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Next Year in Jerusalem – March 2013

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At the close of the Passover seder we declare, “L’shanah ha’ba-ah bi-rushalyim!”  “In the coming year, in Jerusalem!”

Some of us have had the pleasure of celebrating Passover in Jerusalem.  Some of us long to do so.  Some of us would prefer to celebrate in the comfort of home with family and friends.  Some of us observe Passover in our community seder.  What does it mean to us to say, “Next year in Jerusalem?”

In Hebrew we pronounce Jerusalem as Yirushalayim, and we can translate it as “City of Peace.”

Chanukah 2012

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As the sun slips lower on the horizon and the moon fades away, we approach the festival of Chanukah. The rabbis of the Talmud placed our holiday during the waning of the moon close to the winter solstice. Here in Humboldt County we really feel that darkness as the days are so short and the nights so long. There are beautiful teachings from the Jewish mystical tradition about the hidden, inner light of Creation – the Or Ganuz – which is available to us during the Chanukah festival.

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