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January 6, 2005

Debate Rages on Gaza Pullout, Army

As the scheduled start of Israel\’s Gaza withdrawal approaches, settler leaders are raising the specter of mass refusal by religious soldiers to carry out orders, and are warning of disastrous consequences for the Israeli army and society as a whole.

But high-ranking Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officers said settler leaders are exaggerating in an attempt to scare the government and to encourage soldiers to refuse to evacuate settlers from their homes.

Yeladim

Happy New Year! It is back to school and back to lessons. In this week\’s parshah, Pharaoh learns a few lessons, too – seven, to be exact.

A Garden Tour of Biblical Proportions

Majestic fig trees bear their succulent fruit amid enormous leaves. Boughs of olives suggest the impending harvest as their color changes from green to black. Massive citrons emit their magnificent scent.

Jews of the Midnight Sun

Each year, our congregation visits a different corner of the Jewish world. This year we traveled to Scandinavia and our first stop was Stockholm, one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. Sweden is green and vibrant and its capital city is surrounded by water. Many of us took a 10-minute ferry to Old Town each day and sat in cafes that have been in continuous use since the 1700s.

‘A Day Apart’ — Together

Keeping its commitment to promoting \”homemade Judaism,\” The Shalom Hartmann Institute has published \”A Day Apart, Shabbat at Home\” ($24.95), a step-by-step guidebook containing everything from helpful hints to spiritual reflections on how to make Shabbat meaningful.

You Are What You Eat

I am a vegetarian. I know there was a big controversy brewing over kosher meat, but I\’m not sure what the Jewish position

on vegetarianism is. I suppose as long as the vegetables are pulled from the ground in a quick and humane manner, no one can object too strenuously to it. I know God created animals, but I can\’t imagine He\’d be offended if I didn\’t eat them. I\’d hate to think of God pouting in His room saying, between sobs, \”I worked so hard on that lamb and Nemetz doesn\’t even touch it!\”

The Prayer

One of the great frustrations of growing up is that in the process of learning how the world works we often lose our sense of curiosity in and surprise at how it works.

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Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.