Rachel Sharansky Danziger, at The Blogs

Rachel Sharansky Danziger

May 17, 2024, 2:07 PM

It was eulogies for a fallen soldier that made me appreciate how the slow and steady strength that is love joins the louder, patriotic strength to keep us going (Emor)

May 12, 2024, 7:26 PM

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When you live in Israel, the fallen are everywhere

We don’t commemorate our loved ones’ deaths, but rather the lives they lived, the loves they loved, before we lost them

Jan 26, 2024, 3:12 PM

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The almond trees bloom and I’m thinking of salvation

I trust redemption will come, but I'm impatient: I want it to arrive as swiftly as the first blossoms and with the force of the parting sea (Beshalach)

Jan 24, 2024, 4:08 PM

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The fruit of Kfar Aza

Overripe pomegranates highlight the loss of those who would have harvested them, but also point to the resilience of those who first planted the tree (Tu Bishvat)

Jan 9, 2024, 4:20 PM

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The world I wish we lived in

Later, I will look at my phone and cry over the faces, but for now, I'm at the park with my nephew

Dec 22, 2023, 10:47 AM

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Battling the siege state of mind

A narrow alleyway in Jerusalem's Old City. (iStock)

What I do to ensure that I can snap out of my spiraling emotions when the losses and dread get to be too much for me (10 Tevet)

Dec 15, 2023, 3:48 PM

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Seeds and dreams

When I experience the tiny joys of daily life, I remind myself to be like Joseph and store them for the hard times to come (Miketz)

Dec 12, 2023, 1:36 AM

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As we teeter between light and darkness, may we be a good ‘shamash’

It's hard for me to draw more from the little jar of resilience in my soul. But even in my most pained moments, I can feel the pain of others

Dec 7, 2023, 4:09 PM

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Between the world and us, we place a light

Hanukkah is a time of turning outward, a time to show the world the humanity and courage of our people

Dec 1, 2023, 1:18 PM

We are not Dinah

Jacob "went out" and Dinah "went out." What did Jacob receive before he went out? Helpful instructions from his mother and father; an encouraging dream from God; a divine promise of aid. "Remember, I am with you." (Genesis 28:15) What did Dinah receive...

About Me

Rachel is a Jerusalem-born writer and educator who's in love with her city's vibrant human scene. She writes about Judaism, history, and life in Israel for the Times of Israel and other online venues, and explores storytelling in the Hebrew bible as a teacher in Maayan, Torah in Motion, and Matan.