Pesachim 2a, right from the mishna says, “On the night of the 14th of Nissan, one searches for chametz by candlelight.” This is called bedikas chametz. The rabbis hotly debate the whys and whatfors (and accompanying minutia), but what it comes down to, for me, is a fun but weird way to get my children to
.יַעֲלוּ הָרִים, יֵרְדוּ בְקָעוֹת–אֶל-מְקוֹם, זֶה יָסַדְתָּ לָהֶם The mountains rose, the valleys sank down–unto the place which Thou hadst founded for them from Rosh Chodesh Psalm 104 Psalm 104 is my favorite because it channels all the grandeur of nature and attributes it to G-d. And I found that on a hike on an unseasonably
The only thing that stank about this record dump of snow was the loss of our mailbox. Somewhere, in a drift on Baker Road, is the array of mailboxes belonging to our neighbor and us. My snowblower, which I affectionately refer to as “Black Betty,” easily conquered 32″+ drifts, once I realized the shear pins
A few weeks ago, I cut some recent deadfall on our property to start “seasoning it” in our woodpile. Last night, after Shabbos, I grabbed some wood from the wrong pile for our woodstove, and realized later that my fingers were sticky. I thought it was a cool corollary to Tu B’Shevat, where we know
The gematria for the Hebrew word for snow, שלג (sheleg), is 333, which is the same value of the word שכחה (shich’cha) for forgetfulness. Parents of children out of Maine schools for two, possibly three days, may be worried about forgetfulness when it comes to academics. Some rabbi, and I’m never going to remember the source,
Writer, President of Bangor's Congregation Beth Israel, soldier, programmer, father, musician, Heeb, living in the woods of Maine with three ladies and a dog.
Director of Education for Congregation Beth Israel in Bangor, Maine, special educator and former school board member, mother to Amelia and Nezzie.
