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Showing posts from October, 2024

A Sukkot Magic Trick

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(and all the Sukkot verses) This is the Parashah that wasn't. Rabbi David was sick, and I was asked to prepare to read from the Torah if he didn't make it for this Sukkot Shabbat 👼. He got better, which is good, and this story (or the short form) went un-told. Easy to fix that.

Rosh Hashanah 5785 Thoughts

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  Considering Rosh Hashanah is a “high” holiday, there is certainly very little said about it in the scriptures.  The command for the day is only a couple lines long and tells us in Leviticus 23.24-25. ACTUALLY - it the directions for Rosh Hashanah are only 4 words long.   שבתון - Have a complete rest.   (no formal gathering is spoken of) תרועה - Make a blowing / blasting / teruah   of (something).  Shofars aren’t actually mentioned. זיכרון - Have a Zi karon - a remembrance. אשה - An offering by fire .  (Would an eight pound brisket be OK?) “Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet Nehemiah 8:10" ... so we did!  Rosh Hashanah is only mentioned once more:  When the people return from captivity and read the scriptures for the first time in at least a generation.  They wept at what lousy Jews they were. But they were told to rejoice and feast instead because “the JOY of the Lord is your strength”.   Nehemiah 8.10 (would four diffe...