“Sephardim are bewildered by the Ashkenazi pursuit of humrot (halakhic stringencies), because they have traditionally sought to balance the requirements of observance with the requirements of living, to achieve a form of religious expression that is balanced and proportionate, that takes into consideration the whole man – not to torture and subordinate him as a basis for religious satisfaction, but to encourage and cultivate the range of human attributes.”
I feel like all of Russian Doll is inscribed zochreinu l’chaim, remember us to life. We ask God at Rosh Hashanah to remember us to life, write us in the book of life for a good year ahead, and a good year after that and after that. But of course God isn’t fixed in Judaism, and we have every right to see prayers to God as reminders to ourselves. Remember the past and the ones you’ve lost in a way that brings blessings into your own life and the lives of those around you. Carry the pain and the love into the future andlive.
Spain, 1492: We are banning all Jews from Castile and Aragon
Sultan Beyzid II: Let me get this straight, you’re banning a large population of your empires financiers, lawyers, and doctors? You dumb motherfuckers give them to me. I’m sending the navy to pick them up.
“those who say that Ferdinand and Isabella are wise are indeed fools; for he gives me, his enemy, his national treasure, the Jews.”
Ever been so racist you just hand your major political enemy a huge chunk of your legal/financial/medical system?
Do you ever realize Jews were banned from Spain to actually protect them from other people in Spain? And actually, not all Jews left Spain. Me myself, I’m pretty sure I’ve Jews ancestors (and not just me), and my family has lived in Spain all their live.
Spain is not racist! If we were racist, why there is so many crossbreeding among Spaniards and Hispanoamericans? Please do not trust Black Legend, it was written by Spain enemies.
So I say high and loud, Fernando e Isabel were wise and some of the greatest monarchs that has ever existed. Period.
Judaism was legally considered heresy punishable by death.
Also, you called the ruthless colonization of indigenous peoples crossbreeding(yikes!!!.) We could expand on all that, but I think you’ve told us all we need to know lmao.
The term crypto-judaism, meaning Jewish people who hid their Jewishness under threat of death or expulsion, was coined in reference to Spain and Spanish territories. You don’t kick somebody out of their home and seize all their assets to “protect” them. They needed protection from youat that point.
Sephardic Judaism has a really neat history of piracy resulting from this diaspora from Spain because 1) stealing back from the government that screwed you over, sometimes on behalf of the Ottomans/Dutch and 2) many Jewish folks were already traders with a decent grip on seafaring.
Ashkenazi Jew here. No Spanish heritage. @pilyarquitect is drinking some Spanish Catholic nationalist colonialist propaganda kool-aid there.
We, the Ashkenazi Jews who have no cultural history in Spain ourselves, literally include the Spanish Inquisition and Spanish Expulsion of the Jews from Iberia in our MARTYOLOGY - wherein we recite the atrocities committed upon Jews by gentile nations over history starting with ANCIENT ROME and going up to THE HOLOCAUST as an act of mourning - as part of the Yom Kippur service, the holiest service of the entire YEAR every single year. To this day. I did it myself in 2021. We are talking about what Spain did to Jews who we have no personal history with because we all came from places other than Iberia and North Africa, annually. Because yes, actually, what Spain did was that bad.
All Jews, not just Jew of Spanish Descent, know that the Spanish decision to force convert, murder, and exile the Spanish Jews was one of the most devastating events in our history. It was one of our Many Small Apocalypses. So like, Spaniards can tell themselves any kind of rationalization? But thanks to Moorish egalitarianism, Spain became the center of Jewish Culture following the destruction of the Temple by the Romans in 69 CE. One of the greatest Jewish minds Of All Time, Maimonedes, was a Spanish Doctor who wrote prayers we still say EVERY DAY. And when Isabella came to power and fucking destroyed our ENTIRE CIVILIZATION. Spanish cuisine exists as it does now - focused around pork - specifically to exclude Jews and Muslims. It lost things that can never be reclaimed that we can’t even imagine now and we still grieve it’s loss.
Don’t think for one second that Isabella and Ferdinand’s religious policies against non-Christians were anything but WILDLY antisemitic and Islamophobic On Purpose to take our(and Muslim) culture and land and lives and fucking destroy it were anything but intentional. Because it was.
And unfortunately for Spain? They are a country chose to do that shit to Jews and we don’t EVER forget and we don’t EVER let it go.
Something something nobody expects denial of the Spanish Inquisition
So, in light of everything that’s been happening with regards to the anti-Semitic fallout from the Chicago Dλke March debacle, I just want to take a moment to address all my fellow Jews who are not members of the LGBTQ+ community to say that, now—more than ever—we really need to step our allyship the fuck up for our fellow LGBTQ+ Yidden.
I have seen so many heartbreaking posts over the past few days from gay and trans Jews who are being told by the support networks and advocacy organisations that are supposed to be protecting them that they will not be accepted unless they tow the party line in support of CDM, and basically agree to either pass a GoodJew™ loyalty test or completely hide their Jewishness in future. In one of the anti-Semitism discussion groups I’m in on FB a trans woman was told by trans activism group in her city that if she did not support their “explicit solidarity” with the Chicago Dλke March organisers that she was in the wrong place and should find another group.
So what this means moving forward is that the rest of us, as allies, need to start working twice as hard to make Jewish spaces more welcoming and accessible for LGBTQ+ Jews than ever before. In this landscape of isolation and vitriol, we cannot let anyone get left behind.
So to all my Jewish LGBTQ+ friends out there: Just tell us what you need. Tell us how you want be supported and uplifted and I will fucking be there.
❤️ AM YISRAEL CHAI ❤️
I cannot express enough appreciation for this post. This week, and I know this does not need to be said, has been deeply painful. Reading this was like coming home to a warm bowl of matzo ball soup. (Actually, if you have queer Jewish friends IRL, making them a warm bowl of matzo ball soup might be a good idea. If anyone is in Western Mass…)
In the immediate post-CDM moment, I think what I have needed - and still do - the most is support and a liaison. I was heart broken to see so many of the left-leaning, well-meaning members of my congregation write nothing about this. I was looking for their Facebook posts, their tweets, their notes in the weekly newsletter, etc. I was looking for them to provide a firm, queer-affirming, left-leaning voice to both make sure we knew we were safe and that right-wing Jews could not exploit this moment (as if the right wing is a safe place for my queerness).
And I think this represents a broader trend. There are quite a few Jewish people, Baruch Hashem, who want queer Jews to be welcomed into their communities, but are missing a step. For example, my congregation has a safe space sticker on the door. But to see that sticker you have to reach the door. There is nothing on our website; no discussion of our philosophy, how our facilities were made queer affirming, the queer folks in our community, etc. They are not attempting to hide it. They’re simply not thinking about how important it is to make that information accessible. They don’t see that a potential queer member will be searching for ‘lgbtq’ on the website. (We’re a Conservative congregation, as an aside.)
I need people to say “I see you, I hear you, I care about you, I want you here, and *here are the actions I am taking to make sure you can be here*”. And I need allies to be willing to help us communicate that. If your synagogue doesn’t mention queer folks on their website, recommend it. If your rabbi hasn’t written a message of support on Facebook or in the weekly bulletin, recognizing this pain of this event, ask them if it’s possible. If you’re in a Jewish space and nobody is asking for pronouns, even if (you think) you know that nobody is trans, ask for pronouns and take the moment to simply explain why. If you haven’t invited a queer person doing cool, geeky queer halacha, advocate for it. If you’re a rabbi or scholar, please do cool, geeky queer halacha.
Don’t forget more observant communities. I am happy that Reform and Recon. movements, and increasingly the Conservative movement (we founded queer talmud camp! SVARA), are doing some of this work. It’s provided an important space. But people shouldn’t have to choose between their queer identity and their religious observance. I see so many people imply to queer Jews in observant communities that they could always come over into liberal judaism. Yes, they could, and that’s a valid option, but it denies people their spiritual agency. Frum communities deserve queer spaces, too. So even if you can’t help create them, don’t imply the solution is to simply leave.
Ditto for thinking about non-Ashkie Jews and Jewish spaces.
I do trans education workshops. I am happy to do that labor, but after this week I am struggling to do it alone.
Friend: How can you be sure your cat is not antisemitic?
Self: This is a fair point. She has literally stepped on the name of G-d before when she has decided that my looking at a siddur is a distraction from the important work of loving her.
That being said, I think I can be sure she is not antisemitic because she does not realize that people believe in any G-d(s) other than her, which means she would be unaware of Judaism. You can’t hate something you don’t know exists, right?
Friend: And maybe she was trying to use one of her paws as a yad when pointing to the name of G-D.
Self: My cat can lien Torah. It must be time to throw her a bat mitzvah.
Friend: Cat Mitzvah*
What will her Purrsha be?
Self: I’ll make it happen. I’m sure my rabbi would be thrilled to have a cat in shul.
I Googled “what parsha should a cat have” and this came up: http://www.chabad.org/…/1008420/jewish/Feeding-Animals.htm I think she would concur that it is very important the conregation hear about the importance of feeding animals, given that her life mission is to be fed.
(Also there is apparently a midrash in which Noah is late feeding a lion and is injured. The rabbis must have had cats. There is no other explanation of their understanding of feline psychology.)
Friend: What minhag does your cat follow for Pesach? Does she eat KITTENyot?
Me: She’s a Cataite, clearly - cats are from Egypt, after all - so she relies on her own interpretation. Which is fitting because cats are not fans of authority, so I doubt she would be in support of the sanhedrin.
when Jews talk about Israel/ישראל sometimes they are talking about the modern state
and sometimes they are talking about the Jewish people in biblical times
and sometimes they are talking about the Jewish people today and throughout history
and people (goyim and Jews alike) need to stop jumping to the conclusion that Jews are talking about the modern state of Israel when they say things like “am yisrael chai”
The Instructions in this post are for people who are Jewish (including those who are ancestrally so, but not raised Jewishly), converting to Judaism, seriously interested in Jewish conversion, or are Jewish-Adjacent (part of an interfaith family, etc.) It is NOT for gentiles who wish to “be closer to Jesus” or any similar reason uninvolved with genuine interest in becoming a part of the tribe or participating with loved ones, as this is a form of cultural appropriation.
Thank you for your understanding. Gentlies CAN, however, LEARN and REBLOG!
Shavuot is the last of our Shalosh Regalim - the three pilgrimage festivals!
It is also the shortest - instead of being about a week as per Pesach and Sukkot, it’s just one (or two) days (this depends on whether or not you add an extra day to the holiday on the calendar; a major debate revolving around the importance of keeping to traditions we no longer have a real use for)
It is also the only one without a “set date” - instead, we determine the date of Shavuot based on the date of Pesach (ie, seven “complete weeks” after Pesach. This means for Rabbinic Jews that it falls on the 6th of Sivan, though this varies in other communities)
And also some other controversies you can read about in more detail in the Counting the Omer post
Shavuot has many names!
Shavuot, meaning literally, Weeks
So it’s often called the Feast of Weeks in English - Chag HaShavuot
It is also called the Festival of Reaping, or Chag HaKatsir
And the Festival of First Fruits, Chag HaBikkurim
This ties back into the fact that Shavuot is an Agricultural Festival, first and foremost!
Shavuot marks the end of the period of the Omer, in which days were counted between the start of the Barley Harvest and the start of the Wheat Harvest
Thus, the Day of First Fruits served as the official time to bring an offering of wheat to the Temple in Jerusalem; offerings of the other seven species of Israel (which are wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates) were also accepted
These offerings were placed in neatly woven baskets, and sent off to Jerusalem in large carts!
This concludes the season of the Omer and, thus, the Season of Passover
So, if we started wandering the desert after we were freed from Egypt at Pesach, this is when we reached the mountain - and stopped wandering for a hot second. This is the end of the journey of the Omer - the journey towards Revelation
It also, as with all the Shalosh Regalim, a Historic Holiday
It has the additional name of the Season of the Giving of the Torah, and that is because Shavuot is now associated with when the People of Israel accepted the Torah on Mount Sinai
This was a Very Big Deal, as the Torah has guided the Jewish way of life (and the Jewish way of Arguing) for thousands and thousands of years
We were free with Pesach, but without the Torah we weren’t really a People yet
In short, if you want to think of this season as like the marriage between the Jewish People and Gd, then Passover is the Betrothal (Kiddushin) and Shavuot is the Marriage (Nissuin)
So on Shavuot, we celebrate the Torah, and our receiving of the Torah, and the commitment we make as Jews to honoring the Torah (aka, the covenant between Gd and the Jewish People)
This means we renew our Jewishness and our acceptance of Torah Every. Single. Year.
This is connected to Jewish conversion
The rabbis say that Every Jewish Soul - including those of Converts - was present at Sinai
Which means that we are all equals within the covenant - every Jew is a Convert
So, Shavuot is not only the holiday of the Torah - it is also the holiday of the Converts!
So what are the big observances of Shavuot, if we don’t bring sacrifices of fruit to the Temple anymore?
Mainly, EATING the fruit, and -
In the theme of this being the anniversary of the receiving of the Torah -
Education!
And the Study of Torah
Since this is a major holiday, the proper greeting is Chag Shavuot Sameach - Happy Shavuot! - and the best way to open the holiday is by lighting Holiday candles - with the blessing “Baruch atah adonai eloheinu melech haolam asher kideshanu b’mitzvotav vetzivanu l’hadlik ner Shel Yom Tov”
STUDY. YOUR. TORAH. STUDYYYYYY.
The most universal Shavuot custom is Studying Torah! Both specifically the Five Books of Moses (Genesis/Bereshit, Exodus/Shemot, Leviticus/Vayikra, Numbers/Bamidbar, and Deuteronomy/Devarim) and the entire Body of Jewish Learning, aka the “torah”
There are some more fancy ways to do this - specifically studying the Book of Ruth, for example, or going to a Tikkun Leil Shavuot - but honestly any Torah study is fair game
Studying the Torah - ie first five books of the Tanakh - is by far the most popular one. You can take the time to study the weekly parsha more in depth than usual, or study portions that you feel compelled to, or follow an online study regimen
Sefaria, as always, has excellent source sheets for Shavuot
I’ll get more into Tikkun Leil and Ruth later, but you can also study non-Tanakh related texts, especially the Pirkei Avot - a text on Jewish ethics that is traditionally studied on Shavuot
This text isn’t very long, so it is frequently studied in its entirety overnight on Shavuot (or in the weeks leading up to Shavuot - it is often incorporated into the Counting of the Omer!)
In truth, I encourage following your dreams here - study something you want to study! Just engage with words of Torah
Eat some Dairy!!!
Traditionally, Shavuot features at least one dairy meal (and many refrain from any meat all together)
The reasons for this are somewhat murky, but at least some accounts are because - like all the Shalosh Regalim (agricultural festivals) - this holiday is associated with the land of Israel, aka a land flowing with “Milk and Honey”
Except that honey is apparently date honey and that milk is Goat’s milk but here we are
Another idea is that because the Jewish people had justreceived the law on Shavuot, then they didn’t have proper meat dishes ready and kashered (made kosher), and went with dairy on that first night
Yetanotheridea is that the Torah Itself is like Milk and Honey (taken from the Song of Songs)
The Zohar also assigns each day of the year to one of the negative commandments of the Torah, and according to this system Shavuot *happens* to be the day of “don’t boil a kid in your mother’s milk” - aka, don’t mix meat and milk, aka, when you eat dairy eat it alone
Whatever the reason, there are a LOT of traditional Shavuot dairy foods!
MANY people eat cheesecake as desert!
Ice Cream is also a popular Shavuot treat!
As are Cheese Blintzes, a sort of savory pancake - a similar food, called an atayef, is the Syrian Jewish version
Cheese dumplings of a variety of kinds are also popular, such as kelsonnes, sambusak, and cheese kreplach
Iraqi Jews eat Kahees, a buttered and sugared dough
And Tunisian and Moroccan Jews eat a seven-layer dairy cake!
Weirdly enough, yemenite Jews don’t eat dairy foods on Shavuot
And I, personally, am starting a new campaign: EAT CHEESE FONDU ON SHAVUOT YOU C O W A R D S
In all seriousness it *is* a dairy-heavy meal that tastes amazing and yes, you can do it with kosher cheese, it’s complicated but you can
Feel free to ask me for my Non-Kosher or Kosher recipes but the Kosher one is largely untested just a fair warning
The irony of a holiday revolving around dairy food in a group of people who are mainly lactose-intolerant is not lost on anyone. I, as a Lactose Tolerant Jew, shall howl with joy in a corner that all the traditional food is stuff I can eat (I’m a vegetarian)
Seriously I’m a huge cheese aficionado seek my guidance and wisdom I can and will lead you to the promised land (of cheese)
Follow your dreams! My plans this year are Fondu the first night and Cheese Ravioli in Alfredo sauce the second night. FOLLOW THE DREAMS. ALL OF THEM.
Man, we Jews are obsessed with eating Fruit
So like I go into the Seven Species a lot for Tu B’Shevat but since this is the holiday where we harvest them, I suggest eating them for Shavuot too
And they are traditional for the holiday!
So, once again, the Seven Species for Israel are Wheat,Barley,Dates,Figs,Pomegranates,Olives, and Grapes
Fruit in general are a great Shavuot food if you don’t want to overdo your lactose-eating pills, including things that are in season where you live!
Googling “Fruit in season now in [your home]” can work, especially if you use a major city
So right now in the Midwest (where I live, just as an example), Cherries Raspberries and Strawberries are just coming into season, and some types of vegetables are becoming a little less seasonal
It all depends on where you live, really, so this is just my advice for you to go out and find what is available in your area!
Just enjoy fruit and other produce in addition to your alarming quantities of dairy :D
Attend (or host) a Tikkun Leil Shavuot!
One of the biggest traditions surrounding Jewish study on Shavuot is to host or attend a Tikkun Leil Shavuot - ie, a studying of Jewish texts all night
Why a religiously-sanctioned all nighter? A few reasons have been given
Honestly the biggest reason is probably just “we need a ritual for Shavuot and this is the best idea we’ve got”
But, the officialstory is that because the Jews fell asleep the night before receiving the Torah, this is our way of proving to Gd that we are Ready and Willing and Eager to learn and receive the Torah
Also there’s a more mystical thought that at midnight heaven opens and receives the thoughts and studies of those who remain awake on this anniversary of Revelation, and that wishes are fulfilled - kind of like on Hoshanah Rabbah, if you remember that bit from my Sukkot post
There is a traditional Tikkun text, but honestly I’m having trouble finding it - this might be my closest bet but it also looks homegrown - basically the traditional text is a body of work with excerpts from all the books of the Tanakh and all the tractates of the Talmud, and some other Rabbinic works
Talmud study is also traditional during the Tikkun, in addition to studying the whole Tanach (especially Ruth and the Torah) and the Pirkei Avot
People usually list these study sessions online as events, or they’re held through synagogues!
Look into ones in your area - they’re especially common amongst more traditionally-minded movement but they can be found through any branch of Judaism
They sometimes go the whole night, other times just through midnight, and still yet other times until a late hour of the morning but not all the way till daybreak. Go for as long as you want, and what is healthy for you!
Also drink coffee. Delicious coffee with dairy creamer is Very Shavuot
Study the Book of Ruth!
The Book of Ruth is one of the Five Megillot - the Five Scrolls - a body of short works in the Tanach each lined up with a Jewish holiday
These scrolls are considered parallel to the Torah, which is also composed of five books
The Book of Ruth is associated with Shavuot because of the story within it!
In this book, Ruth marries one of the sons of Naomi, a Jewish woman
But then, Naomi’s sons die
Rather than leave and go back to her own people (like her sister-in-law does), Ruth vows to be Jewish with Naomi
She accepts the Torah onto herself, making her a Model for the Jewish Convert
She then goes back with Naomi to Israel, gets married to a distant relative of Naomi, and gives birth - to the ancestor of the future King David
Thus, Ruth is the perfect Shavuot text - it celebrates converts AND the acceptance of Torah
Also apparently David - Ruth’s descendant - died around Shavuot, which is another reason for it being read
It is also a Very Gay Book - I mean, for better or worse, wlw tend to identify with Ruth and Naomi (even if it’s a littlecreepy since Naomi is Ruth’s mother in law) - because they have a very romantic dialogue exchange
I choose to see this as a positive but I understand not doing so
And I mean, Shavuot usually is In or Near Pride Month, so… like… it makes sense
Plus it’s one of the few good examples of a Sapphic (ie, woman and woman) queer relationship in the Tanakh soooooOOOOOOO
Since this is such a short book of the Tanakh, it’s easy to read in the one night of Shavuot - and is inspiring for all Jews, but especially Converts
Go to service, and hear the Akdamut!
Attending Shavuot service is pretty much the only “official” Shavuot thing to do, weirdly enough, since the other Shalosh Regalim have oodles and oodles of observances of all kinds
This service usually has the Book of Ruth read aloud, but also poems from Medieval writings, as well as the Hallel prayer of praise, Psalms of praise, and the memorial Yizkor service
In particular prominence is the Akdamut, a poem of praise written by Ashkenazi Jews around a thousand years ago and read every Shavuot - it is a 90 verse poem with multiple acrostics for the letters of the Aramaic/Hebrew alphabet
Not all synagogues have this service, so you have to look pretty thoroughly for it, but at least more traditionally minded shuls will have a morning Shavuot service including all these elements
In fact, many will stay up all night for the Tikkun Leil Shavuot, before immediately going to Shavuot morning service
Since you can only hear the Akdamut this one day a year at shul, it’s well worth a trip!
The Akdamut is an Ashkenazi custom only - being written by Ashkenazim - but Sephardim do sing a poem called the Azharot, which describes all six hundred and thirteen mitzvot (commandments) as set out by the Torah - with the positive mitzvot sung about the first day of Shavuot, and the negative mitzvot the second day
The poem Yatziv Pitgam is also recited in some synagogues on the second day of Shavuot
Basically just go to a shul and listen - there will be a lot to hear!
Enjoy the beginning of summer plants!
Shavuot coincides with the ending of spring, and the opening of summer!
Which means everything is becoming Extra Green - the grass is growing, the leaves are full, the pollen is finally calming the heckdown -
Traditionally, it is said that Mount Sinai blossomed with greenery in anticipation of the giving of the Torah; and greenery figures heavily into the Shalosh Regalim in general, being agricultural festivals
As such, many Jewish people will decorate their homes - or the synagogue - with plants, flowers, and leafy branches, even canopies of flowers and plants in the style of a chuppah (remember, this is the second half of the wedding ceremony between the jewish people and Gd)
Some even would decorate trees, but since this is so similar to Xmas, that tradition has largely Died
So, while in general Jewish people don’t do a whole heckof a lot of holiday decorating, go wild! Fill your home with plants dude!
Spring is ending and summer is here! Bring that into your home!
You are not alone!
Judaism is ALWAYS and FOREVER about community!
Community events are everywhere for this holiday - look into all the local synagogues, Jewish Community Centers, and more for ideas and places to go!
Reach out to friends in the area and come up with a plan yourselves!
Shavuot is a beautiful holiday with infinite potential - you just gotta go for it!
Never just listen to me
I am a potential future rabbi excitedly preparing for Alarming Amounts of Cheese
I have only my experiences and opinions to offer - and there are so many experiences out there!
Talk to everyone, hear what they have to say, and form your own opinions!
You won’t regret it, and you’ll be able to create your own version of Shavuot!
GOOD LUCK, and CHAG SHAVUOT SAMEACH! חג שבועות שמח!!!!!!!!!!!!
Unintentionally humorous moment in this Yiddish translation of King Lear: for “unburden’d, crawl towards death,” the translator has “באַפֿרײַט פֿון לאַסט/מיר װעלן שלעפּ זיך דעם טאָיט אַנקעגן”. For “crawl”, the translator chose “drag myself”, which is fine, except that the word in Yiddish is one you’ll already know: “schlep”.* “I will schlep myself toward death,” said King Lear.
*granted, the word probably doesn’t have the same connotation in Yiddish–it just means “to drag” and is appropriate, but to a modern reader? That’s incredible.
“Okay, fine, I’ll accept the eventualities of old age and death—but I’m gonna complain about it the whole time.”
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Bitch your little heart out about the dying of the light.
On the eve of Yom ha’Shoa, I remember the members of my family who I have never met — the great-aunts and great-uncles who died, the cousins and aunts and uncles who could have been, the branches of the family tree which were severed by a hate that coalesced into horrible form. I remember those who did live and do no longer, and the burdens they carried with them — the weight of guilt and memory and loss — until their end. May all of their memories be a blessing, and may we carry them with us and find comfort. Zichronam livracha.
The things I have learned in Hebrew school: 1. This is the Alef-Bet in Hebrew. It is your people’s tongue. It is sweet on yours. 2. They want to kill you 3. This is what you say when they accuse you of killing their god 4. This is what you say when they accuse you of controlling the government 5. The Mishnah has six books, arranged by subject. 6. This is how to hide a kippah in public 7. There are two main commentaries on the Gemara on every Talmud page- Rashi and Tosafot 8. They killed your family 9. This is the prayer for the anniversary of a death 10. This is how to feel afraid 11. This is how to feel ashamed of being afraid 12. Do not read “children”, read “builders” 13. Your children will be afraid of building a life anywhere they cannot flee from at midnight 14. This is how to feel anger 15. This is how to choke 16. On it 17. It back 18. When you are dying 19. When they are killing you 20. Say the shema
My last day at the @nli_israel archives… And what an incredibly beautiful and fascinating image to end with! This is from a bilingual prayer book published in 1883, with Hebrew on one page and Maghrebi Judeo-Arabic translation on the other. The editor even translated the shiviti, a traditional form of Jewish meditative art, so that “I have placed the L!RD’s presence before me always” becomes “ja'alat Allah liqbalati da'iman.” What an amazing time in Jerusalem… Many new friends and some great finds. Next stop: Tel Aviv!
