"Dayeinu" is one of the more perplexing passages in the Passover Haggadah. It comes as a respite after a long stretch of Talmudic exegesis, and is therefore typically chanted in an exuberant manner. This fosters its interpretation as a song of rejoicing. Most say that Dayeinu serves as an accounting of the great enactments of G-d, starting with the exodus...

During midterm (and soon-to-be final season), it's necessary to have some quick recipes on hand. Besides, easy and fast meals are a staple of most college students' diets. Here are some great recipes that you can make with just a microwave — perfect for dorm living, or just a lazy Tuesday night. Baked Potato: Ingredients:1 large russet potatoInstructions: Scrub the...

This Sunday counts the 33rd day of the Omer, or the period between Passover and Shavuot, when the Omer barley offering was brought in the Holy Temple. Lag Ba'Omer, as it is known, derives its name from the Hebrew system of numerology, or gematriya, which assigns numerical values to the Hebrew alphabet. According to gematriya (from the Greek word for...

I love Israel. You love Israel. We all love Israel — but in order not to descend into childish song and let the discussion end there, it is necessary to educate ourselves about the nation we love so much. For that reason, on Sunday, May 4, the UCLA Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for Israel Studies hosted their third annual...

If you have a Facebook account, then you are well aware that it is election season at UCLA. The Undergraduate Students Association Council — the governing body of the Undergraduate Students Association — annually holds elections Spring Quarter to elect thirteen student officers and commissioners. Although these UCLA undergraduate representatives may seem inconsequential to the average Joe Bruin, they actually...

An Encounter with the Past: After high school, I spent a year studying at a yeshiva in Israel. During one of the breaks I joined some of my peers on an organized trip to Poland, called Shorashim. Shorashim is the Hebrew word for "roots," and this name encapsulates the goal of the trip. We learned about the Holocaust and visited...

While the maelstrom that has enveloped Russia-Ukraine relations continues to whirl, Israel has done its best to steer clear of the fray. The Jerusalem Post reported Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's statement on the matter: "[Israel's] basic position is that we hope Russia and Ukraine will find a way as quickly as possible to normalize relations, and find a way...

Just last week, we waved goodbye to Passover, the holiday of Jewish freedom and redemption. But after all this talk of freedom, I feel like I’m still eating matzah. And I’m not just talking about leftover matzah brei. The slave mentality is deviously persistent and many of us are still bogged down by those destructive relationships, negative character traits, spiritual...

The divestment bill most recently proposed to the Undergraduate Student Association Council on Feb. 25 significantly impacted the dynamics of Bruins for Israel; Eytan Davidovits, the newly-appointed president of the Israel advocacy club on campus, aims to alter those dynamics over the upcoming year. “Last quarter, everything went on hold when divestment came,” he recounted, “so the goal for next...

As Passover slowly ebbs into its remaining days, it is worth noting that on three specific Jewish holidays — Passover, Sukkot, and Shavuot — Jewish law dictates that one should pilgrimage to the city of Jerusalem. For many contemporary Jews, a visit to Israel extends beyond religious holidays to summer vacations, family visits, or youth-touring groups. However, all trips to...