Tag: holidays | חגים ומועדים
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Birkat ha-Ilanot in the Southern Hemisphere
Birkat ha-Ilanot is a special blessing said once a year upon seeing blossoming fruit trees for the first time—the Talmud says, “in the days of Nisan.” But what if one sees such a tree for the first time in a month other than Nisan? What drew me to this topic is that Jewish law pertaining […]
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A Closer Look at Maoz Tzur
Update: I was interviewed by Sarah Ogince of the Jewish News Syndicate for an article on the history of Maoz Tzur, “Everyone knows ‘Ma’oz Tzur,’ except they don’t,” Dec. 15, 2022. This is revised with added notes from a short piece I wrote on the well-known Chanukkah piyyut, Ma’oz Tzur, and its cultural contexts, for […]