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The Bear Detectives and the Case of the Missing Pumpkin

This Sukkot 5783/2022 we had occasion to discuss pumpkin theft or as others called it pumpkin liberation, so this old (1975) Berenstain Bears classic of “The Bear Detectives and the Case of the Missing Pumpkin”. (Please note: There are other … Read the rest

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Walls vs. Schach of Sukkah

In the hours leading up to Sukkot this 5783/2022 I saw a tweet by Rabbi Yossi Mandel sharing a talk by the Friediker Rebbe, R’ Yosef Yitzchak Schneeerson, back from Poland 1933 about the dynamic of a Sukkah’s walls vs. … Read the rest

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Sukkot Holiday Collection: Sukkah & Schach, Lulav & Etrog & More!

We’ve shared a lot in the Shabbos House Sukkah over the years, some of it is Sukkot specific, some had broader inspirational messages. We’ll try to collect here a spectrum sampling of Sukkah and Lulav & Etrog messages. We’ll add Read the rest

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YK: The Puzzle Piece Appeal

Each year at the close of Yom Kippur we make an appeal near the end of the prayer services, just before the dynamic Shema and last lines of the Yom Kippur liturgy. Unlike most synagogues, this appeal is not for … Read the rest

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YK: The Yom Kippur Crane

The prayer services for Yom Kippur 2022 at UAlbany was held in CC Room 375, facing east on the third floor of the Campus Center. It so happens that UAlbany is in midst of an extensive repair of the Podium … Read the rest

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The Composite Shabbos Shuva Drasha 2022

It’s an old custom for Rabbis to give a long sermon on Shabbos Shuva – the Shabbos between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. It’s become a tradition at UAlbany to do a “composite” Shabbos Shuva sermon (aka “drasha”) with the Read the rest

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MBC Song about Jerusalem, or about….

Around the high holidays of 2022 there’s been a wild (and totally unexpected) online TikTok craze of millions of people (mostly non-Jews) getting excited and into old Miami Boys Choir (MBC) videos, dance moves, soloists and songs. It sparked a … Read the rest

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Shofar as a Disrupter

TBH, most years I focus on the Shofar’s inner-core and connective properties, especially as seen in a Chassidic light. See our post Modern Shofar Meditations for Shofar thoughts in that vein.

But this year, Rosh Hashanah 5783/2022, the Shofar hit … Read the rest

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New (Fruit) = Nu?

Each year on the second night of Rosh Hashanah we bring to the table a plated assortment of exotic fruits, unusual hard-to-get or little-eaten fruits from around the world. Often to find them locally we have to go to the … Read the rest

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The Napkin Effect

When we’re preparing for elegant affairs using paper goods, Raizy will sometimes seek out a napkin design and color that will blend or support the various colors on the table. You might question the Napkin Effect, as I have, after … Read the rest

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