Chag Sameach Pessach

APRIL 1/NISSAN 14

FAST OF THE FIRSTBORN

A fast in recognition of the fact that during the “Plague of the Firstborn” (which occurred at midnight of Nissan 15), G-d “passed over” the Jewish firstborn when He killed only the firstborn Egyptians. The prevailing custom, however, is to participate in a festive meal celebrating the conclusion of studying a section of Torah, thereby exempting themselves from the obligation to fast.

REMOVAL OF CHAMETZ

Chametz is not eaten from two hours before midday, and is disposed of an hour before midday for the entire subsequent 7 days of Pesach. The latter is done by: a) selling it to a non-Jew; b) burning the chametz found in our search on the previous evening, or otherwise destroying it; c) nullifying the chametz that has not been found by declaring it ownerless.

PASSOVER SEDER

The 7-day festival of Pesach (Passover)--also called “The Festival of Matzahs” and “The Time of Our Freedom”--begins at nightfall (technically Nissan 15). From the time of the Exodus through the present, Jews all over the world conduct a Seder (”order”) -- a 15-part ritualistic feast that encompasses the observances of the Passover festival: telling our children the story of the Exodus as described and expounded in the Haggadah; eating matzah (unleavened bread), bitter herbs and the afikoman; drinking the four cups of wine; together with song, exposition and questions, all commemorating both our slavery in Egypt and our liberation on this night.

2448 (1312 BCE):

Paschal lambs were sacrificed by the Jews in Egypt to be eaten later that night at the very first Passover Seder (Exodus 12:28), and their blood was sprinkled on their doorposts as a sign that G-d will “pass over” their homes when inflicting the final plague upon the Egyptians. This was an act of great courage, as sheep were regarded as gods in Egyptian society, and the Jews were technically still subject to Egyptian slavery. When the Holy Temple stood in Jerusalem, the Passover lamb would be offered and eaten by every Jewish family that made the pilgrimage. Today it is commemorated symbolically by the shank bone on the Seder plate and the afikoman -- a portion of matzah eaten in its stead at the end of the Seder meal.

Nelly Sachs

 

(1891–1970) was a German-born Jewish poet and playwright whose quiet but powerful voice emerged from one of the darkest chapters of human history. Born in Berlin on 10 December 1891, she grew up in a cultured and educated family and began writing at a young age. Yet it was only after the age of fifty, shaped by exile and loss, that her most important work came into being.

In 1940, as the Nazi persecution of Jews intensified, she fled Germany with her mother and found refuge in Sweden, thanks in part to the intervention of the Swedish Nobel laureate . Many of her relatives and friends did not survive the Holocaust. Living in Stockholm as an exile, often in fragile health and emotional distress, Sachs transformed her grief into poetry of rare spiritual depth.

Her writings speak of Jewish suffering, exile, and the destiny of Israel, yet they do so not in anger or political protest, but in language that resembles prayer. Drawing from biblical imagery and Jewish mysticism, her poems are filled with symbols such as stars, ashes, angels, and dust. She sought to give voice to those who had been silenced, turning mourning into lyrical remembrance. Among her best-known works are In the Dwellings of Death (1947), one of the earliest poetic responses to the Holocaust, and the dramatic work Eli: A Mystery Play of the Sufferings of Israel, which reflects deeply on Jewish pain and faith.

On her seventy-fifth birthday in 1966, she was awarded the , which she shared with the Hebrew writer . The Nobel Committee honored her “for her outstanding lyrical and dramatic writing, which interprets Israel’s destiny with touching strength.” With this award, she became the first Jewish woman to receive a Nobel Prize in any field.

Nelly Sachs lived a simple and largely secluded life in Stockholm until her death on 12 May 1970. She never married and remained deeply devoted to her writing, which continues to be read as a testimony of faith, suffering, and spiritual endurance. For those unfamiliar with her, she stands as a gentle yet profound witness of the twentieth century—one who turned exile into poetry and sorrow into enduring light.

״המנט״. ביקורת

---

״המנט״. ביקורת

מדהים להתבונן כיצד צעיר מתנהג בנוכחות עלמה, וכיצד אישה צעירה פותחת את ליבה בפני הגבר שהיא אוהבת. כבר מן המפגש הראשון ויליאם ואגנס מאבדים את עצמם זה בזו, קשורים בסקרנות, בתשוקה ובהבנה שקטה ההולכת וצומחת לאהבה עמוקה.

הבמאית והתסריטאית קלואי ז׳או, בעיבודה לרומן של מגי או’פארל ״המנט״, מעלה את סיפור האהבה הזה לגבהים ליריים. הסרט אינו מסתפק בסיפור אהבה; הוא מטביע אותנו בעולמם הרגשי של שני צעירים המגלים אינטימיות, שותפות וגורל בתקופה קשה ובלתי ודאית.

כאשר טרגדיה פוקדת את בני הזוג הנשואים עם מות ילדם השלישי, המנט, הטון של הסרט משתנה והופך לאבל צורב. אגנס חשופה ובלתי מרוסנת בצערה. היא אינה מסתירה את כאבה ומאשימה בגלוי את ויליאם בכך שלא היה נוכח כאשר בנם מת. אבלה רם, גופני ואנושי עד מאוד. ויליאם, לעומתה, נושא את האבל בדממה. הוא מקבל את האשמותיה ללא מחאה, וסופג את סבלו פנימה.

אך אבלו של ויליאם אינו קטן ואינו קצר. הוא בוער בו שנים ארוכות, ולבסוף מוצא את ביטויו במילים. הסרט מראה ביופי כיצד הסופר הגדול ויליאם שייקספיר ממיר את כאבו האישי לאמנות. דרך התמרה זו אנו עדים לאופן שבו כאב נעשה לשירה, ואובדן פרטי הופך לרגש אוניברסלי. לצופים ניתנת הזדמנות נדירה לראות כיצד שברון ליבו של שייקספיר עיצב את המילים שלימים ישברו וירפאו אינספור לבבות לאורך דורות.

קרבתה של אגנס לטבע, אמונותיה הפגאניות והבנתה האינטואיטיבית את החיים והמוות מוצגות ברגישות רבה. יסודות אלה משתלבים בהרמוניה עם בימויה של קלואי ז׳או ועם הצילום הזוהר של לוקאש ז׳אל, המצייר את הכפריות כמטפחת וכאכזרית בעת ובעונה אחת. הטבע מדבר דרך המוזיקה של מקס ריכטר והופך לעד לאהבה, לאובדן ולהישרדות.

עם זאת, הסרט מתמשך לעיתים. קצבו האיטי לאורך שעתיים של זמן מסך עשוי לבחון את סבלנותם של חלק מן הצופים, ולולא הסיום העדין והאמין ותיאור התקופה הריאליסטי, ייתכן שההשפעה הרגשית הייתה חלשה יותר. ואף על פי כן, האותנטיות של התקופה והכנות שבמשחק מצילות את הסרט מהיסחפות מיותרת.

״השאירו את לבכם פתוח״ הוא המסר המרכזי שהסרט מציע לעולם — תזכורת לכך שאהבה ואבל מתקיימים יחד, וכי סגירה מפני הכאב סוגרת גם את היכולת לאהוב. מסר זה מקבל עוצמה מיוחדת בזכות משחקם המרגש של ג׳סי באקלי ופול מסקל, המובילים את הסרט בגילומים טבעיים, מאופקים ונוגעים ללב.

בסופו של דבר, ״המנט״ אינו רק סיפור על בנו של שייקספיר; זהו הרהור על אהבה, אובדן והאלכימיה שבה סבל נהפך לאמנות. הסרט נותר בתודעה זמן רב לאחר שהאור כבה על המסך.

The Changing Parisian Coffee Culture

The Parisian Coffee Culture

The month of Cheshvan

Cheshvan (also called Marcheshvan) is the eighth month of the ecclesiastical year and the second month of the civil year in the Jewish calendar, usually occurring in October-November. The name Cheshvan derives from the Babylonian word  Marcheshvan, while its original Hebrew name was Bul, meaning "rain" or "drip," reflecting its association with the rainy season in Israel. The prefix  "Mar" was later interpreted as "bitter" because Cheshvan is unique for having no holidays or festivals, making it a month of reflection and solemnity following the busy holiday month of Tishrei. It is also called "Chodesh Bul" referring to its connection to the rainy season and agricultural significance.

 Religiously and biblically, Cheshvan holds significance as the month during which the Great Flood began (17th of Cheshvan) according to Jewish tradition, an event described in Genesis 6-8. Noah and his family endured the flood, and it marked divine judgment on a wicked generation. Cheshvan is also linked to the completion of Solomon's First Temple, although its dedication was delayed until Tishrei. Additionally, the rainy season (Yoreh) begins during Cheshvan, critical for sustaining life and crops in Israel. The month is also seen symbolically as a time of judgment and grace, and some traditions view it as a preparatory period for the Messiah and future redemption.

 Traditional customs during Cheshvan include several fasts, most notably the Fast of Behab, consisting of fasts on the Monday, Thursday, and subsequent Monday after the festivals of Sukkot and Passover, observed mainly by Ashkenazi communities. On the 27th of Cheshvan, some observe a minor fast called Yom Kippur Katan ("small Yom Kippur"), with prayers and introspection. On the 7th of Cheshvan, prayers for rain are added to the daily Amidah (Shmoneh Esreh) to invoke a fruitful rainy season. Despite no major holidays, Cheshvan is a time of spiritual reflection, fasting, and preparation with hopes for growth and renewal.

 Cheshvan is a month of sober reflection tied to important biblical events and natural cycles, marked by customs of fasting and prayer, and is symbolically connected to themes of judgment, grace, and hope for future redemption.

 

Happy Diwali

Diwali – The Festival of Lights

For those who are not from India, Diwali (or Deepavali) is one of India’s most beloved festivals — a celebration that brings together light, renewal, and hope. The word Deepavali means “a row of lamps.” Across India and beyond, families light small clay lamps, called diyas, and place them in their homes, doorways, and streets. The glow of these lamps symbolizes the triumph of light over darkness, and good over evil.

The stories behind Diwali vary from region to region. In northern India, it marks the homecoming of Lord Rama after fourteen years of exile, when the people of Ayodhya lit lamps to welcome him. In western India, it celebrates the goddess Lakshmi, who brings prosperity and well-being. In the south, it commemorates the victory of Lord Krishna over the tyrant Narakasura. Beyond these tales, Diwali carries a universal message — that every human heart holds a lamp, and it is meant to shine.

Diwali also marks a new beginning. Many people clean and decorate their homes, exchange sweets, and offer prayers for abundance and harmony. It coincides with the end of the harvest season, making it both a spiritual and seasonal renewal.

At its heart, Diwali is about kindling inner light — compassion, wisdom, and clarity — and sharing it with others. The festival reminds us that even a small flame can dispel great darkness.

Seasonal and Scientific Dimensions of Diwali

Diwali usually falls between mid-October and mid-November — the time when days begin to shorten, the air cools, and winter approaches in the Indian subcontinent. In traditional calendars, this period leads toward the winter solstice, when the sun appears at its southernmost point before turning northward again. It is nature’s reminder of a cosmic rhythm — darkness deepens before the return of light.

Lighting lamps at this time of year is therefore more than symbolic. In earlier centuries, the oil lamps helped purify and brighten homes during long evenings when sunlight was scarce. The gentle warmth and faint fragrance of sesame or mustard oil also had practical effects — reducing dampness, repelling insects, and improving air quality.

From a scientific perspective, the human body and mind are responsive to light. Exposure to warm light in darker months can lift mood, regulate sleep, and promote a sense of wellbeing — something ancient cultures understood intuitively. Thus, the lighting of diyas served not only a ritual purpose but also a biological and psychological one: keeping the community healthy, joyful, and attuned to the cycles of the earth and sun.

In this way, Diwali is both a festival of the spirit and a festival of nature — a luminous bridge between the outer and the inner worlds.

Sixth day of Sukkot