Thoughts on being Jewish

"Difficult things we do quickly. The impossible takes a little longer." - David Ben-Gurion, Israel's first Prime Minister Some of the greatest achievements of Ben-Gurion University (BGU) of the Negev (Southern Israel) is finding new ways to conserve, manage and renew water. Now a world leader in water resource management, BGU researchers and scientists have developed new technologies for converting sea water into drinking water, harvesting brackish desert water and purifying waste water. Farmers... Sign in to see full entry.

This is for Sammy - Sam444 - who asked me to explain the right way to express greetings for the Jewish Holidays. So, here goes, and THANKS for asking, Sammy. That is very warm and respectful of you. Rosh Hashana means "New Year" so the best way to extend well-wishes is to say "Have a Happy New Year." (Hebrew transliteration is L'shana Tova). Yom Kippur is more solemn and we fast for 24 hours, so the proper greeting is "Have an easy fast." During the season of both High Holidays, you can say... Sign in to see full entry.

If you are of Spanish or Portuguese decent, if your grandmother lit candles on Friday night, shied away from pork and kept strange ritualistic objects around the house, there's a good chance you are of Jewish ancestry. When Jews were forced to become Christian during the Inquisition, many did so "on the surface" but secretly kept up many forms of Jewish practice throughout the generations. I have several friends who, though they were from Puerto Rico and Mexico and came from seemingly Catholic... Sign in to see full entry.

"If there is no G-d there is no 'why.' Faith believes in the legitimacy of asking 'why' - that the very question is an animating force in life." - Rabbi David Wolpe, author of Why Faith Matters. Wolpe also echoes my own approach to religion when he declares; "faith lives less in grand, world-shattering declarations than in quiet kindness and the warmth of community; in shared joys and in the compassion with which we watch over one another in sorrowful moments. To know G-d is not only to ask... Sign in to see full entry.

"Fire is fire," said my Chabad teacher during class last week. "There's no such thing as good fire or bad fire - there's just fire." She was trying to explain the Chassidic way of looking at the soul. As opposed to "original sin," Judaism teaches that the soul is inherently good - or neutral, like fire, but over time, gets gunked up with sin. "Think of our hearts encased in dirt. If you've done things that separate you from G-d, stop doing them, come back, and return to your essential self,... Sign in to see full entry.