The 17th of Tammuz, as a prelude to Tisha B’Av Rabbi Steven Adams In August we will be observing Tisha B’Av, the fast day which commemorates the destruction of both the First and Second Temple along with other sad events in Jewish history. Tisha B’Av is one of the better known fast days and the […]
In every generation one is obligated to see oneself as if one who personally went out from Egypt. Just as it says: “You shall tell your child on that very day: ‘It is because of this that God did for me when I went out from Egypt.’” (Exodus 13:8) Not only were our ancestors redeemed […]
“You can squeeze another one or two in at the table. It likely will be the most meaningful Seder invite you ever made. We could then share our experiences at the Seder with each other by emailing the Chronicle staff at Chronicle@MilwaukeeJewish.org …” – Rabbi Wes Kalmar What percentage of American Jews attend a […]
One of my most memorable Jewish experiences was serving as the student rabbi in Fairbanks, Alaska at Congregation Or Hatzafon, Light of the North. This small Jewish community dedicates itself to keeping the light of Judaism alive. Even on the darkest, coldest winter days, the community comes together to celebrate Judaism and to pass […]
Plot and phrasing are the most obvious ways the Torah conveys meaning. Juxtaposition is similarly important. The passages the Torah places alongside one another are a vital clue to meaning. The rabbis call this semikhut parshiyot. Notice, then, how the Torah introduces the section we read this month detailing the building, furnishing and sacrificial […]
This summer, I came to Milwaukee to begin my new role as the rabbi of Lake Park Synagogue. My congregants know me as Rabbi Dinin. Whether they’re asking me about the Torah, Jewish law or to pass the salt at Shabbat dinner, I am Rabbi Dinin. But when I came to my new home, […]
As 2018 wanes and 2019 is glimpsed on the horizon, so too the transition from Genesis to Exodus, Bereshith to Shemot in our honored cycle of the Torah occurs. Exodus will open with these simple words: “These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob…” Truth be told, […]
If I polled most of you about the significance of Sept. 19, 2018, you would likely respond, perhaps after quickly consulting your calendar, that it is Yom Kippur. After doing some biographical research, Douglas Adams, however, might arise with a far different response: He might suggest that I have now reached the age of […]
This year marks a wonderful milestone, the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel. But even as we celebrate such a remarkable and welcome time in our history we cannot help but be concerned at the tenuous position in which Israel constantly finds itself. We all hope that one day soon […]
Jewish time is often expressed as a series of cycles: the daily prayer cycle, the weekly flow towards, and through, Shabbat, with its accompanying cycle of Torah, the annual cycle of holy days, which we count each Rosh Hashanah. Underlying these cycles we find cosmic time, the cycles of the sun and moon. Jewish […]