By Adina Lipschulz On our Tzfat shabbaton cohort three had the opportunity to explore the mitzvah of Mikvah within one of the most spiritual of cities in the Land of Israel. The males and females where split up to delve into the differences between in the Mitzvot between the sexes. The Nachshon women were given […]
By Aaron Torop “JUDAISM. IS NOT. A RELIGION.” Anyone who has had the privilege to speak with Avraham Infeld will be able to hear these words echoing in their mind loud and clear. But his message goes much deeper than a definition of what Judaism is (or is not); he believes that we must “re-oralize” […]
By Daniel Albert When I got my first set of tefillin before my Bar Mitzvah, I had such a love. I would put them on to practice multiple times a day. When the day came that I was to do the mitzvah of wearing tefillin for the first time as a Bar Mitzvah, I expertly wrapped […]
By Aviva Symons To begin wrapping-up our time in Tzfat, we experienced a different aspect of Tzfat than I have ever experienced before: Har Meron. When I think of Tzfat, I first think of the Abuhav Shul and Safed Candles, but on this Shabbaton I experienced something different. I was able to take a step […]
By Gracie Gottlieb A few weeks ago, we had the privilege of participating in Rabbi Noah Greenberg’s Kesher Tefillin Program. All in all we spent about a total of 15 hours creating our own individual pairs of Tefillin. We learned the texts in which tefillin is discussed in the Torah and Oral Law and discussed the importance […]
By Shayna Roth Friday night tefillot in Tzfat was, for me, an experience of realizing authenticity and unity of Jewish practice. As always on our shabbatons, our cohort was provided numerous options for shuls to attend for Kabbalat Shabbat and ma’ariv services. The fellows split off into a few different groups heading in different directions, […]
By Molly Kazan Take a stroll through Tzfat on an average day and you’ll probably notice the hustle and bustle of a typical work day. This city, one of Israel's most popular tourist destinations, is well known for its Kabbalah artwork, beautiful synagogues, and incredible views of the Kinneret region. But take a stroll through Tzfat on Shabbat and […]
By Ilana Sandberg The concept of holiness does not prove to be a simple one. Ask me to define hole-y or whole-y and I’ve got your back... Yet holy as a stand-alone word holds many complexities. Then add in the translation, קָדוֹשׁ (kadosh) and the definitions multiply. I suppose, though, that this ambiguous definition fits […]
By Daniel Albert Our tour of Me’ah She’arim started like any other tour of any other neighborhood. We got off the bus and Jamie, our tour guide, stopped and turned around to us all. Looking back at him was a group of 34 Jews of all different upbringings, religious levels, and backgrounds. Yet, here we […]
By Dan Afriat Rabbi Tamar Appelbaum began our conversation with a story that really stuck with me. She told of her experience as a young girl at a Moroccan family seder. No more than 7 years old, Tamar remembers all of the men in her family sitting around the table, listening to her grandfather retell the […]
