By Gary Curreri

Junior pitcher Mitchell Carroll pitched a complete game, no-hitter, as Highlands Christian Academy’s baseball team topped host Calvary Christian, 6-0, in the championship game of the 4Him Classic during Spring Break.

“I don’t remember if I have thrown a no-hitter before,” said Carroll, 17, of Coral Springs, who received the tournament’s Outstanding Pitcher award. “I just compete against the execution of the pitch and control the things I can control. It is always nice to win a championship.”

Carroll ran his season record to 4-1 as he finished with 11 strikeouts in the contest in which he faced just three batters over the minimum. The victory avenged a 5-3 loss to the Eagles earlier in the season.

Senior second baseman Quinsley Balentine, 18, of Deerfield Beach, was awarded the MVP Award as he batted .500 for the tourney. Balentine went 3 for 4 with 2 RBIs to lead the eight hit attack in the championship game.

“We became more disciplined mid-game at the plate and more patient,” said Highlands Christian Academy coach Bruce Charlebois, who is in his eighth year at the school. “We laid off the breaking ball out of the zone and let the game come to us.”

Charlebois said the bottom of his lineup also came through in the clutch, which was key to the title. Aryton Barbolina, James McGrath and Kyle Bombardier all had solid production in the tournament from the 7, 8 and 9 spots in the lineup.

Highlands Christian got the only run it needed in the top of the sixth when Drexler Macaay and Balentine reached on an error. After Macaay was caught stealing, Saul Velez doubled to left to score Balentine for a 1-0 lead.

The Knights put the game away with five runs with one out in the top of the seventh. Bombardier reached on a third strike passed ball and Kirvin Moesquit had a RBI double to score Bombardier for a 2- 0.

Moesquit stole third and both Bernedley Martina and Macaay both walked.

Balentine followed with a single to center to score Moesquit and Martina, and Macaay moved to third on the hit. Macaay scored and Balentine advanced to second on a wild pitch. Balentine stole third and scored on a groundout.

Highlands Christian opened the tournament with a 13-1 victory over Dade Christian and followed that up with a 6-1 win over Northeast in the second contest.

“We are exactly where we need to be at this point of the season, sitting 11-5 and gaining ground on our character, conditioning and chemistry,” Charlebois said. “It was the first goal of four goals we set for a championship season. We wanted to win the Spring Break tournament and the next three are districts, regionals and states. I am confident that we will make our annual strong run at the end.”

Highlands Christian Academy is currently 11-5 overall and 4-2 in the highly competitive District 14-3A, which includes Coral Springs Christian, Jupiter Christian, Lake Worth Christian, Oxbridge Academy, Trinity Christian and Westminster Academy.

“This is by far the toughest district that we have faced and I have to believe one of the strongest divisions in the state,” said Charlebois, whose team lost in the Class 1A regional finals in 2010 to state runnerup Miami Brito and in 2008 to the eventual state Class 2A champion, Westminster Christian, also in the regional final.

Coral Springs Christian will host the district tournament beginning on April 24.

“If we win this (district) and get home field advantage,” Charlebois added, “I like our chances to take care of the unfinished business from 2008 and 2010.”

Highlands Christian will travel to play Pope John Paul II on Saturday at 4 p.m. in a rematch of last year’s regional quarterfinal.

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

After three Iron Men, two Thors and one Avenger, Captain America gets his first stand alone sequel, Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It is the best sequel from “Phase I” of the Marvel movie series. Next year, at this time, we will be bombarded with Avengers: The Age of Ultron media hype to kick off “Phase II” of the Marvel Movie series. Is all this exposition necessary to know before viewing Captain America: The Winter Soldier? Not one bit.

The brilliance of these Marvel superhero movies is that each film works as a stand-alone feature, each story is complete within itself. This film is a political thriller along the lines of 1970s paranoid thrillers like Three Days of the Condor, The Conversation and The Parallax View, Unlike those 1970s classics that feature losers portrayed by the likes of Robert Redford, Gene Hackman and Warren Beatty, respectfully, this film presents a hero with values personified by the likes of John Wayne.

Captain America, alias Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is adapting to the 21st Century after saving the world (Avengers) and waking up from a 70 year hibernation (Captain America: The First Avenger). Joining forces with Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Brock Rumlow (Frank Grillo), Rogers rescue some S.H.I.E.L.D. agents from pirates. During the rescue operation, Captain America uncovers secrets kept hidden by Black Widow and their boss, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson).

When Captain America confronts Nick Fury, Fury confronts one of his bosses – Alexander Pierce (Robert Redford), a member of the S.H.I.E.L.D Security Council. Through the chain of communication, security becomes breached and explosive chaos ensues. As Steve Rogers attempts figure out who is an ally and who is an enemy, the Winter Soldier is called upon to eliminate Captain America.

This is a good movie. The story unfolds in a logical way and the character development seems real. The friendship that develops between Captain America and the Falcon (Anthony Mackie) is respectful and genuine. The action scenes have visual clarity that improve with each conflict. Yet, it is the humble character of Captain America that gives this big budget motion picture its soul.

For popcorn eating Saturday matinee fun, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the film to go see. This new Marvel film is first best movie of 2014.

For those who prefer more grounded cinema, the 19th Annual Palm Beach International Film Festival (PBIFF) opens this weekend with special screenings at the Cinemark Palace in Boca Raton. Robert Morse, Rick McKay and Jason Priestly will be among those flying into town. Check out this website for events and times: www.pbifilmfest.org.

By Emily Rosen

ERosen424@aol.com

www.emilyrosen424.com

Dear buyers-of-my-house: Soon it will be yours. I walk around – actually, I jog from room to room every day – seeing, as if for the first time, all of its contents, from the furniture to the smallest artifacts. I see 20 years of the imprint of a retired couple – not just ANY retired couple – but now, half of THIS retired couple.

I leave you with exotic sunsets, filtering through trees, reflecting in moving waters, unmatched by any I’ve seen in the most remote corners of the world. I leave you with walls that cannot talk, but, if they could, would reveal the most sacred of life lessons, secrets of living a life of contentment and joy. I leave you with seeds of compromise and balance, and realistic expectations.

I leave you with a kitchen I would like to take with me – highly utilized and productive— the alternate hub of my life. Perhaps, the scents of eggplant and kale, and mushrooms and apple, and cookies are still lingering in the air. (I cook healthy!) And the two stovetops that visitors always wondered about as in … “Why Two?” We bought it that way! And neither was neglected.

And the actual hub of my life — the office (second bedroom) with its built-in 12 ft. desk, the surface of which is hardly visible, suffocated with files and papers and 21st Century technical gadgets and built-in draws and cabinets — and TV nook. Lord! How will I ever sort it all out – and dump most of it? And you will, no doubt, choose to remove it all from the walls!

And the lush, languorous, full-bodied orchids that I attached to a tree in the back, bursting with color and sensuality in May and November, lasting for months, visitors agape at it prodigious splendor…

Of course, the view, wide unobstructed water, ducks, fairway and trees, Anhinga and Ibis in flight, meditative moments stolen from a busy life – the aha moment as you walk through the door and view the lightness that infuses the house, even in gloomy weather.

I will take some of my many hundreds of elephants from the walls, floors, jewelry cases, clothing and show cabinets – my very good luck elephants. But which ones will I “let go?” I will leave one for you to transfer the “good luck” it had given us for so many years.

Every life has its phases, and I am looking forward to the next in mine. I leave you with a happy house filled with brightness and energy, and the fluidity of new experiences. May it continue to exude the joy and love that has emanated from it all these years, for you, as it has for us.

Yours for a smooth closing.

Emily

It is just two short weeks to the Festival of Pesach, or, as most of you know it in English, the festival of Passover (begins evening of Apr. 14). Many of us are in the midst of cleaning our house of Chometz, of any products that we are forbidden to have in our possession during this Feast of Unleavened Bread.

We search our houses from one corner to the next, making sure not to miss a single crumb of leavened bread so that everything is totally Kosher l’Pesach, that it is fit for use … meeting the requirements for food that is acceptable during this holiday.

There is a wonderful tradition that certainly grabbed me as a child. It added a lot of fun and anticipation to the start of the festival as my parents would hide little bits of bread in various places in the house and to prepare for the week.

We would shut off the lights and light a candle and walk around the house ,trying to find each and every remaining piece of bread. When a piece was found, we would use a large feather and gently brush the pieces of bread we found into a plastic bag that would later be taken out of the house and burned the next morning. The truth is, I didn’t really care for the feather … and I never particularly liked the heat from the fire that was created to burn the last of the bread. But the search for the bread, that search always filled me with awe, with joy, with excitement.

And sure enough, when the festival actually began, and the first and second night we held huge Seders in our house, there was yet another search that I anxiously awaited — the search for the Afikomen, for the special dessert served on Passover. But, for those of you who might be attending your very first Seder this year, don’t get too excited, because the dessert itself is just a plain piece of matza … no margarine, no jelly, just a plain, simple piece of unleavened bread.

After the luscious meal served at the Seder, the Afikomen for dessert might be quite a letdown, but the search, as I’ve already told you … I loved the search.

And isn’t that what we are all doing? We are searching. I guess the big question is what are we, better yet, what are you, searching for?

I know that to prepare for the festival many of our children will delight in searching the house for every last bread crumb they can find, so that our homes are totally free of any leavened bread. But ridding the home of such foods that we put in our mouths is not enough. If we really want to teach our children the importance of Passover and of ridding the house of breads that rise, if we really want to teach our children about making the house Kasher L’Peach, then we must not only get rid of those things that are forbidden from going into our mouths. We must also get rid of those things that are forbidden from coming out of our mouths.

Our body is a temporary home. It houses our soul. Our mouths are a doorway, allowing things to enter and to leave. May G-d give us the wisdom and the strength to watch not just the foods we put in, but the words we allow out.

Wishing you all a most joyous pesach,

Shalom my friends,

Rabbi Craig H. Ezring

Rabbi Ezring is the spiritual leader of Temple Beth Israel of Deerfield Beach. We welcome you to join our warm and caring family for Shabbat and festival services. We’ll make your heart glow…who knows, you might even fall in love with Shul all over again.

By Gary Curreri

Mattheus Santos has been swimming since he was 4 years old and loves everything about it. It could be because he is very good at it as well.

The 12-year-old Santos recently finished 7th in the Boys 11-12 Division for high point with 48 points in the Florida Gold Coast 14 and Under Junior Olympics at the Michael Lohberg Pool of Champions in Coral Springs.

His performance helped his Pompano Beach Piranhas Swim Team take 13th overall with a combined total of 216 points. The boys finished 11th with 101 points, while the girls took 10th overall with 115 points.

“It’s fun racing and it depends how much effort you put into it,” said Santos, a Sunrise Middle School 7th grader. “My goal coming into the meet was to go as fast as I could and I hoped to make finals.”

Mission accomplished. Santos made finals in six events and finished in the top four in most of them.

“I want to go as far as swimming will take me … college and maybe the Olympics,” Santos said. “I have to put in a lot of effort in training and lots of pain.”

Santos estimated he would do 8,000 to 10,000 yards of swimming during a normal week of practice. It certainly paid off.

“I’m really happy with how I did in the meet,” Santos said. “On a scale from 1-10, I’d have to say a 9.”

Another Piranhas swim team member, Victoria Miyamoto, had a solid meet, as she also placed in the top five in the high points in her division. Miyamoto, 14, took fifth in the Girls 13-14 Division with 49 points.

South Florida Aquatic Club (SOFLO) won its fourth consecutive combined team championship. SOFLO dominated the three-day meet at the Michael Lohberg Pool of Champions in Coral Springs with 1,165.50 points as the only team to break the 1,000- point barrier. Their closest rival was Metro Aquatics (617.50 points).

Pine Crest (608.50) was third, while Azura Florida Aquatic (584.50) and Coral Springs Swim Club (324) rounded out the top 10 for Broward programs in the combined race with a fourth and eighth place finish, respectively. The 14 and Under Junior Olympics followed up another event that the local swim team hosted weeks earlier. The Pompano Piranhas held its annual Friendship Invitational, which attracted more than 300 swimmers from 10 swim clubs in the tri-county area.

Pompano Piranhas head coach Jesse Vassallo, a former Olympian and multi-world record holder in the sport, said the meet serves as a showcase for swimming skills and the cultural diversity of the swimmers.

“Here in South Florida,” Vassallo noted, “we have swimmers from every culture imaginable, and everyone gets along no matter where they’re from. This sport helps you make friends from everywhere.”

“We want to see the event grow to around 700 swimmers and become a real international swim meet,” Vassallo said. “This is a threeday event, and it takes a whole team to pull this off.”

Miyamoto and Santos were also high point winners in that meet. Miyamoto won the Girls 13-14 Division with 133 points, while Santos topped the Boys 11-12 Division with 132 points.

Metro Aquatic Club of Miami took top honors in the combined team scoring with 5,166 points, while the Piranhas were runner-up with 2,613.50. Swim Fort Lauderdale (1,381.50) was third, while St. Andrew’s Swim Club (1,077.50) and the Miami Beach Seahawks (543.- 50) finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

It is time to start planning The 19th Annual Palm Beach International Film Festival (PBIFF), which opens in two weeks. This year, there will be an emphasis in South Palm Beach County with the opening, centerpiece and closing movies screened in the Cinemark Palace 20 in Boca Raton.

Belle opens the fest, an English drama about royal racism. Belle (Gugu Mbatha- Raw) is the illegitimate daughter of a Royal Navy Admiral. Raised with privilege by her uncle, Lord Mansfield, Belle finds certain doors closed to her because of the color of her skin. The cast includes two Harry Potter veterans (Emma Watson, Tom Felton) and Tom Wilkinson.

A decade ago, Rick McKay debuted Broadway the Golden Age, which features Broadway legends like Kim Hunter, Marlon Brando and Gwen Verdon. This year, he returns with Broadway Beyond the Golden Age, which emphasizes the second generation of Broadway productions featuring controversial musicals like Hair and Oh Calcutta! The star of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Robert Morse, is scheduled to attend and receive an award on Monday, April 7 at Cinemark Palace 20. There will be a party at Bogart’s Bar & Grille on the second floor.

Twenty years ago, Jason Priestly was a target for the paparazzi for his work on the television show Beverly Hills 90210. He has quietly slipped behind the camera and has directed Cas & Dylan, a road movie which stars Richard Dreyfus, Tatiana Maslany and Jayne Eastwood, which will be PBIFF’s final film. Priesly will be in attendance.

The festival also places an emphasis upon independent features. Fat, Dumb and Happy is a comedy/drama filmed in Orlando. The Other One is a domestic drama about a child’s responsibility to an aging parent. A visual effects intern for The Walking Dead, Vicki Lau, debuts The Painter, a short subject about an artist with a magical paintbrush. Lion Ark is a documentary about activists saving lions from a brutal existence at Bolivian circuses. Given that April is Autism Awareness Month, PBIFF will be presenting A Teen’s Guide to Understanding and Communicating with People with Autism, with director/ writer and High School Freshman Alexandra Jackman scheduled to attend the Lake Worth screening. For late breaking news, visit the website www.pbifilmfest.org.

Last, but not least Mr. Peabody & Sherman has quietly earned 83 million dollars in a fortnight. With sophisticated scatological humor, grievous puns and a dose of Twisted history and drama, this film is an animated feature with much heart. Parents taking their upper-aged elementary school children will enjoy a good time at a Saturday matinee price.

Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 carried 12 crew members and 227 passengers from 14 nations. It is no wonder world news has been dominated since March 8 by its disappearance.

The massive air–sea rescue effort involved 26 nations and has been described as the largest air – sea rescue effort in history. This comes on the heels of 2013, which has been labeled the safest air travel year in history.

When days turn to weeks and the whereabouts of the plane, crew and passengers remain unknown, when what happened and why continue to be a mystery, the world is dumbfounded.

Transponders, black boxes, pings and other things are of little comfort to families and other people of compassion who grieve this tragedy. And nothing reawakens the world to the frailty of the human condition like a catastrophe. A catastrophe has to be severe in order to capture the world’s attention, but what is it about a calamity that commands our attention? It has to be more than loss of life because an estimated 15,000 children die of malnutrition every day. In terms of humans perishing, that would be equivalent to more than 60 large airplane crashes every day.

Perhaps one requirement of a catastrophe, if it is to command the world’s attention, is that it be an identifiable event, something we can imaginatively get our arms around. Another intriguing ingredient is mystery. It is stirring when we do not know what happened. The possibility of negligent or criminal wrongdoing is also gripping. The pursuit of blame is a close cousin to the pursuit of justice and these are the kinds of pursuits that elevate our collective adrenaline.

We also invariably want to determine how even accidents could have been avoided after they have not been avoided. We believe natural disasters can be guarded against and losses can be minimized through good preparations, and they can be and they are.

But the truth is, life is fragile and too often life seems shortlived because, in this lifetime, it is short-lived.

There are times when horrible things happen and our vulnerability is exposed. We are not invincible. The same tragedies that make some people question the existence of God draw others of us to our knees in prayer.

“Dear God, we pray for the soul of every person on Flight 370, for their families and friends, for the thousands of people involved in search and rescue operations and for countless others around the world drawn to compassion for people they will never know or meet. We pray your spirit bless them and give them comfort only you can provide.”

Catastrophes and our response to them, especially the horrible things that command the world’s attention, can draw people from different parts of the world, different cultures and different languages closer to the Creator and thus closer to one another. May this be part of the legacy of Flight 370.

The Psalmist writes, “Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast.” [139:7–10]

Should Flight 370 be discovered at the farthest limits of the sea, then have faith this is where the God of mercy will also be.

Dennis Andrews is a minister at Community Presbyterian Church of Deerfield Beach (Steeple on the Beach) located five blocks south of Hillsboro on A1A. See more at www.communitych.org or on Facebook. Worship gatherings are Saturday at Six, Sunday morning at 8:30 and 11 a.m.

By Gary Curreri

Cam Thomas hopes to build on the history his flag football team made last season.

The fourth-year Deerfield Beach flag football coach led the Bucks to its first-ever district championship before it fell 14-12 to Atlantic in the first round play-in game of the post season. Thomas, who returns 10 of 14 players from last year’s team, is gunning for another trip to the postseason.

“My main thing is making it to the district playoffs,” said Thomas, whose team is 1-2 following Tuesday’s 21-20 overtime loss to host Monarch. The Bucks needed four overtimes to defeat Monarch 12-6 in last year’s district championship.

Deerfield Beach opened the season with a 36-6 victory over Coral Springs and lost another heartbreaker, 13-6, to Hollywood Hills.

The team is in a totally different district this season. Monarch and North Broward Prep, two perennial county powers, remain in the district; however, Coconut Creek, Pompano and Blanche Ely have been added. The top four teams make the district playoffs.

Thomas is counting on big seasons from junior Stefaterra Boykins, seniors Courtney Lee, Darrion Cowart, Justice Thomas (no relation).

“Teams prepare for one person, but they might get a different person who’s hot,” Thomas said. “We have athletes who can all play quarterback or different positions on the field.”

“One of the things we have to fix is the intensity,” Thomas said. “Some of the girls are a little too relaxed when we play. Last year, I had a ‘blue collar’ team that would grind, get bloody, dirty, and this team is a little too relaxed. We make plays, but they are too relaxed at times.”

Thomas was pleased with his team’s effort against Monarch as it rallied from a 14-6 deficit heading into the fourth quarter to force overtime. Lee, Cowart and Boykins all scored in the game.

With three games down in the 11-game regular season, Thomas gives his team a grade of C-plus.

“Today, they didn’t give up and, against Hollywood Hills, they didn’t give up,” Thomas said. “They’ve got fight, which is good. If you add in a little more intensity, they’ll be fine.”

Thomas said the early season losses would help his team get better.

“They don’t like the feeling now,” Thomas said. “They know they are much better than what they are showing on the field. We just have to put it together.”

“This whole team is athletic, and I wouldn’t be taking them to Orlando if they weren’t good,” Thomas said of his team’s upcoming April 4 game against state powerhouse, Dr. Phillips. “They are one of the top teams in the state. We want to get exposure for the girls. We want everybody in Florida to know that South Florida has good teams behind the Seminole Ridge’s and the Miramar’s.”

Bucks take second

The Deerfield Beach High School softball team finished second in last Saturday’s consolation finals at the Gulliver Prep Slamfest in Pinecrest. The Bucks advanced to the finals by beating Lourdes High 13-12 in a come-from-behind thriller during which the lead changed 10 times. The Lady Bucks racked up 13 hits including a bases-loaded double by Coral Galpine in the fourth inning.

Sarah Strothman, Karli Shoop, Vika Chursina, Coral Galpine and Annalissa Silva all hit over .500 in the tournament.

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

In writing this column for 15 years, I’ve enjoyed a consistent partnership with the Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Discovery and Science (MODS). My first IMAX movie was Encounter in the Third Dimension, starring Mistress of the Dark Elvira and Stuart Pankin. In this 45- minute 3D extravaganza, we learned about psychology, optic effects and illusion.

When The Polar Express screened 10 years ago, MODS experimented with mainstream Hollywood movies. Harry Potter, The Dark Knight and the PIXAR/ Disney movies were special events for the South Florida community. All these films did a fine job matching entertainment with education.

2014 features an emphasis on documentaries. Released last fall, Rocky Mountain Express is an open air historical epic about steam engines in Western Canada. This film also looks at the dangerous disparity between the railroad laborers and railroad management. Rocky Mountain Express may be one of the darkest movies ever set in the daytime.

Journey to the South Pacific is the latest sea-faring documentary to open and is narrated by double Oscar winner Cate Blanchett. Blanchett describes a teenage boy’s visit to the Coral Triangle and the pristine environment of Indonesia’s coral reefs. Whereas Rocky Mountain Express is a landlocked historical documentary, Journey to the South Pacific is visual poetry and is the closest experience that one will have to scuba diving.

Flight of the Butterflies 3D has been on the big screen for over a year. This award-winning film is the perfect scientific documentary to view during the Lenten Season. Two stories are told. One story uncovers the mystery of the Monarch Butterfly, whose circular exodus begins in Mexico and detours in Canada. The second features Professor Fred Urquhart, who devoted 40 years to the flight of the Monarch Butterfly and how he incorporated “Citizen Scientists” to help increase knowledge about this life-affirming animal.

Goosebumps! The Science of Fear is an interactive exhibit that includes The Fear Challenge Course that lets the visitor learn about their own specific phobia. Presented with four fears (animals, electric shock, loud noises, falling), one learns their own vulnerability. Fear Lab reviews the interrelationship between fear and one’s health. This exhibit presents coping strategies for overcoming deeply imbedded phobias.

When the economy collapsed five years ago, museums and libraries were placed on the extinction list. The creative minds behind the MODS have made this institution as durable as the Monarch Butterfly, through reinvention and providing a good time for the patrons.

Not long ago, I had an issue with my blood pressure. Fortunately, I have a wonderful Cardiologist, Dr. Lawrence Weinstein, and, with his wisdom, and a bit of mazel, the very first medicine he prescribed for me worked like a charm. Of course, while it worked, the first few samples I was given needed to be cut in half and, let me tell you something, it was not exactly a mechaya to my taste buds.

Mary Poppins sang, “Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.” And while a spoonful of sugar can, indeed, make the medicine go down, it can also make your glucose level go up. And that is when someone mockingly said, “Why don’t you just take it with a grain of salt.” But any of you who have dealt with high blood pressure know that salt is not such a wise thing either as it will make your blood pressure go up. Oy, sometimes you just can’t win.

Truth is, I love salt and most of you who know me know that I also love chocolate … chocolate covered almonds, chocolate covered peanuts, chocolate covered macadamias, chocolate covered pretzels and, let’s not forget the various chocolate pastries we have at our Kiddush at the end of our services.

Then again, we also have things like white fish salad, lox and chips, and do you know what all of those have in common? That’s right, they are loaded with salt. The other day I felt like I was coming down with something and I went out to get some chicken soup. The regular kosher soup I looked at had over 1,000 milligrams of salt in it, so I got the low sodium version, and it still had some 570 grams, enough to overdo my quota for the day.

“You shall season your every offering of meal with salt, you shall not omit from your meal offering the salt of your covenant with G-d, with all your offerings you must offer salt.” (Vayikra 2:13)

To this day, when we partake of Challah on Shabbat, it is traditional to either dip it in salt or to sprinkle some salt on the piece we are about to eat as Challah is representative of one of the sacrifices and a sacrifice requires salt.

While my blood pressure causes me to say “No” to salt and to look at salt in a negative way, I cannot forget that there is a positive side, a holy side to salt as well. For instance, to this day when my throat gets sore, it is not unusual for me to take to gargling with warm salt water.

Isak Diinisen talks about the healing power of salt saying, “The cure for anything is salt water – sweat, tears or the sea.” When I dance, sweat pours out of my pores literally cleansing my body of many impurities. When I am by the sea, my mind is cleansed by the sound of the waves and the beauty of the waters. And, as for tears, what is the main ingredient in tears? Salt water! Tears, too, are cleansing. The falling of those precious drops from your tear ducts cleanses your heart and your soul and enables you to let go of a lot of hurt.

So have a good sweat. Have a good cry. And go spend some time relaxing down by the sea, and, while you are there, I hope you can feel Gd calling out to you reminding you that you are the salt of the earth.

Shalom my friends,

Rabbi Craig H. Ezring

Rabbi Ezring is the spiritual leader of Temple Beth Israel of Deerfield Beach. We welcome you to join our warm and caring family for Shabbat and festival services. We’ll make your heart glow…who knows, you might even fall in love with Shul all over again.