by Webmaster | Sep 9, 2015 | Holidays, Identity
With joy we share our family tradition of “Lavar la Cara” (washing our faces in the ocean). It seems that this tradition combines many elements of two ceremonies. The first is “Tashlich” from the Hebrew “to cast off,” referring to the custom of tossing bits of bread...
by Webmaster | Sep 1, 2015 | Holidays, Identity
If I’ve learned anything being a black, observant, Jewish hip-hop artist, it’s that it takes time and patience for something new to be accepted and to catch on. I was told years ago that rap music had no place in the Jewish world and I could never hope to really touch...
by Webmaster | Aug 25, 2015 | Identity
Rosh Hashanah is a magical time. Or at least, we seem to think so. According to the Mishnah (Rosh Hashanah 1.2), on this date “all of creation passes in front of God like sheep in a flock.” Our High Holidays liturgy takes this idea of “the Day of Judgement” and runs...
by Webmaster | Aug 18, 2015 | Identity
What was it like to walk in the wilderness from Egypt to the Promised Land? In my own life and in my rabbinate, I often draw on the story of journey from Egypt to the land of Israel. But usually it is a metaphor. This past week, it became much more tangible, literally...
by Webmaster | Aug 13, 2015 | Identity
Talking about your country seems like such a simple task: culture, food, costumes and art. But when you come from such a complex country like mine — Colombia — the “simple” categories can disappear. Every single fact has a deep and sometimes tough story to tell. A few...
by Webmaster | Jul 29, 2015 | Identity
Whenever I visit somewhere new, whether in my country of origin or somewhere foreign, I typically stand on the periphery at first to “take it all in.” As Friday night services ended at a new place recently, I watched the locals exchange the global sabbatical...
