Before the children of Israel are to enter into the land, Moses “reteaches” the values and laws that they must follow in order to have a successful “aliya”. In this week’s parsha, the Jews are reminded about following no less than 72 mitzvot! What is interesting is...
Recipe for Parsha Emor
Parsha Recipe for Emor – Parsha Pie! (Adapted from pragmaticattic.wordpress.com) Parsha Emor discusses the cycle of holidays: the weekly Shabbat, Passover, Shavuoth, Rosh HaShana, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret. Immediately following this is a discussion of...
Parshat Kedoshim
We could spend an entire year studying this week’s Torah portion. There is an abundance of mitzvoth in the parsha that demand a total commitment to justice, kindness, and fairness. However, what is significant is that the parsha sees these mitzvoth as key elements in...
Innovative Seder Ideas
I wanted to take this opportunity to wish everyone a wonderful and meaningful Pesach. The Seders are a special event in the Jewish calendar where we can put our personal touch on the flow and celebration of the evening as we retell the story of the exodus from Egypt....
Passover Recipe – Matzo Toffee Bar Crunch
Passover is almost upon us. This is one of my family’s favorite treats! MATZO TOFFEE BAR CRUNCH (from Huffingtonpost.ca) Start to finish: 1 hour 30 minutes Servings: 18 6 sheets matzo (or enough to cover a baking sheet) 1 cup (2 sticks) margarine 1 1/2 cups packed...
Parshat Metzora – Thoughts on Gossip
This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending a Seudah Shelisheet (third Sabbath meal) which was part of a Shabbaton at the Adath featuring a woman named Adrienne Gold. Adrienne grew up in Toronto and has become observant over the last 20 years of her life. Some...Akiva Calendar
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Parshat Ki Teitzei –The Heavenly Task of Being a Parent
Parsha Perspectives from our students
Akiva students are involved in weekly discussions about the Torah portion. Every so often as part of the blog, we would like to share with you, some of the beautiful thoughts and ideas that your children shared with me or their teachers about questions related to the...
With hopes of a better future of peace and happiness
As the school year fast approaches, we at school are thinking, organizing, planning and brainstorming for new enriching ideas to incorporate into the year. We are confident that we will have another year of rewarding and successful education for your children. We want...
Your Kids are Ready to Talk about Israel. Are you?
I hope everyone has had a restful and rewarding summer. We are excited about the upcoming school year and seeing everyone back at school. It has been a difficult summer for all of us in the Jewish community and our thoughts and hearts have been with Israel. We will...
Parshat Korach – Bring our Boys Home
The tragic news this week in Israel of three boys who were kidnapped by Hamas is overwhelming. Yet, at the same time, we need to contemplate what we can ultimately do. There are no words to express the pain that the families of Eyal, Gilad, and Naftali must be...
Bring Back Our Boys
Last Thursday, at around the time we dismissed our students from school to go home, three Israeli boys, Yeshiva students also returning home, disappeared into the night, kidnapped by terrorists. Their story touches us deeply to the core as parents and as fellow...
Idea for Parshat Shelach
This week’s parsha tells the famous story of the spies. Moses sends twelve spies to the land of Israel. Forty days later they return, carrying a huge cluster of grapes, a pomegranate and a fig, to report on a lush and bountiful land. But then they continue with words...
Parshat Be’halot’cha
LAZY DAYS AT THE BEACH by Benyamin Cohen Torah from Dixie Staff Writer Summertime is here. Every year, we read the Book of Numbers during the summer, and often it gets less attention then it rightfully deserves. So for the moment, let's catch up with the Jewish people...
Treat for Parshat Beha-alotcha
In this week’s Torah reading, the “stiff necked people” in B’nai Yisrael complain about their lack of nourishment. They cry out for meat and fish and even reminisce about the watermelon they had back in Egypt. Our Torah Treat this week features all those foods: gummy...
Recipe for Shavuot
For our recipe this week, I found something both fun and educational for the holiday of Shavuot. It is a Libyan custom that's certainly not cookie cutter but literally uses cookies to illustrate the essence of Shavuot. Libyan Jews create a child's cookie necklace by...