Author Archives: Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

In Darkness and in Light

Posted on January 23, 2015 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

It’s told about king Solomon that when he was a young boy, his teacher said to him,’I’ll give you an apple if you tell me where is G-d’, ‘and little king Solomon, who already was the wisest of all people, … Continue reading →

Posted in life and some, shabbat shalom, פרשת השבוע לחילוני האדוק | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Why Moses?

Posted on January 9, 2015 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

Maybe it’s the Torah’s way of warning us how easy it is to go “down”, for within just a few verses, life has changed very dramatically! No longer in the Land of Israel, we’re living in Egypt; no longer a … Continue reading →

Posted in life and some, shabbat shalom, פרשת השבוע לחילוני האדוק | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Had my father been alive… (גם בעברית, אחרי התמונות)

Posted on January 6, 2015 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

Had my father been alive, today would have been his 95th birthday. Because of the magic of the calendar (95 being 19X5), this is both his Gregorian and Hebrew day: January 6th, the full moon of the month of Tevet. … Continue reading →

Posted in life and some, סיפורים קצרים | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Lessons from the first expat, Joseph Jacob-son

Posted on January 1, 2015 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

Joseph is the first expat. Different from his great-grandpa Abraham, who was born in the diaspora and made aliya; different from his father Jacob who went to exile for a few years, got himself together, and actually came back, Joseph … Continue reading →

Posted in life and some, shabbat shalom, פרשת השבוע לחילוני האדוק | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Joseph, write home!

Posted on December 26, 2014 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

The meet up between Judah and Joseph can be reminiscent of other brotherly meetings: Isaac and Yishma’el come to bury Abraham; Jacob and Esau meet on the road after twenty years apart. But in all other cases, the brother meet … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

ReJewvenate @ Pardes

Posted on December 23, 2014 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

Originally posted on Torah & more… תורה ועוד:
“ReJewvenate @ Pardes” is an opportunity for someone in the 40 plus age group who has not experienced immersive Jewish learning, to receive a grant from reJewvenate for Pardes’ three weeks summer program. With…

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Light One Candle II: The Blinding Power of Hatred

Posted on December 18, 2014 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

How come the brothers didn’t recognize Joseph? On occasion I run into a past student of mine, then in grade school and now a young adult. They obviously have changed, and yet, it doesn’t take long before we go, ‘Oh … Continue reading →

Posted in life and some, shabbat shalom, פרשת השבוע לחילוני האדוק | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Light One Candle: On Joseph and Hanukkah

Posted on December 12, 2014 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

It might be no wonder that when Jacob meets Pharaoh in 2 Torah portions, Jacob will tell him: “… few and unhappy have been the years of my life…” (Genesis 47:8-9). The reading this week begins with the words Vayeshev, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

ReJewvenate @ Pardes

Posted on December 7, 2014 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

“ReJewvenate @ Pardes” is an opportunity for someone in the 40 plus age group who has not experienced immersive Jewish learning, to receive a grant from reJewvenate for Pardes’ three weeks summer program. With the support of generous donors, we … Continue reading →

Posted in life and some | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

katonti – קטונתי – and Jacob’s split life

Posted on December 5, 2014 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

A couple of years ago, Israeli dance choreographer Oren Ashkenazi choreographed the beautiful and by now famous dance “Katonti”. The words for the song, sung by Yonatan Raz’el are said to be “from the sources”, min hamekorot. Those “sources” happen … Continue reading →

Posted in life and some, shabbat shalom, פרשת השבוע לחילוני האדוק | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments