Mishkan Blog

Contrary to popular belief, it’s not just Yom Kippur on which Jews avoid food and drink for a day of seriousness and self-reflection– turns out there are five fast days throughout the year and today is one of them:  the 17th of Tammuz. The 17th of Tammuz, a fast day...

This year more than most, the dialectical tension at the heart of the Passover story feels real. The greens represent freshness and innocence, yet the salt water represents tears. The matzah represents freedom, and it reminds us, in every bite, that we know...

On November 9th, 2016, I woke up after a pretty sleepless election night, and when I finally found the energy to leave the house and walk to work, I went outside intentionally wearing a kippah in public for the first time. It was a gut-level decision about how I...

JOIN HANDS AND START MARCHING As we read the first chapters in the book of Exodus this Shabbos, our country has ushered in a new set of leaders. A day that once seemed impossibly far off, a surreal and distant unlikelihood, has arrived. I'm always astounded by the...

Hanukkah Blessings from the Jewish Emergent Network Why do we add a candle for each night of Hanukkah?  As Hillel the Sage once said, l’ma’alin b’kodesh, to increase the sacred: every act we perform should increase holiness in the world. We add a candle each night to...