Trick or Treat


Is there a reason that American Jews should not celebrate Halloween?
"[..] There is a clear historical relationship between the Celtic concepts of resurrection, Roman Catholic responses to it, and the modern American holiday of Halloween.
Thus, Halloween, unlike Thanksgiving, plainly has in its origins religious beliefs that are foreign to Judaism, and whose beliefs are prohibited to us as Jews." ("Collecting Candy on Halloween: Harmless Pastime or Halakhic Prohibition?", MyJewishLearning.com)
"On Halloween people take -- in fact demand -- sweets from strangers. This alone is certainly not a good thing to be teaching children, not to mention that Judaism forbids such a practice. It is also considered terrible behavior." ("Jewish Halloween?", BeingJewish.com)
"Many people compare Halloween and Purim. Besides the masquerading in costume, they are as different as can be! What happens on Halloween? Children go from door to door, saying, "Trick or treat!" Where did that expression come from? The origin is a threat: "If you don''t give us a treat, we''ll give you a trick!" On Purim, instead of going around demanding presents, the children go around delivering presents! What a difference!" ("The Purim Celebration")

Let There Be Light


Electricity is akin to fire, and therefore it is prohibited to turn on or off electrical devices on Shabbat.

However, once it is on, it's best to keep it on. And if it happens by accident, don't worry, it was meant to be.

If you need to turn on the light, that's what Shabbos goys and kids are for.

When Doves Fly


After the flood, Noach sent out a dove to see if it could find dry land. Fortunately it did.

Noah also sent out a raven ... not a duck.

Sinchas Torah

Simchas Torah, (lit. "the happiness of the Torah") is the grand finale of Sukkot, which celebrates the completion of the past year's cycle of Torah reading and the beginning of this year's Torah reading cycle. We sing, dance and express our joy over having the Torah and being able to learn the Torah. Traditionally, all are given an opportunity to dance with the Torah during the festivities.