Elegies (Kinnot)
An elegy is defined as a mournful poem or a lament. In Hebrew, an elegy is known as a kinna. On Tisha b’Av, when the Jewish people mourn the destruction of both the First and Second…
National Hermit Day
Judaism is not known for encouraging asceticism. While the Torah commands the Jewish people to “afflict” themselves on Yom Kippur by fasting and refraining from certain pleasurable…
The Hijacked Sage
Born in Warsaw, Poland, in 1906, Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner was raised in a family that had roots in both the world of Chassidut (Ger) and Lithuanian Jewry. After receiving a private…
Celebrating the Groom
A great deal of the wedding seems to focus on the bride. In fact, it is not uncommon to hear of a wedding referred to as “her day.” In Jewish tradition, however, there is one…
Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi
While Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi (1745 - 1812) did not come from a family of Chassidim, he would become not only a follower of the new movement, but also the founder of what is today…
Elegies (Kinnot)
An elegy is defined as a mournful poem or a lament. In Hebrew, an elegy is known as a kinna. On Tisha b’Av, when the Jewish people mourn the destruction of both the First and Second…
Beneath the Warsaw Ghetto
On January 18, 1943, the Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto arose in violent rebellion against further deportations. The struggle lasted an incredible three months. On April 19th, the Nazis began…
Judah The Prince
Pirkei Avot, Ethics of the Fathers, begins: “Moses received the Torah from Sinai and transmitted it to Joshua; Joshua to the elders; the elders to the prophets; and the prophets handed it…
Teach The Girls
In the late 19th century, European Jewish communities began to notice that the younger generation of women were focused on the outside world and were no longer interested in maintaining…
Your Jewish Life Coach
Do you have a life coach? For those unfamiliar with the term, life coaches work to help clients determine and achieve personal goals. While life coaching as a profession in western…