It was just a few of us in the Sukkah at the end of Shabbos of Sukkot, when Raizy’s father shared with us memories of his family’s Sukkah in Tashkent, then Russia:

by Rabbi Shlomo Galperin

My father served in … Read the rest

I’ll be honest. Kohelet (known as Ecclesiastes) isn’t my favorite book in the Bible. It’s kind of a dismissive, almost depressing work, sobering and reflective but it is just not uplifting. Its for this reason that many communities read it … Read the rest

Makers Space is the new rage in schools and organizations the world over. It’s a creative hands-on lab with 3-D printing and other tools to transition ideas and concepts into real world tangibles.

Two UAlbany students recently founded the Future … Read the rest

It’s kind of ironic to be celebrating UAlbany’s Homecoming weekend out here in the Sukkah…

On second thought, it’s quite meaningful. Sukkot is a homecoming of sorts. It helps us refocus and reorient our priorities, to rethink what home is … Read the rest

There was a little mixup this year with the Challah order we made from the New Mount Pleasant Bakery in Schenectady (which we get in additon to the Challah baked here at Shabbos House). They make  very large and rich … Read the rest

Subs sandwiches, especially when stuffed properly, are one of those busy messy foods that you need to eat with both hands. Like Felafel it needs full-contact, total engagement. This is no finger food, you need both hands to keep it … Read the rest

For about a half year now, my laptop battery has been charging less and less, until its gotten to the point that I can only use it while its plugged in. Finally I ordered a replacement battery online, but when … Read the rest

The verse says “Jacob’s heritage is like a rope.” Tanya’s Igeres HaTeshuvah explains that our relationship with G-d is like a very thick cable made of 613 strings. Each Mitzvah is an individual connection between a Jew and G-d. Keeping … Read the rest

Ki Hinei KaChomer is one of the beautiful poems of the Kol Nidrei/Maariv Yom Kippur service. Each stanza uses a metaphor of a different hands-on occupation to illustrate how our lives are “in G-d’s hands.” We sing it to a … Read the rest