Especially in these difficult economic times, preparing for Pesach can cause many to feel stressed. But who says Pesach has to be costly? Since so much of Pesach is about the food, we’ll start with food. Jewish Action spoke with two well-known home organizers and came up with some money-saving tips. 1. Stick to basics. [...]
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Making A Kid-Friendly Seder
One of the biggest challenges of the Seder night is keeping your children engaged and excited throughout the Seder. Especially in the Internet Age, when kids are used to constant stimulation, it seems almost unfair to demand that your child sit through hours upon hours of divrei Torah. Keep in mind that the more involved [...]
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VARIATIONS ON THE CHANUKAH THEME
Immediately after Shabbat is over, we shall be confronted with the observance of two precious mitzvot: the kindling of the Chaunkah candles and Havdalah, which marks the end of Shabbat. The question of which shall be performed first is one that engaged the attention of some of the most illustrious latter-day Talmudic sages, and the [...]
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Facts and Figures about the New Year
Facts and Figures about the New Year AT A GLANCE • 5771 has 385 days, including 55 Shabbatot, the longest possible year in the Jewish calendar. Calendar • 5771 is a 13-month year, known as a Jewish “leap year” (shanah me’uberet), in which the month of Adar is doubled (intercalated). • The Jewish calendar works [...]
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From the Desk of RABBI STEVEN WEIL, Executive Vice President
Have you ever wondered why Avraham was the first patriarch of the Jewish people? Probably not; the reason is so obvious. We have grown up hearing the stories of the young boy Avram, who questioned the irrational idolatry of his time. We have followed him on his journey of discovery; how he investigated nature, science, [...]
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ROSH HASHANAH THOUGHTS: Absent Neighborhoods, Absent Tears
In my childhood, a half-century ago in Buffalo’s North Park neighborhood that served as a passage point between the East Side of Eastern European immigrants (mostly Orthodox) and the Amherst- Williamsville suburbs of the upwardly mobile (mostly Reform and Conservative children of the émigré generation), the Jews who chose to join a synagogue had a [...]
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