Daniel B. Schwartz, at The Blogs

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Oct 12, 2023, 3:44 PM

Notes From the (Almost) Warzone

I’m a native born American. I and my family made Aliyah to Rehovot seven years ago when I was 46 years old. Americans are uniquely possessed of a confidence born of the security of never having to entertain even...

Sep 8, 2023, 3:31 PM

Tanur Achnai and Judicial Protests: the Wages of Humiliation

רבונו של עולם גלוי וידוע לפניך שלא לכבודי עשיתי ולא לכבוד בית אבא עשיתי אלא לכבודך שלא ירבו מחלוקות בישראל-בבלי בבא מציאה נט(ב) “Master of the universe, it is known and revealed before you that it was not for my...

Apr 4, 2023, 7:48 PM

Tannaitic Sedarim and Keeping the Seder Relevant

The Mishna in the tenth chapter of Tractate Pesachim provides the basic framework for our Pesach Seder. Indeed, many elements of the ceremony people think are essential, things like the opening Ha lachma anya or the liturgic poem Ilu...

Apr 13, 2022, 11:34 PM

Of Questions and Wine at the Seder

In virtually all Jewish households, the first highlight of the Pesach Seder is the recitation of the Mah Nishtana, the four questions, by the youngest child. And indeed, it is a central component of the Seder, hearkening back to...

Jul 15, 2021, 2:21 PM

Oh God Hear ME Cry

Tisha b’Av is supposed to be the saddest day in the Jewish calendar. It commemorates the destruction of ancient Jerusalem and the Temples, the loss of our national independence, events that are the prologue to a long and sad...

Mar 23, 2021, 6:04 PM

Politics in the Haggadah and the odd Seder in B’nei Brak

The Pesach Haggadah seems, on the surface, to be a very straightforward book. It sets out, step by the step, the ritual for the ceremonial meal eaten in commemoration of the Exodus from Egypt, in fulfillment of the Torah’s...

Apr 13, 2020, 1:07 PM

Corona is scary. Remaining unprepared for it is scarier

The current COVID-19 crisis puts all of us into a state of anxiety. Everyone is scared of infection, and of the consequences of getting sick. What might happen to families and loved ones in the event someone is infected...

Aug 18, 2019, 2:14 PM

Losing myself and seeing renaissance reflections 3 years after making aliyah

ארץ ישראל אינה נקנית אלא בייסורים, וכל שחביבה ארץ ישראל עליו ומקבל עליה ייסורים באהבה זוכה ורואה בבניינה-שי אגנון. The land of Israel cannot be acquired except through suffering. But all who love the Land of Israel, and accept the...

Mar 31, 2019, 1:43 PM

Letters to my son on his trip to Poland

My oldest son, Alex, spent the past week in Poland with this school. These trips are something of a high school student’s rite of passage here in Israel. I confess to no small amount of ambivalence toward these trips....

Aug 1, 2018, 6:08 PM

I’d Rather be an Immigrant Than an Oleh

A quick perusal of the relevant verses in the Torah, reveals that at least ten times the Jewish people are enjoined to act mercifully toward the “Ger.” The Bible’s justification for that command is that we must ever remember...

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About Me

Daniel Schwarz, an attorney with offices in Jerusalem, Efrat and Rehovot, made Aliyah from Rockland County, New York in 2016. He's also an avocational chazzan.

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