Last evening, we had the merit to celebrate the Upshernish of Pinchas Eliyahu. It was a very happy and holy occasion. Pinchas was happy to have his hair cut, and look like ‘a Chosid’. At age 3, a child comes to an age of understanding. This is why traditionally we wait until the child is 3 years old so that he understands that he is fulfilling a Biblical commandment of leaving the side locks. So in essence the haircut is…
24 hours of non stop activities. Purim eve, after hearing the reading of the Megillah, Chabad House hosted a fantastic Purim feast. Many people participated and expressed their joy. As one person exclaimed: ” only such happiness can break through the spiritual coldness of Tokyo”. That is exactly Chabad House’s goal to illuminate and warm this spiritual ”freezer” with good deeds and happiness. The next morning there was a megillah reading and breakfast for early risers. Then Rabbi Edery went…
We met Mr. Daniel and his wife, when they came to visit their daughter Kiana in Tokyo. Kiana received scholarship from the Japanese government and was studying electrical engineering. It was very interesting to hear from the Daniels, about their life as Jews in Teheran, Iran. Not many Jews remained there. Mr. Daniels worked as a civil engineer, building bridges, roads, and city projects. He recounted an interesting and amusing story about his work. ”A group of builders asked if…
When living in a big Jewish community anywhere in the world, we take it for granted all the kosher food that we can readily get. If you need a loaf of bread, you just hop into the local bakery and you have at least 5 choices of different kosher breads. Here in Japan, we are the kosher bakery. So every week, tens of kilos of bread are made, for anyone who wants. Be it visitors to Chabad House, or local…
by Rabbi Daniel P. Aldrich This article will focus on the svora (logic) used by the rabbi that brought him to his conclusions — which we believe to be erroneous – and our response to his arguments. To ensure that we were on the derech yashara (proper path), we consulted with more than five rabbanim and several mashgichim based both in Japan and the United States. Further, we conducted empirical research here in Japan through visits and calls to several…