Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel » David Curwin

Thoughts during the siren

David Curwin — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 10:29:54 +0000

Today when I heard the siren, I kept thinking about the videos I’ve seen of the sirens wailing at the beginning of the Yom Kippur war, and how those young men ran off to fight, maybe saying goodbye to their parents and wives, maybe not – but certainly not knowing whether they’d return. And I [...]

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Rabbi Hartman and the unanswered question

David Curwin — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 19:04:22 +0000

There have been many articles written about Rabbi David Hartman since his passing. In most, you’ll find terms like “liberal” and “pluralism”. An unfamiliar reader might think that Hartman represented some kind of Judaism-lite, with far less demands than “traditional” Orthodoxy. While perhaps even some of his followers viewed him that way, my impression was [...]

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Why is this not the Jewish holiday season?

David Curwin — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 16:20:08 +0000

One of the most obvious differences between Western / Christian culture and Israeli / Jewish culture is what the phrase “the holidays” means. While in the West the phrase clearly refers to the last week of December, for the Jews it is the month of Tishrei (usually in September). While it’s clear that the presence [...]

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Jon Stewart, meet me at Camera Three

David Curwin — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 12:42:46 +0000

Hey Jon, how you doin? No disrespect. Oh, sorry – wrong ethnic group. Um, how about bagels, bubby and baruch atah? Better? Well, that is our common language. And we do have a lot in common – we both had major birthdays (I just turned 40, you just turned 50). We both have parents who [...]

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A Sweet New Year?

David Curwin — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 09:01:19 +0000

Ever since I was a kid, something about the Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur prayers bothered me. At one of the main points of the service, we declare that these are the days where it is determined “who will live and who will die”. Since the theme of the days is repentance, it would seem [...]

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Why I’m not fasting on Tisha B’Av this year

David Curwin — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 17:40:05 +0000

After giving much thought to both halachic considerations and the realities of the day, with a heavy heart I have decided not to fast on Tisha B’Av this year. Of course having the fast be delayed a day because of Shabbat makes my decision much easier. On a more serious note: The question of how we [...]

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Titchadesh!

David Curwin — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 12:22:23 +0000

If you tell someone in Israel that you’ve made a new purchase or started a new venture (like a new Israel news website or a new blog on that site), you are likely hear the blessing, “Tit’chadesh!”. What does that word mean? It is often mentioned that English is a richer language than Hebrew, particularly [...]

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