Author Archives: Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

The middle letter of the Torah is….

Posted on April 2, 2016 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

The middle letter in the Torah is in this week’s reading, and is a Vav. It appears in the word gachon (belly) in Leviticus 11:42. A Torah scroll writer is called a sofer”, which literally means ‘someone who counts’. I … Continue reading →

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Holy Trash

Posted on March 26, 2016 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

The whole idea of “sacrifices”… I can make sense of it etymologically, finding some meaning in the fact that “korban” (sacrifice) comes from k.r.v., “coming close”, and I do believe that the two are related; that becoming “close” can be … Continue reading →

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These Days of Purim: 3 shorts on a holiday that doesn’t make much sense

Posted on March 24, 2016 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

There is a word missing from Esther 5:1. It says, “and Esther wore royalties’ – ותלבש אסתר מלכות. Shouldn’t it have said, that she wore royal garments? But rather, she wore royalty itself. According to the Malbim (European commentator of … Continue reading →

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To Remember & Forget

Posted on March 19, 2016 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

I step out of my neighbor’s house and something about the evening air, angle of dim streetlights, and the general silence around, reminds me of the last time I was on the same stone steps. Back then, this past fall, … Continue reading →

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On Clothing and more

Posted on March 12, 2016 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

“Write down 5 of your identities”, asked the speaker, “the first 5 that come to mind”. What shall I write? What makes me who I am? I scribble one, then two, then think. 5 is surely not enough to describe … Continue reading →

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Building a Mishkan- in time and space

Posted on March 5, 2016 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

95% of couples get together due to a simple musical chairs game. You’re out there playing, dancing around and suddenly, the music stops, and this is it. You could have been fishing in Alaska, hiking in Nepal, diving near Bali, … Continue reading →

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Moses’ Ikea Tablets

Posted on February 27, 2016 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

In our “Lessons in Leadership” class, I ask my students: Was it ok for Moses to break the Tablets? At first they are shocked that I would even ask such a question. The incident of the Golden Calf is often … Continue reading →

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“Take pure olive oil”…

Posted on February 20, 2016 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

Drawing trees as a child, mine were all two dimensional green ball on a brown stick. With time I added little orange circles on the green tuft. Inspired by my grandparents home in the moshav, I also specialized in green … Continue reading →

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A Spotlight on a Family Reunion

Posted on February 18, 2016 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

About 2½ years ago, I got the first email. It had a lot of “maternal” and “paternal” in it, and a string of family relations I could not follow. The writer told me that he’s been looking for me since … Continue reading →

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Teruma: Constructing the Menorah, and Life

Posted on February 12, 2016 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

Sometimes I think my students leave my class more confused than they walked in. We talk about Moses’ leadership traits and delve into the story of the Golden Calf (to be read in a couple of weeks). As we recall, … Continue reading →

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