Hello and welcome to the Thursday Shmooze. We haven’t had one for the last few weeks because of Passover, but now that the holydays have passed, it is time to shmooze! This week a friend brought me an interesting question. It starts with the end of Passover; specifically the splitting of the sea. Now according to the midrash, there was a man named Nachshom who was the first to walk into the sea. The water got up to his nose … Continue reading
Last week started the Jewish month of Nissan. And it continues through April 22nd this year. I mention this because Nissan is a very special month. The Torah refers to it as the month of spring. It is for this reason we have leap year in the Jewish calendar: the month of Nissan must always be in the spring. Because Nissan is the month of spring, it is given a special honor: it is the month that we bless the … Continue reading
My friend Eliezer just got into town. He is just here through shabbat, a couple of days. I know him from my days in Jerusalem. And just as you do when a friend that you haven’t seen for a couple of years visits, you spend the first day catching up and the conversation goes all over the place. One of the places where our conversation went was shabbat guests. I have invited a few friends over and he asked me … Continue reading
Last Thursday was Purim, and I was very busy preparing a Purim Seuda (meal) for adults, and then enjoying the party. So, I didn’t get a chance to write anything for the Thursday Shmooze. It is now Thursday again, and I am wondering what to write about. I keep going around with the same thoughts, over and over again in my head, desperately hoping a new thought will take hold. And finally a new thought flickers to life. The thought … Continue reading
Purim. It means, “Lotteries,” in Hebrew. Ok, it really means lots, as in drawing lots, which is what a lottery is. And it is a Jewish holiday where we give out gifts of food to friends, and charity to anyone who asks. A day where we put on costumes and get so drunk we can’t tell the difference between: “Blessed is Mordechai (the good guy),” and cursed is Haman (the bad guy). Oh, and we read/listen to the story of … Continue reading
Trick question alert: What is the holiest day in the Jewish year? If you say it is Yom Kippur, the day of atonement, you are wrong. The answer is Purim. “Purim?” I hear you ask, “How can a day that requires us to get drunk be holier than the day of atonement?” Ok, maybe the drunks aren’t asking – they probably already know the answer. But for the rest of us, let me share with you a little secret: our … Continue reading
I am not a Jew. What a shocking thing for me to say considering my last name is Cohen and I went to Israel to study Torah in orthodox yeshivas. However, the name Cohen is the give-away: I am from the tribe of Levi, not the tribe of Judah. Now, some of you might think I am being nit-picky about this. And some of you might be wondering what I am talking about. So, let me try to explain. Once … Continue reading
What are Jews? Are we a race or are we a religion? The second question always follows the first question as if its answer is the answer to what Jews are. Those who say we are a race are refuted by the fact that the Jewish people are made up of so many different races of people. Those who say we are a religion are refuted by the fact we have so many Jewish Buddhists and Jewish atheists and Jewish … Continue reading
I hear a lot of people say they believe that love is god. So I started to think about it. What if god was love? If I believe that god created the universe, then I am saying that nothing but love created the universe. Now, this sounds great at first. Until I started looking around at the world, and seeing how amazing it is, started to feel grateful to be able to see. And to walk around. And to have … Continue reading
I have been making beer for a long time. Over 20 years in fact. I have even won a gold medal with one of my beers. Not only that, but I have taught a few people who have one gold medals with their beers. One of those people is my brother. Now, one of the important rules of beer making is that your brewing pot should not be used for anything else except for making beer. When I told this … Continue reading