http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php en plevin@jewishtimes.com Copyright 2008 2008-05-13T11:17:00-05:00 http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/judaism_101/jt/judaism_101/israels_water/ http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/judaism_101/jt/judaism_101/israels_water/#When:03:00:00Z People often think of Israel, which turned 60 yesterday, as a desert.  But Israel is in fact blessed with four major bodies of water. They are the Mediterranean Sea, the Sea of Galilee, the Dead Sea and the Red Sea. • The Mediterranean Sea, a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, forms Israel’s western border. … Judaism 101 2008-05-09T03:00:00-05:00 http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/judaism_101/jt/judaism_101/last_minute_passover_soup/ http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/judaism_101/jt/judaism_101/last_minute_passover_soup/#When:03:00:00Z It’s Passover. You made it through two Seders. You’ve been cooking all week. But hey, tonight is Shabbat. It’s the last Friday night of Passover. And what could be better than a warm and savory bowl of old-fashioned matzah ball soup? Here are seven steps to a bowl of traditional Passover stew (though many people eat… Judaism 101 2008-04-25T03:00:00-05:00 http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/judaism_101/jt/judaism_101/seder_fun/ http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/judaism_101/jt/judaism_101/seder_fun/#When:03:00:00Z Passover begins Saturday night. Want to make your Seder more fun than ever? Here are some tips: • Make a basket of questions and answers about the Seder. At various points in the Seder, pull a question and allow the kids to answer it. Be sure to have a bag of little treats or prizes for… Judaism 101 2008-04-18T03:00:00-05:00 http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/judaism_101/jt/judaism_101/to_clean_or_not_to_clean/ http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/judaism_101/jt/judaism_101/to_clean_or_not_to_clean/#When:03:00:00Z When you think of Passover, do you picture your mom in yellow gloves on hands and knees scrubbing the tiles with a toothbrush? Cleaning for Passover doesn’t have to be so arduous. You don’t need to get rid of dust; you need to get rid of chametz and se’or. Chametz is food made of fermented grain.… Judaism 101 2008-04-11T03:00:00-05:00 http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/judaism_101/jt/judaism_101/passovers_noodles/ http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/judaism_101/jt/judaism_101/passovers_noodles/#When:03:00:00Z We all know that on Passover chametz is forbidden. Chametz is defined as any of the five grains — wheat, spelt, barley, oat and rye. However, what about kitniyot, foods such as legumes, beans, seeds and mustard? They are forbidden to Ashkenazic Jews. Sephardic Jews allow them. The medieval Ashkenazic Jewish sages placed a… Judaism 101 2008-04-04T03:00:00-05:00 http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/judaism_101/jt/judaism_101/passover_table/ http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/judaism_101/jt/judaism_101/passover_table/#When:03:00:00Z Passover is less than one month away. Putting together a Seder can seem as complicated as doing calculus, but it’s really not. Here’s a checklist of “mandatory” things to include on your Seder table: • The Seder Plate: The Seder plate includes six items. Those items are maror (bitter herbs –– usually horseradish, z’roah (shank bone),… Judaism 101 2008-03-28T03:00:00-05:00 http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/judaism_101/jt/judaism_101/purim_mitzvot/ http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/judaism_101/jt/judaism_101/purim_mitzvot/#When:04:00:00Z Today is Purim. There’s still plenty of time to do the Purim mitzvot (at least most of them). They are mentioned in Megillat Esther, the Scroll of Esther, chapter 9, verses 20-23. What are the mitzvot? • Hear Megillat Esther: This is commanded of both men and women, at sunset after Purim begins and… Judaism 101 2008-03-21T04:00:00-05:00 http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/judaism_101/jt/judaism_101/purim_why_fast/ http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/judaism_101/jt/judaism_101/purim_why_fast/#When:04:00:00Z Next Friday is Purim. But before we celebrate, we fast. The Thursday before Purim, March 20, is known as Ta’anit Esther, the Fast of Esther. Traditional Jews refrain from eating from sunrise to sundown. It is considered one of four minor fasts on the Jewish calendar. (The others are the Fast of Gedalliah, the Fast… Judaism 101 2008-03-14T04:00:00-05:00 http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/judaism_101/jt/judaism_101/jewish_leap_years/ http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/judaism_101/jt/judaism_101/jewish_leap_years/#When:04:00:00Z Everyone thinks Judaism is based on a lunar calendar. It is true that each Hebrew month has 29 or 30 days based on the cycles of the moon around the sun, which lasts 29.5 days. But because there is much importance placed on Jewish holidays landing in the right season, the calendar also incorporates the solar… Judaism 101 2008-02-15T04:00:00-05:00