by Danielle Altonaga | Oct 1, 2026 | Shemini Atzeres
I often joke that we have two kinds of Jewish holidays. There are the kinds that most people know about (like Yom Kippur). Then there are the kinds that nobody – outside of the Jewish world – has heard of… Enter Shemini Atzeret. When asked “what is the meaning behind...
by Danielle Altonaga | Sep 3, 2026 | Danielle Altonaga, High Holidays, Rosh Hashana, Weekly Parsha
One spring day, when I was 9 years old, I was sitting at the table with my younger brother and his friend. Feeling wise and mature, I began to teach the 4-year-olds: Me: Hey guys, do you know what holiday is coming up? My brother: Um…I don’t know. Me: Could it...
by Danielle Altonaga | Aug 6, 2026 | Danielle Altonaga, Re'eh, Weekly Parsha
Jingle, clink, jingle. When I was studying in Jerusalem, I always had coins in my bag. One of my teachers, Rebbetzin Ruthie Karlinsky, had advised her students: “Keep a bag of small coins with you. That way, whenever somebody asks for Tzedakah, you will...
by Danielle Altonaga | Jul 9, 2026 | Danielle Altonaga, mattos-masei, Weekly Parsha
When I was growing up, I loved performing in plays. In addition to performance skills, I learned some valuable life lessons in the theatre. Through much of my adolescence, I was part of a theatre troupe called CharActors. Each year, we would learn and rehearse...
by Danielle Altonaga | Jun 11, 2026 | Danielle Altonaga, Shelach, Weekly Parsha
Imagine this: You have a friend – let’s call him Bob. Bob complains to you: “Nobody likes me. Nobody wants to hang out with me”. “That’s not true!” You exclaim. I am having a bunch of friends over tonight. Come join us.” Everyone comes over, and Bob does too. All of...
