Originally posted on joe wolfson:
There is currently a state of emergency in New York with a snow blizzard keeping everyone in doors. So here are three shiurim on Parshat Shemot to help you all pass the time learning Torah. 1. Introducing Shemot – What’s In A Name – An introd uction to the book of…
Category: Shabbat
Poetry and Baking – a Perfect Blend
December 26, in memory of my late husband, who loved poetry and was the first to introduce me, an ordinary Soviet school girl to the names of Severyanin, Mandelshtam, Balmont, Galich, and many others, I hosted a poetry evening at my house. We were fortunate to have a reading evening with Yehoshua November, who represents quite an…
Vayeishev – וישב
As usual, I am bringing you a couple of commentaries on this week’s Parshah that I like: Dr. Ackerman brings a very unusual commentary: “About that time Judah left his brothers and camped near a certain Adullamite whose name was Chira.” (Genesis 38:1) Parashat Vayeshev introduces the Joseph saga. Joseph infuriates his brothers with his arrogance…
From Bread to Bed
This is our life. One can never definitely say what is going to happen tomorrow. Remember from Bulgakov: “для того, чтобы управлять, нужно, как-никак, иметь точный план на некоторый, хоть сколько-нибудь приличный срок. ” (in order to manage, you need, after all, to have an exact plan for some, at least some decent time.) ?…
Vayishlach וישלח
This Shabbat, again, I am bringing you two of the commentaries that I enjoy: “Jacob set up a monument over her grave; it is the monument of Rachel’s grave until today.” (Genesis 35:20) Parashat Vayishlach describes Jacob’s return home to Canaan and his encounter with his estranged brother, Esau, twenty years after their falling out. There’s…
Vayeitzei וַיֵּצֵא יַעֲקֹב, מִבְּאֵר שָׁבַע; וַיֵּלֶךְ, חָרָנָה
Today, again I am bringing you the D’var on Parshat Vayeitei from my colleague, Dr. Ackerman: “Early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on the top of it.” (Genesis 28:18) Parashat Vayeitzei describes Jacob’s…
Weirdly Healthy Shabbat Cake
A while ago I saw a recipe somewhere that caught my eye. It was a date cake with very little flour and no sugar at all. I decided to give it a try with my own little twist, of course. I love dates! What could be better for a Shabbat than your ancestral food? Plus,…
My Dairy Shabbat Pasta
Staying home on Friday night (no complaint here, so tired by the end of the week, I prefer to stay home on Shabbat night until the time changes) I am always looking for a quick, easy, one dish Shabbat dinner that is still nice. On top of this, I LOVE pasta! All this gluten-free stuff…
Parshat ha Shavuah Verses Nitzavim-Vayelech / נִצָּבִים-וַיֵּלֶךְ
I am starting this post with tribulation. The reason is that I am not at all sure that the minor event that happened yesterday would be as distressing to my readers as it was to me. I am really curious to see by reactions to this post if I am living in a dreamland, or…
Parshat ha Shavuah Verses – Ki Tavo /כִּי-תָבוֹא
We are commanded to bring the first fruits of our labor “unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to cause His name to dwell there” and speak to our Gd: י וְעַתָּה, הִנֵּה הֵבֵאתִי אֶת-רֵאשִׁית פְּרִי הָאֲדָמָה, אֲשֶׁר-נָתַתָּה לִּי, יְהוָה; וְהִנַּחְתּוֹ, לִפְנֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוִיתָ, לִפְנֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ. 10 And now, behold, I have…
Parshat ha Shavuah Verses Shoftim / שֹׁפְטִים
People think about different things when their minds drift away from the task at hand. Being super busy now at work, I somehow still always manage to find my way to Israel in my mind. And today I am missing it so much it hurts. Maybe one of the reasons is that here, in the…
Noshing Across the Nation 