance of creation.” So far, so good. Observance of the Sabbath is a reenactment of creation, where the Creator worked on the world for six days and rested on the seventh. We, too, work for six days and rest on the seventh — a remembrance of creation. But then we continue, “For that day is … a memorial of the Exodus from Egypt.”

Preparing the Seder plate can seem overwhelming, but it needn’t be.

Parshat Vayakhel-Pikudei, Exodus 35:1–38:20

Parshat Ki Tisa, Exodus 30:11–34:35

Parshat Ki Tisa, Exodus 30:11–34:35

In keeping with the spirit of Purim, perhaps the most irreverent of Jewish holidays, the Chabad of the East Valley’s CTeen program is going to bake what it is dubbing “America’s Largest Hamantash” on Feb. 27. Though Jewish News was unable to confirm if the hamantashen will be the largest in the U.S., with an estimated cooked weight of at least 11 pounds, it’s safe to say it will be one huge pastry.

Just one week after passing a controversial law criminalizing phrases indicating Polish responsibility for crimes against Jews during the Holocaust, Poland’s ruling party has sponsored a new bill including a clause that would criminalize kosher meat slaughter. If the law is passed, anyone found guilty of slaughtering animals in accordance with traditional Jewish practice would face a prison sentence of up to four years.

After many long hours of fundraising and more than a year of construction work, the Phoenix Mikvah held its grand opening this past weekend. Members of the greater Phoenix community were able to tour the new state-of-the-art facility and learn more about it. Guests in attendance — most of them from Orthodox congregations — came from all over to celebrate.

Parshat Mishpatim, Exodus 21:1–24:18

Parshat Beshalach, Exodus 13:17–17:16

Whether it is bearing fruit, cleaning the air or protecting us from an oppressive sun, the value of trees — and nature itself — has long been recognized by the Jewish people.

The Masorti (Conservative) Movement in Israel, the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism, and the Women of the Wall prayer rights group brought a petition to Israel’s High Court of Justice in an effort to force the expansion of the existing egalitarian prayer section at the Western Wall.

ParshaH Va’eira, Exodus 6:2–9:35

A group of 196 North Americans landed in Israel this week on a flight chartered by the Nefesh B’Nefesh (NBN) aliyah agency, bringing the total number of immigrants to the Jewish state from that continent to 3,633 this year.

Rabbi Reuven Mann’s new book, “Eternally Yours: God’s Greatest Gift To Mankind,” explores the meaning — psychological and spiritual — embedded in the second book of the Pentateuch, Exodus or Shemot.

Parshat Vayechi, Exodus 1:1–6:1