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Giving as a fountain of youth

Al Azus has found his fountain of youth, and he’s not keeping it a secret. In fact, the 92-year-old philanthropist recently published a memoir whose title all but gives his formula away: “Live Longer by Giving.”

‘Shalakhmones: The Purim Platters’

Wearing a silk kerchief and a plain apron – a combination of holiday and weekday attire – Mama stood by the table, practically at her wit’s end. It was no trifle, you know, receiving almost 100 shalakhmones…

In lieu of perfection

Leviticus 19:1-20:27

Right there, in the shadow of the ever-popular \”Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself,\” another mitzvah quietly sits: \”Thou shall surely rebuke thy friend.\” And while this may seem rude or intrusive, the Torah regards the obligation of mutual rebuke as the engine of communal righteousness.

Where’s the Passover story?

It\’s one of the great mysteries of the Jewish tradition. Every year, Jews around the world gather around a seder table to retell the story of our people\’s liberation from slavery. You can read a thousand articles, talk to a thousand rabbis, and they\’ll all say the same thing: At the Passover seder, we retell the story of the Exodus.\n\nThere\’s only one problem with this statement: It\’s not really true.

Better safe than sorry

It is late in the game for Pharaoh. Mitzrayim has just endured the penultimate plague: Dark. Pharaoh now knows he has little time left: It is, for him, the bottom of the ninth.

He summons Moshe, as he has done so many times before, and for the first time conducts an earnest negotiation. The king of Egypt now concedes the demand Moshe had made earlier — everyone may go, even the women and children. Only, says the Pharaoh, you must leave your cattle behind. Moshe declines the offer, and ups the ante. Not only are we going to take our cattle with us, he insists, but you must supplement the herd with some of your own.

Brotherly Love

With Chanukah recent history, I came across a fascinating review of a new book, \”The Business of Holidays.\” The book\’s editor, Maud Lavin, notes that 81 percent of U.S. households celebrate Christmas with a tree in their homes, and not everybody is Christian. The line between Christmas and Chanukah has become very blurry in recent years, according to Lavin.

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Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.