The Ansche Chesed blog is a place where you can find enriching material to read about God, Torah and the Jewish People.
My Friends – my “Notes from Jerusalem” are coming a little late: this note about our Tuesday is posting Friday – after I flew back last night. What can I say? Our days were long. I will add one more about our Wednesday and Thursday after Shabbat. Shabbat Shalom from New York! The second day… Read more »
Dear Friends, 26 of your Ansche Chesed friends began our Israel trip Sunday night and Monday, with a full day of challenging programming. Some people arrived before Shabbat, but most of us flew overnight on Saturday and arrived Sunday afternoon. We began Sunday night with a kick-off dinner at the excellent Montefiore restaurant in Yemin… Read more »
I love visiting cemeteries. I know, it seems morbid. But I find it life-affirming to stand before matzevot – monuments inscribed with people’s names, when they lived, messages from loved ones. Monuments tell interlocking stories of lives and loves: she was named for her grandmother; he fought in World War II; that couple lost one… Read more »
Years ago, seeking ritual ways of marking Yom HaShoah, I tried a few tricks, none of which worked. I tried fasting (even though you’re not supposed to fast during Nisan). But that didn’t work, because I was the only one doing it. Fasting only works communally. And besides, did I think skipping lunch would help… Read more »
מה נשתנתה השנה הזאת מכל השנים? / Mah nishtanta ha’shana ha’zot mikol hashanim? How is this year different from all other years? This question rings resonantly, in 5784, a year unlike any other. To portray the uniqueness of Pesach this year, I want to use a rabbinic concept, going back to the Mishnah, about the… Read more »
