Pack up your Passover dishes for good. The Exodus, according to some modern university scholars and liberal rabbis, never really happened. That\’s what the Los Angeles Times told us in great detail last week in a long article published at the end of the holiday. But the piece, while raising some important questions, skirts some of the most fundamental issues.
It\’s a well-known fact that millions of Jews have doubts about the literal veracity of Bible stories. On April 8, 9 and 15, I gave a series of sermons that emphasized the following point: faith is independent of doubt. I wanted the millions of doubting Jews to know that they can still be faithful Jews and live a life of meaning and mitzvahs.
I suppose it would be nearly impossible to go through an entire week of Passover for Reconstructionist and Reform Jews, not to mention eight days for the rest of you, without the profound experience in practically every pore of your body that Jewish identity is inextricably bound up with food.
Ephraim Kishon had come to Los Angeles in 1964, when his initial filmmaking effort, \”Sallah,\” became the first Israeli movie to be nominated for an Oscar as best foreign-language film.
\”During the last seven to eight years, American Jews thought that Israel\’s worst problems were over and turned their attention to domestic communal problems,\” said Kenneth Jacobson, director of international affairs for the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
British actor Ben Kingsley has played a number of Jewish characters with such authenticity that questions frequently pop up about his possible Jewish background.
What is left of Pesach after all the matzah is gone? Where do we go from here? What are we supposed to do now?
An undeniable physical reminder of a man\’s connection to Judaism, circumcision has been an important focus of the first days of a boy\’s life since before we received the Torah. However, for almost as long, there have been people who question the act of circumcision and those who have rallied for eliminating the practice.
As the seder evening proceeds, my son wants to know one thing: \”When will Elijah get here?\”
Eager to learn more about this blend of self-help spirituality and study of the ancient text of the Zohar, the audience was also drawn by the fame of the speaker, celebrity member Roseanne.
