Aug 29th, 2010
by rabbifink.
Living among Christmas Celebrators for almost my entire life, I have picked up on a notion of the “Holiday Spirit” that ushers in the Holidays of Christmas and New Year’s. Folks are generally more friendly and generous under the “guise” of Holiday Spirit.
Seeing as Rosh Hashana (the Jewish New Year) is a mere 9 days away, if we were Christian and the New Year was 9 days away, we would be knee-deep in the “Holiday Spirit”. A congregant of mine told me an anecdote that would fit neatly in the “Holiday Spirit” if we had an equivalent. (more…)
Jan 20th, 2010
by rabbifink.
Last year, there were a large number of public incidents that shed a negative light on Jews in general and particularly on Orthodox Jews. These events were not representitive of the average Jewish person, yet their notoriety put them front and center in the media.
It seems that the Earthquake in Haiti has marked a reversal of negative media coverage into more positive media coverage in response to more positive actions by Jewish people.
I noted last week that although the Jewish connection with Haiti is slim, there has been no shortage of Jewish efforts to aid the beleaguered people of Haiti.
It did not end with financial support. (more…)
Jan 14th, 2010
by rabbifink.
In the wake of the tragedy in Haiti I write this post.
This post comes on the heels of my last post which quoted David Brooks and his admiration for the accopmlishments of the Jews. And now, we have an oppurtunity to show our stripes.
Haiti is not a very Jewish place. It is not frequented by business travelers or vacationers very often. Haiti never had a strong Jewish community. But in time of tragedy the Jewish community has a knack for stepping up to the plate and helping in the ways that we can. (more…)
Nov 5th, 2009
by rabbifink.
The economic crisis has hit many families and individuals in different ways. This anecdote really hit me hard. Perhaps you will feel the same way.
We all know that money is tight for Americans all across the country. Los Angeles is no exception and even in the middle to upper class neighborhood where we live there are some disturbing signs of desperation. Sure, there are for rent signs all over the place and people are conscious about saving and reducing their expenses, but the most painful demonstration of the economic crisis that I have heard is so much worse. (more…)
Jul 13th, 2009
by rabbifink.
A Religious charity in Israel has embarked on what I and many others feel to be a misleadeing charity campaign.
Promises 0f safety from danger, special perks and privileges and out of context quotes from great Rabbis permeate the campaign.
I wrote all ab0ut in on DovBear. You can check it out by clicking below.
(more…)
Jun 8th, 2009
by rabbifink.
This blog post is about men learning at work. By learning, I mean studying Torah.
I taught a class today at Teichman Enterprises.
It was a really great experience and I was inspired and I want to share my feelings with you.
If you are looking for the Australian musical artists known as Men at Work who sing that great song called “Down Under” (the one the “Piamentas” ripped off and sing to the words “Asher Bara”) click here for Men at Work.
If you don’t know what I am talking about watch these two videos…
(more…)
Living among Christmas Celebrators for almost my entire life, I have picked up on a notion of the “Holiday Spirit” that ushers in the Holidays of Christmas and New Year’s. Folks are generally more friendly and generous under the “guise” of Holiday Spirit.
This post is really two Public Service Announcements.
