Author Archives: Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

Spying in the Land of Israel

Posted on June 16, 2017 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

The Torah portions in the middle of the Book of Numbers are, for me, possibly the greatest gift the Torah has given us. Those are the portions of the biggest mess-ups of our People. And yet, without them, what would … Continue reading →

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shabbat shalom: going up, with a friend

Posted on June 8, 2017 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

יא  וַיְהִי בַּשָּׁנָה הַשֵּׁנִית, בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִי–בְּעֶשְׂרִים בַּחֹדֶשׁ; נַעֲלָה, הֶעָנָן, מֵעַל, מִשְׁכַּן הָעֵדֻת. 11 And it came to pass in the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth day of the month, that the cloud was taken up from … Continue reading →

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(Some) counting is a sign of love

Posted on May 26, 2017 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

This week we’re starting the Book of Numbers. As is obvious from its (English) name, we will hear a lot of numbers. Each tribe will be counted. And counted again. Why? Who cares if the tribe of Judah had 74,600 … Continue reading →

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Still crazy after all these years…

Posted on May 22, 2017 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

We’re six years old and the school year is almost over. 1st grade: a red backpack on my back, a lunch pack hanging from my neck. A tight pin in my hair. T-shirt. Maybe shorts, or a skirt. “Comfortable” shoes. … Continue reading →

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משונה נחלה זו מכל נחלות שבעולם

Posted on May 19, 2017 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

Lunch time at Yeshivat Maharat. A very pluralistic group of women and men of all ages and Jewish denominations walks into our beit midrash (study). I walk a bit closer and say a very Israeli, “shalom”! They are surprised: “Shalom??” … Continue reading →

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Say What?? Parashat “Emor”

Posted on May 12, 2017 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

In a Torah portion that gives us a list of all the Biblical holidays, and shares more details regarding the holiness of the priestly service, the last story – in Leviticus 24 – seems completely out of place. A man, … Continue reading →

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On the Miracle of Pesach Sheni, Second Chances & My Father’s Yahrzeit

Posted on May 7, 2017 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

Pesach Sheni – literally 2nd Passover – addresses people who missed the 1st Pesach. When it was time to bring the Pascal offering, they were unavailable, either because they were “ritually impure through contact with a dead body, or away … Continue reading →

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A Vignette, a “Full-Moon” & Trees

Posted on May 4, 2017 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

Vignettes: I think I have finally moved to NY… My proof? a phone call with some service (bank? phone? who knows-) who asked for my address: “What city? Can you spell it? State please? Can you spell that?” My patience … Continue reading →

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Yom Hazikaron: Remembering – במותם ציוו לנו את החיים

Posted on April 30, 2017 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

As kids we were taught early on to give up our seat on public bus for an older person, but, as the story goes, when my brother, about four or five years old at the time, was told to get … Continue reading →

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Everywhere I go… * …לכל מקום שאני הולך

Posted on April 28, 2017 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

Long ago (and far away, as it turns out), when I was teaching 4th grade, we got into some amazingly deep conversations. One of them was about the Jewish People and the Land of Israel. We talked about how this … Continue reading →

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