Author Archives: Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

Thoughts on Pesach Cleaning and Tzav; Shabbat Hagadol and even The Elections

Posted on March 27, 2015 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

Pesach is here, and with it, the cleaning panic. Everywhere I look there is “stuff”, and in every bit of the stuff, there could be chametz!! The prospect is daunting. It seems like we should spend every wakeful second with … Continue reading →

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Start Learning Here?

Posted on March 20, 2015 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

Imagine: you are about the start teaching Torah in kindergarten, and you have to pick where to start them. Which story would it be? Abraham’s journey, Rachel at the well, Joseph’s coat, Miriam watching Moses gloating in the basket, perhaps … Continue reading →

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Getting Together

Posted on March 13, 2015 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

What is the goal of a journey? To see places, to acquire new experiences? If we look at the Book of Exodus in its totality, maybe it’s all about connecting. We started with shmot, “names”, a list of separated individuals, … Continue reading →

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More Than Israel Kept Shabbat…

Posted on March 7, 2015 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

After spending long chapters in measuring beams, building tables, preparing coatings of gold, fashioning a lamp and other details such as tying loops around the curtains, making olive oil and sewing fancy clothing for the Priest, the Torah portion os … Continue reading →

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Tetzave 2015

Posted on February 28, 2015 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

It is the closing ceremony / party of my daughter’s Garin Tzabar. Garin Tzabar – literally translated as “cactus seed” – is a platform created by the Israeli Scouts, Jewish Agency and others, to accommodate young Jews from around the … Continue reading →

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Traveling Light, Going Up

Posted on February 19, 2015 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

We often refer to Abraham as the “first monotheist”, erroneously, I might add. First, we have no such word in Hebrew – מאמין באל אחד so that should make us already suspicious as to its origin, and second, we might … Continue reading →

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When is Jewish Valentine Day?

Posted on February 13, 2015 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

Valentine Day is coming up and the world has filled with red roses, fluffy teddy-bears and little cute chocolates, so that once a year we can “celebrate love”. Once a year is definitely better than none, and once a year, … Continue reading →

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Now my mom, that’s a whole different story

Posted on February 12, 2015 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

After caring for my father for four years, she only wanted one thing: when the time comes, to drop dead, without prolonged suffering for herself and those around her. She would run into an acquaintance in the street and they’d … Continue reading →

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Us & Them: The Torah portion of Yitro

Posted on February 5, 2015 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

“And Yitro heard … and he came to Moses” (Exodus 18:1). There are only six Torah portions named after people: Sarah and 5 men, half of them are Jewish and half (at least initially -) not. We meet one of … Continue reading →

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Shabbat Shira, Shabbat Shalom

Posted on January 30, 2015 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

When people would approach Abraham Joshua Heschel and ask, how to start “doing more Jewish”, he would say, light Shabbat candles. This was just one the moving anecdotes shared by his daughter, Susana Heschel, a professor of Jewish Studies in … Continue reading →

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