Parashat Tetzaveh 5779 In Memory of Ori Ansbacher, אורי בת הרב גדי ונעאה, זק”ל by Meir Sendor We are sometimes asked by friends and acquaintances visiting Tzfat to give them a tour around town and we’re pleased to oblige. We’re…
All for One and One for All
Parashat Vayechi 5779 Meir Sendor I’ve been getting used to the Edot ha-Mizrach liturgy and customs of the Moroccan Kehillah we attend. It’s more wordy than Ashkenaz liturgy, but there are some nice flourishes. For instance, when a man gets…
Gathering In
Parashat Vayigash 5779 Meir Sendor This week Yaffa Batya DaCosta, the founder of the Israeli organization Ezra L’Anousim came to meet with me, prompted by last week’s blog post that featured the story of a woman from Brazil who discovered…
The Guiding Light
Parashat Miketz 5779 Meir Sendor I have been teaching a series on Talmudic mysticism at a women’s Beit Midrash in Tzfat, and this week at the end of the shiur we discussed some of the mystical aspects of Hanukkah based…
Remember Who You Are
Parashat VaYeshev 5779 Meir Sendor The congregation of the Beit HaKnesset we attend is largely Moroccan. It was founded by a building contractor who directed the construction himself, and he took care with it, so it’s pretty nicely appointed. As…
Rock and Roll
Parashat VaYetze 5779 Meir Sendor In the midst of the bombardment with 460 or so rockets that Hamas launched this week against the Israeli civilian communities of the South causing death, injury and destruction, in the midst of Israel’s retaliation…
Stand Up and Be Counted
Stand Up and Be Counted Parashat Hayye Sarah 5779 We participated this week in our first elections in Israel, a municipal election for mayor and the city council, and it was a moving experience to be part of the democratic…
Hearing Test
Parashat Vayera 5779 Meir Sendor Rabbi Pinchas of Koretz confides that “it has often occurred that a person will come to ask advice from me, and I will hear that he himself is saying how to answer him (Imrei Pinchas,…
Outside Looking In
Parashat Lekh Lekha 5779 Meir Sendor The hot topic in Tzfat these days is the upcoming municipal elections in two weeks. It’s a five year term for mayor and there’s a lot at stake. Tzfat is far from the hi-tech…
