Parashat Vayikra 5779 by Meir Sendor A Tzfat resident complained to me a few weeks back that he was interested in learning something about Kabbalah, since it’s the town specialty, but every rabbi in town he had approached had just…
Close Encounters
Parashat Pekudei 5779 by Meir Sendor We had the first dry, sunny day in a while and I figured to take the opportunity to get in an early morning run. The route I like is one that includes a long…
Make It So
Parashat VaYakhel 5779 by Meir Sendor The town of Tzfat together with the Jewish National Fund recently rehabbed a park that had languished in disrepair, closed to the public for several years. Each organization had argued that the other was…
A Steady Hand
Parashat Ki Tissa 5779 by Meir Sendor This week I attended the Brit Milah of the grandson of friends that took place in one of the oldest original synagogues of Tzfat, the Beit Knesset Rabbi Yosef Bannai, also called HaTzaddik…
Shine On
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…
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…
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…
