Usually, we begin the new semester and academic calendar in the Hebrew month of Elul or very close to Rosh Hashanah. The Jewish New Year and preparations leading up to it and all the associated themes (including King in the … Read the rest
This first Friday in August 2016 we were on the phone with customer service at a utility provider, one of those long calls that were actually helpful. Towards the end of the call, the knowledgeable and thorough company representative at … Read the rest
Recently we had our car in the shop for a bunch of necessary fixings. Funny thing was, after we took it home we noticed a rumbling noise that we didn’t hear as much before. Noises can be difficult to describe, … Read the rest
We translated this from the 5703 talks of the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe (1880-1950) as part of a Torah-Tuesday class we did on the Chassidic background to Emeril’s famous “Kick It Up a Notch!”
This Shabbos as we commemorate the Rebbe’s 22nd Gimmel Tammuz Yartzeit, we happened to have a guest who got stranded here in the Albany airport and spent Shabbos with us, who is now in the midst of studying the first … Read the rest
The Rebbe’s Yartzeit (anniversary of passing) falls this year, 5776 / 2016, on July 9th, on Shabbat Parshat Korach. There’s an endless flow of Rebbe stories, inspiration and teaching that can can find online, especially at chabad.organd therebbe.org.… Read the rest
Is this the beginning of a joke? No, it’s three people (among others) who shared these three beautiful stories at one of the first of our Cozy Shabbat dinners in summer 2016.
Once the school year is over, I’m able to pray more frequently at the “Shteeble”, a small, warm synagogue on New Scotland Ave in the heart of the local Albany Jewish community. Very often, in addition to the local regulars … Read the rest
There are many metaphors for Torah, one of them is that of a sale or a business transaction. The Talmud comments that a sage is one who acquired wisdom – and the word acquired used is the same as for … Read the rest
