Thou Shalt Take A Surname
Goldberg, Rosenstein, Feldman...typical Jewish Ashkenazi names. Historically, however, until the early Industrial era, Jews were generally known by a patronymical : Rabbi Shimon ben (son…
Just A Half A Shekel
This Shabbat is Shabbat Shekalim, the Sabbath of Shekels. The Torah portion that speaks of Shekalim (Exodus 30:11-16) is read as the Maftir portion after the regular weekly Torah reading…
Just A Half A Shekel
This Shabbat is Shabbat Shekalim, the Sabbath of Shekels. The Torah portion that speaks of Shekalim (Exodus 30:11-16) is read as the Maftir portion after the regular weekly Torah reading…
Answering The Appeals
There they sit, the pile of unopened solicitations and appeals. Direct marketing charity drives are the modern replacement for the communal tzedakah (charity) appeals of the past. Food…
The Morning Blessings: Blessing #5: For Men
Every morning, a set of 15 blessings are recited to express our thanks to God for all the things that we, as healthy human beings, are capable of doing. Ba’ruch Ah’tah Ah’doh’nai…
Kindness To Animals
Animals are one of the most important “educational tools” God provided to humanity in order to teach them to be “givers.” While animals can’t communicate with the same ability as humans,…
Birkat Hamazon
Have you ever forgotten to tip the waiter after eating at a restaurant? Probably not, because that’s society’s conventional manner of thanking the wait-staff. While we do not usually have…
The Law of the Land
For nearly 2000 years, the Jewish people have been in exile. During this time, Jews have lived in nearly every country and under nearly every form of government, while, at the same time,…
Sitting Shiva
Sitting shiva is the Jewish method of mourning the dead. A person has an obligation to mourn for his/her seven closest relations: spouse, father, mother, brother, sister, son or…
Judaica Shop
The Shabbat table is customarily set for a grand feast and adorned with one’s most beautiful utensils. Beyond beautiful settings, however, there are certain “essentials” that are…