Random Reflections Reflections on Jewish Holidays Tu Bishvat in Israel and the Diaspora December 25, 2018 Sherry Oz No Comments Traditionally, in Israel, Tu Bishvat is a day for planting trees. Not a religiously ordained holiday, it can be more than just a time to plant trees. It can be…
Random Reflections Reflections on Jewish Holidays Hanukkah: Eight Candles, Eight Interpretations On Civil War December 21, 2016 Sherry Oz No Comments More than ever before we are reminded that Hanukkah is more than a miracle of eight days of oil, more than dreidles, more than latkes or suvganiot, and more than…
Random Reflections Reflections on Jewish Holidays Yom Kippur Blanket Forgiveness — Can That Work? October 11, 2016 Sherry Oz No Comments Can blanket forgiveness bring peace to the forgiver? Forgiveness involves releasing demands for retribution. Seeking retribution is accompanied by strong emotion still attached to the situation and the individual is…
Random Reflections Reflections on Jewish Holidays Yom Kippur Blanket Apology — Sincere Or A Pointless Temporary Fix? October 8, 2016 Sherry Oz No Comments A sincere apology has four components. The blanket apology has none. There is a way to turn the Yom Kippur blanket apology into one that can be sincere. * *…
Random Reflections Reflections on Jewish Holidays Why I Am Going To Drown My Apple In Honey This Year September 29, 2016 Sherry Oz No Comments The apple and honey we ceremoniously eat on Rosh HaShana can have many meanings. The one that spoke to me most was written up by Australian Rabbi Aron Moss. He…
Random Reflections Reflections on Jewish Holidays Hanukkah Then and Now: Let’s Not Be So Naive December 4, 2015 Sherry Oz No Comments Hanukkah commemorates the Hasmonean victory in the battle for the soul of the Jews in Judaea against the Greeks who tried to quash it. However, the victory is a dubious…