Many Paths: A Pesach Message from Rabbi Dr. Kobrin Here’s one of the things we did in our house on Sunday to prepare for Pesach: as I recommended in our Seder workshop last week, we contrasted the visual commentaries of Cecil B. DeMille in his The Ten Commandments and that of Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner …
It’s very easy to take parents for granted. At a recent Shabbat meal, the kids left the table and the conversation turned to our families. After one of our friends shared what turned out to be a rather uncomplimentary story about his mom, he apologized to the rest of us, saying that he did not …
These are very heavy weeks. As we move from Yom HaSho’a Ve-haGevurah last week into Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut this week, we realize how much we have to remember. This week in school we remembered the latest victims of the latest round of fighting in Israel: Moshe Agadi, Moshe Feder, Ziad Alchmamada, and Pinchas Menachem Fishvazman. …
I recently enjoyed journalist John McQuaid’s book Tasty: The Art and Science of What We Eat. (To be clear: I enjoyed reading the book, not eating it.) McQuaid says that “Flavor, which… is more of what people experience when they eat, combines taste with the sense of smell. Because when you chew, aromas are liberated from the food which waft …
As a nine year-old day camper, I was literally terror-stricken by another child. No, I was not bullied; there was another camper with a facial deformity who gave me the willies every time I saw her. I had nightmares. I am not proud of this nine year-old version of myself, but I understand it: kids …
One of the scariest scenes in recent horror movies occurred in last year’s It, in a scene lifted directly from Stephen King’s classic 1986 novel (sorry, no links: not safe for kids — or even for some adults). The monster, when not in the form of a scary clown, takes the form of whatever most …
My first year as a teacher I kept waiting for everyone – my students, their parents, my principal – to realize that I had fooled them all; I actually had no idea what I was doing. I know people who had similar feelings when they first became parents: we’re just faking this, and one day …
Running up the FDR drive in a race this past Sunday, I felt particular gratitude for a group of people who are often taken for granted: the volunteers. At a New York Road Runners race, volunteers staff tables and medical tents to give out snacks and drinks and to offer first aid. It’s cold, boring …
I was amazed by the resilience of the people of Houston. Early Sunday morning, September 17th, my daughter Naama and I boarded a flight to George Bush International Airport. We went with twenty-five kittels for the High Holidays, a few other supplies to restock a flooded synagogue that were organized by the Great Neck Synagogue, …
As has become custom, this week’s message are the thoughts I shared with our graduates this past Tuesday evening: My dear Graduates: in a few minutes, you will become alumni of the North Shore Hebrew Academy Elementary School, a place that many of you have been a part of for as long as you can …
By Rabbi Jeffrey Kobrin How remarkable it is to spend time in the company of over 1000 Jewish educators! Abigail Weiss and I have just returned from the Prizmah conference in Chicago. Prizmah is an organization composed of the umbrella organizations of Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and Community day schools that was founded last year when …
The great Ferris Bueller famously teaches us that “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” (To refresh your memory, you can watch him say that here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbR7axof1wk.) I thought of Ferris this week when speaking to our Middle Schoolers about the angels in our …
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