Category Archives: Uncategorized

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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The Seed of a Cactus

Posted on June 7, 2016 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

“A Seed of a Cactus” – is the literal translation of “Garin Tzabar”, the IDF lone soldier program. “Garin” can also mean ‘a core group’, but as native born Israelis are often referred to as “sabres” (cactus), I’m beginning to … Continue reading →

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Counting…

Posted on June 4, 2016 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

Mother Goose is “counting” her eggs, and while we don’t know if she’s actually “counting”, regardless, we look at it and smile. There’s something about that image that portrays a feeling of care, maybe because counting is an act of … Continue reading →

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Shabbat La’Hashem

Posted on May 28, 2016 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

Who’s in charge of holiness (k’dusha) in the world? G-d or people? In this week’s reading, we are introduced to the Shmita, the sabbatical year. The Torah Sabbatical year is not about crop rotation. It’s about the land having its … Continue reading →

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