Category Archives: Uncategorized

Day 7: A Shot of Patriotism Straight to the Vein

Posted on August 22, 2016 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

When my kids we young(er), we used to read the “Christmas Menorah”, the true story of a 1993 Billings Montana incident, when a brick was thrown through the bedroom window of a 5-year-old Jewish boy, displaying a menorah. Horrified, committed … Continue reading →

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Shabbat Nachamu – The Shabbat of Comfort: “Discovering America”, part I

Posted on August 20, 2016 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

I’ve been living in this country for more than 30 years. Yes. I know that’s hard to believe, especially with me being 29 and all, and yet. More than 30 years, and so much I have not seen, especially in … Continue reading →

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Shabbat Chazon – the Shabbat of vision and looking ahead

Posted on August 13, 2016 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

You might have seen some of the online back and forth: to fast or not to fast, that is the question. Why fast, they those who’d rather not. After all, we have our land and Jerusalem is our capital. Fasting … Continue reading →

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Torah Portion: Journeys

Posted on August 6, 2016 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

Martin Buber said, “all journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware”. I first heard it on a job, but maybe that whole job’s purpose was to learn that saying… it took hearing it more than once to … Continue reading →

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Making Connections – Then & Now

Posted on August 1, 2016 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

I was honored to deliver the “Shabbat U” (short for “Shabbat University” – main learning) at Beth Jacob Oakland this past Saturday. Here’s a summary and sources: Back from my 3rd summer of tour guiding through almost 5000 miles in … Continue reading →

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With Balak & Bil’am – at Zion Ponderosa

Posted on July 23, 2016 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

Why give so much space to the story about Balak and Bil’am?? Balak- a little like Pharaoh – is scared of the people and devises how to interfere with their journey. Bil’am the magician tries to curse them, three times … Continue reading →

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Bay Area Friday Traffic (Chukat)

Posted on July 17, 2016 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

  Tech challenges on Friday, apologies for delay. Shavua Tov 🙂 * * * Bay Area Friday afternoon rush-hour crawl, can be a very trying time for anyone, let alone a group of teens, some of them still jet-lagged, on … Continue reading →

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Korach & all his people- Shabbat Shalom from rainy Oregon

Posted on July 8, 2016 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

In Salem Oregon’s capitol gift shop, I notice the following sign: “it may be that your whole life is to be a warning for others”… if no one else, Kovach whom this week’s reading is named after, is a classic example for … Continue reading →

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The 10 Spies & Me, onward and upward

Posted on July 2, 2016 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

Earlier this week, I packed our Oakland residence into boxes in preparation for the move later this summer to NY. I closed the door, not to return (to Oakland, yes, to this house – no), heading for a one month … Continue reading →

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And the journey continues…

Posted on June 24, 2016 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

Hand in hand we are walking up the smooth brownish limestone stairs; a canopy of dusty pines and bright bougainvillea above us, tasty honeysuckles leaning over the fences and red geraniums in the windows above. I bend down to pet … Continue reading →

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