While I was publicizing my blog on Facebook yesterday, I was dumbstruck when I saw a note appear. Very short- very unsweet. “it was a pleasure knowing you u were a true inspiration to us all rip Elliot Richard Dorfman you will be missed“.
Continue reading Who are these strangers?
My mom’s dead. And, I’m single. So, there’s no celebration of Mother’s Day this weekend. (Pay attention kids- your mom’s alive. Don’t forget her.) And, I was somewhat confused last week, when the Phillies celebrated Mother’s Day. (That’s because there will be no Sunday home game this weekend. )
Continue reading The only time I ever lag!
I know, I know. My holiday is over. But, I have another Pesach (Passover) story to share with you.
The 7th day of Pesach started Sunday night. Which meant that some of my table sharers were celebrating Easter while others, like me, were still crunching on our matza. And, during the festive meal, we parsed the question of why the 7th day (and the 8th for those who don’t live in Israel) is celebrated as a special day. (The holidays of Sukot and Pesach are both 7 days long; some of those days have rules that stipulate no work or use of electricity; others, called ‘chol hamoed’- or the secular portion of the holiday- follow. Except for Pesach, where the 7th day is also a ‘yom tov’, a special day.)
Continue reading Pesach. A short reprise.
Yup. Another holiday. Yes, I know it’s tax season. It’s why I’ve been pushing my clients to get me their stuff early. Because tonight begins the 7th day of Pesach. (You do recall that we Jews start our days in the evening. Because Hashem stated it was evening, it was morning- one day. It’s why Christians follow the evening concept for the birth of Jesus- because he was Jewish and that’s how it worked for him.)
The Ten Plagues. Dam, Tzfardaya, Kinim.. In English: Blood. Frogs. Lice. Wild Beasts. Pestilence. Boils. Hail. Locusts. Darkness. Slaying of the First-born.
Continue reading Yom Tov Pesach (when we don’t work)
Tonight begins the holiday of Passover. Other than Rosh Hashana and Yom Kipur, this is the one holiday that most Jews celebrate. Oh, Chanuka comes close, but most folks still
Continue reading Pesach… Or, as you call it- Passover
Two score and two years ago. Yes, it was that important that I can invoke the memory of the Gettysburg Address, one of the finest speeches ever made. I met Sam 42 years ago. He was a young man then (and I was a kid).
Continue reading The Ides of March- plus 2
Saturday night starts a great holiday for me- Purim. (Purim means “Lots”- as in the lottery. But, it was only after a few twists and turns that we managed to eke out a win with this lottery.) My family tradition adds on a second day- Shushan Purim, the name for the second day; most Ashkenazi Jews rarely celebrate it- for them, it’s a one day holiday.
Continue reading Tomorrow Night… What a night!
I don’t normally post on Sunday. Period.
But, today is the 52nd anniversary of Bloody Sunday. (OK. It’s the Sunday anniversary; the date was 7 March.) And, our great nation is NOT becoming great again because some 30 states have found ways to preclude the poor, the Blacks, the Latinos from voting. And, Jeff Sessions (Sen. Elizabeth Warren warns us of his continued ‘racism, sexism, bigotry‘ ) is already retreating further from fair and balanced voting regulations.
Continue reading A Full Deck has passed. Now, 1000 fewer places for Blacks to Vote
Valentine’s Day? That’s what everyone says it is.
Except, in my tradition, this was a day celebrated by others. Given the official name for the day as “Saint Valentine’s Day”, it should surprise no one that it was not part of my routine. A child going to yeshiva (a Jewish [very] religious school) is not to be considering any day involving saints as pertaining to them. (That’s true, regardless of Hallmark’s yeoman efforts to make us all forget that first word of the celebration.)
Continue reading Politically correct VD…
