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Kenneth Cohen

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Apr 25, 2024, 10:03 AM

Appreciating Miracles

Rabbi David Abuchatzeira of Nahariya, recently published a book on the power of prayer. He stressed the importance of never forgetting a miracle that we might experience. If possible, it should remain daily on a person’s mind. Rabbi David, as...

Apr 24, 2024, 10:37 AM

Prayers of the Righteous

The Talmud in Masechet Brachot, tells the story of Rabbi Chanina Ben Dosa, regarding prayer. He commented that if he prayed for two sick people, and with one he felt that his prayer was “fluent in his mouth,” or...

Apr 22, 2024, 7:46 AM

Remember the Temple on Passover

If we carefully pay attention to the items on our Seder plate, we realize that there is a double message here. We are to acknowledge the gravity of the miracle of our being taken out from Egypt all the days...

Apr 21, 2024, 7:45 AM

Dayeinu – Enough Entitlement

Every year we try to emphasize the fact that the children are the most important people at the Seder. Many of the unusual customs are meant to keep the children involved. We recline while eating Matza and drinking the four...

Apr 20, 2024, 9:33 PM

Disposing of Chametz

There are four stages involved with the removal of Chametz from our homes. It is a Torah prohibition to have Chametz in our possession. I call it a violation of “possession of an illegal substance.” The first stage is the...

Apr 18, 2024, 7:20 AM

Shabbat Hagadol

This coming Shabbat is known as Shabbat Hagadol. Actually, the full name for this Shabbat is שבת הנס הגדול, the Shabbat of the great miracle. The miracle referred to the matter of the Paschal lamb. On the tenth of Nissan,...

Apr 17, 2024, 7:37 AM

The Fourteenth of Nissan

The fourteenth day of Nissan, is different from all of the days of the year. During daylight hours, we begin the day being permitted to eat foods that are not kosher for Pesach, but by midday, we have a...

Apr 16, 2024, 6:02 AM

The Passover holiday carries with it many detailed laws. It is always a good idea to begin by separating between the Torah and Rabbinic laws, and customs and stringencies, known as “Chumras.” There are three positive and five negative commandments...

Apr 15, 2024, 8:06 AM

The Month of Nissan

The month of Nissan, is a very special month of the year. It is known as חדש הגאולה, the Month of Redemption. Just as we were redeemed from Egypt in Nissan, the future Redemption will also come in this...

Apr 14, 2024, 8:53 AM

“Oneg” and “Nega”

There is a pretty well known idea in the world of Chassidut, that reflects an overall attitude about life. This relates to the word, נגע, which means blemish. If you take these same three letters, and scramble them around, you...

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About Me

Rabbi Cohen has been a Torah instructor at Machon Meir, Jerusalem, for over twenty years while also teaching a Talmud class in the Shtieblach of Old Katamon. Before coming to Israel, he was the founding rabbi of Young Israel of Century City, Los Angeles. He recently published a series of Hebrew language-learning apps, which are available at www.cafehebrew.com