Tag Archives: deuteronomy

Shoftim & Shotrim: 19S goes to see BlacKkKlansman

Posted on August 17, 2018 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

On my last visit to 19S Bellevue Hospital’s prison “med-surg” floor, R. is asking me to do something for him. This is exactly the sort of opening that prison authorities warn against: “no sooner will you go in there”, say … Continue reading →

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On seeing angels – the Torah portion of Re’e

Posted on August 10, 2018 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

J. is a 50-year-old man. He’s tall and athletic; he walks with a dancing gait – that is, the short distance he’s allowed to do so in the hallway; he has short dreads and a well-trimmed beard, or at least … Continue reading →

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“Eat a little something”… Parashat Ekev

Posted on August 3, 2018 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

This week we read the famous 3 words: ואכלת, ושבעת וברכת – “and you shall eat, and be satisfied and bless’ (Deuteronomy 8:10), and one must wonder: how did this turn into four paragraphs and some blessings and closing singing … Continue reading →

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Live. Pray. Love – by – Moses

Posted on July 27, 2018 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

Prayer and hospital go hand in hand. Or maybe it’s prayer and life. I remember a saying: “as long as there are tests, there will be prayers in public schools”. In the end, everybody prays, every blade of grass has … Continue reading →

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The Power of Goodbye – The Book of Deuteronomy & Shabbat Chazon

Posted on July 19, 2018 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

The opening scene in the classic movie “Hair”, although set back in Oklahoma, those last minutes between father and son in the quiet foggy early morning, awaiting for the rickety bus to appear around the corner, always remind me of … Continue reading →

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At our gates…

Posted on August 24, 2017 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

What’s at our gates? “Judges and law-enforcement official”, states this week’s Torah reading. The Arizal (Rabbi Yizchak Luria 1534-1572) gives us a hint: it seems like we are talking about the city’s gates, but since “the world is a [like] … Continue reading →

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See, when all else fails…

Posted on August 18, 2017 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

Vignette: We’re standing at the bottom of a 215 foot waterfall in NY’s Cayuga State Park, amazed. How does something like this form, exactly here, exactly like this? There is a little sign about the kind of rock, the force … Continue reading →

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Do Make a BIG Deal!

Posted on August 11, 2017 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

Vignette: I’ve never lived in an apartment building, not like this, where it’s possible to tell what day of the week it is by the smells in the hallway, and what time. Sunday morning announces itself with strong coffee and … Continue reading →

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Shabbat Shuva: on Finding Balance – or – Standing and Walking

Posted on October 7, 2016 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

In Riverdale NY, it seems like the whole world is celebrating this season. First, the weather has been a sunny, pleasant fall; not humid anymore and not yet freezing. Some of the famous trees are starting to change; there is … Continue reading →

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On Seeing, Flow and More

Posted on August 14, 2015 by Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

We open our eyes each morning, and see. But then, if it was so simple, there would be no need to actually command us to do so. Re’e, see, says the Torah in its first word of this week’s section … Continue reading →

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