Healthcanc

Translate that, Nittel Nacht, it would be . . .  well, I don't know.  I know that Kristallnacht is the night that the Nazi's broke every Jewish storefront in Germany.   But on Nittelnacht  Jews play cards and watch Elf .  Or maybe Titanic . Or Meet Me in St.Louis .  The rabbis forbid learning Torah on Christmas Eve. Except to learn about why it is forbidden to learn Torah on Christmas Eve. Learning is what observant Jews do, or wish they did, most nights, most days, in their discretionary time. It is one of those pastimes that keeps on giving. So you would think that learning is definitely something Jews should do on Xmas eve. But no. We'll get to the reasons. Last night FD finishes the last slice of pizza, 47th Street (New York) pizza , but   made in Iowa, sold in Chicago. He asks me if I want to join him, walk over to the synagogue to hear a shiur ( she-your , Hebrew for class ) about the origins of nittel nacht . Nittel Nacht 47th St P...

Well, it isn't over until it's over, but as the first snowfall blankets Chicago, most of us are settling in for the holidays, glad to see 2013 go. First snow, not so great A patient asked me only yesterday when it occurred to her: "Wait! If Chanucha is over early this year, then what do you guys do during the Xmas season. And what will you do on Xmas?" She did look worried. Poker on Xmas On the day of, many of us eat Chinese food, play poker, or go to the movies, which sounds good to me. And while others are making cookies, decorating the tree, and wrapping gifts in preparation, I'll probably do what I'm doing now, wrapping up therapy with sad people. Really, confused people. The holidays are tough on everyone. Indeed, it was a crazy pre-Thanksgiving. The games began in October, well before Halloween. People worried about Thanksgiving in November. The family reunion head games. Every year during this season to be happy and jolly, peaceful and thankful, at the ...