I'm a born and bred Chicagoan. I concurrently attended a yeshiva (Rabbinical
college) in Milwaukee, WI and Marquette University, where I was in pursuit
of a BA in political science, there. After getting my degree, I moved on to
New York. Since moving, I have managed to keep myself busy. First and
foremost, I married the former Esther Zwick of Brooklyn. I received Rabbinic
ordination from Mesivtha Tifereth Jerusalem in Manhattan, and a law degree
from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law of Yeshiva University. Upon my
graduation, I served as chief of staff to New York City Councilman Noach
Dear. Presently, I am assistant counsel to the New York City Department of
Environmental Protection. I live in the Madison section of Brooklyn with
Esther and my children Daniel Meir, Sarah, Elisheva Bracha, Reuven and Malya
Raizel.
YomTov began in March 1995, without much notice to anyone involved. While
surfing the 'Net one night, I came across Project Genesis. I liked what I
saw and asked how I could get involved. "Well," I was told "that depends on
what you have to offer." As I had been working on a book about the Passover
Hagada for a few years and PG had no list about Jewish holidays and
observances, let alone Passover, a match was made. YomTov began with
material on the Passover Hagada, and continues to touch all major (and even
some minor) Jewish holidays and observances.
The frequency of YomTov postings depends on the time of the year. Certain
months have more holidays than others, and therefore certain months will
have more postings than others. I try to answer questions that pertain to
the class material, but at times, especially around the holidays, time is
tight and I can not always respond right away. For that, I apologize in
advance.
LifeCycles began in October 1997. After the Holiday of Sukkot, there is a
dry spell in the Jewish calendar. In order to fill this gap, I decided to
respond to the many requests I had over the years and send out posts that
would deal with birth, Bris Milah, Bar Mitzva, and marriage. When my friends
at Project Genesis heard about this temporary curriculum change, they
decided it was more appropriate to make it a permanent fixture, albeit in a
new forum - named LifeCycles.
LifeCycles topics will vary from post to post, and your requests dictate
somewhat the topics that get covered. In addition, the LifeCycles archives
contain essays that are not sent out on the list, but are still appropriate
for the events. One can also find Hebrew and English translations of various
documents and blessings that are used in conjunction with lifecycle events.
The archives are still under construction, and are growing all the time, so
check in periodically to see what is new!
Please write to me at prero@torah.org if you have any
questions, comments, topic requests, or even if you just want to say "Hi".
