“It’s something you never knew you always wanted,” Bubbe replied to the quizzical expression on her beloved granddaughter’s face. The cryptic explanation just added to the mystery of this compact yet weighty gift.

We are accustomed to a Haggadah for Pesach. No Haggadah exists for Hanukkah – but the Feast of Dedication is a tale worth retelling in our tumultuous world today!

Right before the exodus from Egypt the people of Israel had to shelter in place for a plague many times more deadly than the coronavirus. “Social distancing” from the Egyptians was enough to avoid the previous plagues but now more is needed…

The April 13, 2020 edition of The New Yorker includes Vinson Cunningham’s article “Looking for Signs of Peace in a Pandemic.” His closing paragraph mentions seeing our “In Search of Shalom” banner while on his Flatbush Avenue hike.

The short answer: Yes! Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel (Matthew 1:23, citing Isaiah 7:14).

An odd question, you might think. But it wasn’t so odd for the Israelites at the foot of Mount Sinai. When we meet the Holy One of Israel, special divine assistance is needed…