Netta Asner Minster

Us with John's parents, sister and dog Harley last summer When I was in Australia over Shavuot, one question I received has stuck with me: 'Do you tell your kids that your husband's family is not Jewish?' For a moment I was taken aback. The implication seemed that I would hide from my kids that basic fact. And the thing is, because of who John is, we have been open from the beginning about his journey and his background. That's what allowed me in the first place to open, share and discuss his...

Recently I ran a Hebrew mini-course. As we read the Amidah, the silent prayer, we encountered the word ' hasid'. One of the participants asked if this is the source of the word that the ' hasidic ' movement comes from? What does this word mean and why was it chosen? When many of us say ' hasidic' it is synonymous with ultra-Orthodox or haredi Jews. But in fact a ' hasidic' Jew is a particular kind of ultra-Orthodox Jew that stems from the hasidut movement that started in the 1700's....

Winter has begun in Israel and we are praying for rain daily. Because rain is seasonal here, it's crucial for crops and water sources. This made me think further about the fact that mikveh, ritual baths, must derive from a natural water source ( sidenote: it is only a small portion of the mikveh water but it must be present). Why is that? First, it is important to understand what the mikveh was and is now used for. Originally, one immersed in a mikveh to purify one's self to visit,...