by admin | Feb 19, 2023 | Rabbi's Marmon's Blog
The spring holiday season is upon us! Though not nearly as concentrated or intense as their fall counterparts, the spring holidays – from Purim in early March this year to Shavuot falling in late May – are easily the busiest such an extended period on the Jewish...
by admin | Dec 18, 2022 | Rabbi's Marmon's Blog
In recent weeks, we have been witness to a disturbing trend: a rash of public celebrity figures openly engaging in anti-Semitic acts and statements. The current spate began in early October with the rapper Kanye West (who lately goes by “Ye,” which he pronounces...
by admin | Oct 25, 2022 | Rabbi's Marmon's Blog
Before reading on, take a moment to answer this question: we light Chanukah candles in our windows for פרסומי ניסא (pirsumei nisa), “publicizing the miracle” of Chanukah. What is the miracle of Chanukah? Chances are, your answer had to do with a one-day supply of...
by admin | Aug 16, 2022 | Rabbi's Marmon's Blog
As the High Holy Days come into view over the horizon, this year my mind is on the sometimes forgotten fall holiday that sneaks in behind: Sukkot (or Succoth, if you hanker for old-timey transliterations that won’t upset your computer’s spell checker). There is a very...
by admin | Jun 16, 2022 | Rabbi's Marmon's Blog
The summer is a quiet time on the Jewish ritual calendar. This is no surprise for a Levantine culture that predates air conditioning by several millennia. The main ritual event of summer is the three weeks of mourning the destruction of the Temple, known as בין המצרים...
by admin | Apr 12, 2022 | Rabbi's Marmon's Blog
From the second night of Passover, for forty-nine nights to the eve of Shavuot, we count the Omer. This year, that’s from the 16th of April to the 4th of June. This time of year has become associated with tragedy and persecution over the course of Jewish history,...
by admin | Feb 18, 2022 | Rabbi's Marmon's Blog
Regular readers will recall – one hopes! – that, thanks to the extra month intercalated within the Jewish leap year, our last Scroll covered two months without major Jewish holidays. Our holidays come roaring back this time around with Purim in mid-March this year...
by admin | Dec 14, 2021 | Rabbi's Marmon's Blog
Due to a quirk of the Jewish calendar, there are no major holidays in the span of this Scroll. What an opportunity to talk about some quirks of the Jewish calendar! (Warning: math follows.) The Jewish calendar is a lunisolar calendar, meaning primarily lunar, with...
by admin | Oct 15, 2021 | Rabbi's Marmon's Blog
So much of healthy life is a matter of balance and boundaries. In Jewish tradition, performance of mourning supplants life for one week, coexists with life for thirty days or one year (for parents), and is thereafter absorbed by life and given voice for only a few...
by admin | Sep 1, 2021 | Rabbi's Marmon's Blog
Over the High Holy Days, we pass through the threshold of the new year, not only in fact but in focus. During the month of Elul, last of the old year, we focus on the year past, examining our own behavior and character during the year coming to an end, and asking...
