Author Archives: Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

Lovingly passing over, hopping and skipping

The Hebrew word “aviv”, spring, sounds almost the same as “be’ahava”, with love, and is identical in its gymatria. Just a coincidence? We might never know. It’s up to us to choose what we want to see. That too, is … Continue reading

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Seder Pesach in Bnai Brak Hills

It’s almost a regular seder. There is matza and grape juice, a lovely tablecloth and a beautiful seder plate, traditional hagadot and yummy food waiting. As the sun peaks in through the barred windows, it’s time to sit down and … Continue reading

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Melting our hesitations by the fire

This week’s Torah portion, Parashat Tzav, holds the middle point of the verses in the Torah, in the heart of the Book of Leviticus. Leviticus, Vayikra, is the only book whose name begins with a vav – a letter which … Continue reading

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You got a call… ויקרא

It’s Sunday morning and I’m invited to a breakfast where dear friends are the honorees of the FHBA. In my rush to get out (especially with the time change), I didn’t read the fine print to learn more about “HFBA”. … Continue reading

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Dy Vehoter – Enough & Too much

Penn Station Saturday night. Delayed trains due to weekend storms. A greatly excited crowd, many kipot, skirts and Hebrew, heading to Washington DC. 18,000 people; 4000 of whom are students. Many thousands square feet of meeting rooms. 50 solid hours … Continue reading

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Light and shadow continues

Purim in prison: once again, we head north to Bedford Hills Correctional Facility to celebrate Purim and read Megilat Esther with the women there. When we enter, we’re informed that there is a package for ‘us’: the New York Board … Continue reading

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Dressing up!

What is it about our clothing? For the High Priest in this week’s Torah portion, תצוה Tetzave, it is quite a production with 8 pieces of garments he was to wear when serving in the Mishkan and later, in the … Continue reading

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Celebrating Confusion

The Torah portion of Teruma seems like quite the opposite of upcoming holiday of Purim (more below): there’s a list of materials and clear instructions how to build something very precise and specific. And still, even there, where everything is … Continue reading

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G-d is in the Details

At the end of the day, it’s all about the details. But, look at the big picture! I do, and when I look at it really, really closely, I see that it’s made of lots and lots of tiny little … Continue reading

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I’ll ask her in the morning…

On the day of her funeral, the sun was shining and the sky was a clear, blue. Funerals’ weather somehow is always meaningful, whether “the sky is crying” or not. For my mom’s, it was a glorious spring day, one … Continue reading

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