David Pliner

The Heart of Support: Quiet Strength Over Noise In difficult seasons, strong feelings can rush in and demand attention. Yet the most helpful response is often gentle, measured, and focused on people rather than arguments. Quiet strength looks like patience with shipping delays and kind words to a shop owner who is doing everything she can to fulfill orders. It looks like reading an aid organization’s latest update before sharing it, so friends see reliable information and feel confident joining in. It looks like a calm tone that comforts rather than overwhelms. This steady spirit makes it easier for others...

Under the Vine and Fig Tree: The Dream of Peace and Safety The phrase ‘to sit under one’s vine and fig tree’ is one of the most cherished expressions in the Hebrew Bible. It paints a vivid picture of peace and contentment, of families resting together after a long day, of people living without fear. In the First Book of Kings (4:25), this vision comes to life: ‘Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.’ The meaning is simple yet profound—true prosperity is not...

Begin With Care: A Warm, Human Approach Standing with Israel can be as simple as choosing words that comfort and actions that nourish. Before we talk about donations and projects, remember the heart behind it all: kindness that uplifts rather than arguing online, listening before speaking, and sharing truthful, balanced information from responsible organizations. A gentle voice often travels farther than a loud one, especially in times of fear or confusion. When you reach out in this spirit, people feel seen. And when people feel seen, they feel stronger. Support Small Producers: Purchases That Keep Families Afloat One of the...

The Meaning of the Name: ‘Shoulder’ of the Land To understand the heart of Shechem, we begin with its name. The Hebrew word for Shechem, ‘Sh’khem’ (שְׁכֶם), literally means ‘shoulder’ or ‘back.’ This name is not just a poetic label; it is a beautiful and accurate geographical description. The ancient city was situated on the ‘shoulder’ of land, the pass that runs between two famous mountains: Mount Gerizim to the south and Mount Ebal to the north. Imagine these two majestic peaks as the shoulders of the region, and the city of Shechem rests right upon the crucial ridge that...

The Phoenician Powerhouses: Who Were Tyre and Sidon? Before we delve into their biblical story, we must picture these cities in their prime. Tyre and Sidon were the glittering jewels of Phoenicia, a civilization renowned for its mastery of the sea. The Phoenicians were not conquerors of land, but explorers and merchants of the water. From their bustling harbors, fleets of magnificent ships, built from the famed cedars of Lebanon, sailed to the far reaches of the known world. They are credited with spreading the alphabet, a gift that would change human history forever. Sidon, often considered the ‘mother city,’...

The Golden Rule: Applying Sprinkles Before You Bake The simplest and most reliable method, my dear friend, is to add your sprinkles before the cookies ever see the heat of the oven. The soft, unbaked dough is the perfect canvas, ready to embrace every little speck of color. As the cookies bake, the dough puffs up slightly around the sprinkles, locking them gently into place. This is how you get that beautiful, classic look where the sprinkles seem perfectly embedded in the cookie. There are a couple of lovely ways to do this. Method 1: The Gentle Press This is...

The Heart of the Celebration: Feasting in the Sukkah Before we even talk about the food itself, we must picture where it is eaten. The sukkah is the centerpiece of the holiday. It is a humble, temporary structure that families build in their gardens or on their balconies. Its roof, made of branches and leaves (s’chach), must be sparse enough to see the stars through, reminding us of the fragile huts the Israelites lived in during their forty years in the desert. This act of ‘dwelling’ outside connects us to our ancestors’ journey and their reliance on divine providence. The...

What Makes the Dead Sea So Incredibly Special? Imagine a body of water nearly ten times saltier than the ocean, a place so dense with minerals that you can float effortlessly upon its surface. This is the Dead Sea. Unlike any other sea, it has no outlet, meaning that for thousands of years, as water has evaporated under the intense desert sun, it has left behind an extraordinary concentration of minerals. While most ocean water is predominantly sodium chloride (table salt), the Dead Sea is a rich cocktail of 21 different minerals, 12 of which are found in no other...