Parashat Vayechi 5781 by Meir Sendor Every day in prayer, morning and evening, we declare the Oneness of God in the Shema. Yet as familiar as this mitzvah may be, the awareness it challenges us to attain is extraordinary. As…
Reality Check
Parashat Vayigash 5781 by Meir Sendor We got our first of two vaccinations against the virus this week. It was the first day of the vaccination program here in Tzfat, and it had a kind of giddy, festive atmosphere. All…
Life Cycle
Our schedule for our upcoming new classes for the year can be found here. Classes start next week online! Hol HaMoed Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret 5781 by Meir Sendor One of the recurring symbols of Chag HaSukkot is the circle.…
Shake and Wake
Sukkot 5781 Meir Sendor The mitzvah of the Four Species on Sukkot is to take one Lulav, three branches of myrtle leaves and two branches of willow leaves bound together in your dominant hand, and the Etrog in your other…
Choose Life
Parashat Nitzavim/ VaYelekh 5780 Meir Sendor You would think this would be an easy choice: דברים פרק ל (יט) העדתי בכם היום את השמים ואת הארץ החיים והמות נתתי לפניך הברכה והקללה ובחרת בחיים למען תחיה אתה וזרעך: I…
New Normal
On Tuesday nights, August 25, September 1, 8, 15; 8PM Israel time The month of Elul, in preparation for Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot, is dedicated to introspective self-improvement, and there are traditional Jewish meditation practices that can be…
Knowledge is Compassion
Parashat Re’eh 5780 Meir Sendor The pandemic is having devastating global impact on people’s livelihoods as well as health, and both aspects of the crisis are life-threatening. Israel finds itself struggling to balance the need to restrict social interaction to…
In the Blink of an Eye
Tisha B’Av – Parashat VaEtchanan 5780 Meir Sendor In our daily prayers, three times a day, we ask HaShem to “return the divine service to the innermost sanctum of Your House, and the fire offerings of Israel and their prayers…
The Sky’s the Limit
Parashat Matot-Masei 5780 Meir Sendor Here in Israel not quite everyone is getting the point about the restrictions intended to protect us all from the pandemic. You often see masks worn as chin straps, earrings or bracelets, odd fashion accessories.…
Fast Times
Parashat Pinchas 5780 Meir Sendor The fast of the Seventeenth of Tammuz this Thursday starts the three weeks of mourning for the destruction of the Temples and the two thousand year exile from the Land of Israel, our homeland, an…
