Dinah, The Daughter of Jacob
Dinah, the seventh and youngest child of Leah and Jacob, was born the same year as her half-brother Joseph. In fact, the Talmud (Brachot 60a) notes that Leah specifically prayed for her…
Celebrating with a Parade
Name a Jewish celebration that is not a wedding, but still includes a chuppah, music and dancing. The answer is a Hachnassat Sefer Torah, literally “Welcoming the Torah Scroll,” the…
What Wood?
A large portion of the Book of Exodus describes the lengthy instructions for the building of the Mishkan (the portable Tabernacle) and its actual construction. Among the many fascinating…
Purim Again?
Unique to the Jewish calendar, the festival of Purim is actually observed on different days depending on a person’s location. The majority of the Jewish people celebrate Purim on the 14th…
Purim Narbonne
During the holiday of Purim, celebrated just last week, Jews around the world commemorated the salvation of the Jewish people from physical decimation. Because Haman had such great…
The History of the Knesset
The founders of the State of Israel did not have much time to set up and plan the specifics of government. So, it is not surprising that the country emerged from its fight for…
Citations
In 2000, the World Intellectual Property Organization declared April 26th the day on which they would raise awareness about the importance of patents, copyrights, trademarks and designs.…
Emor 5783-2023
“Striving for Perfection” (updated and revised from Emor 5766-2006) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Emor, the theme of “perfection” appears repeatedly in…
The Book of Ruth
Ruth was the Moabite wife of Machlon, one of the two sons of Elimelech and Naomi, a wealthy Hebrew couple who had fled Bethlehem during a bitter famine. Elimelech’s family had settled in…
Sustenance and Beauty
Cosmetics have been a part of civilization since…well, research cannot pinpoint where or when people started using products to paint their faces or subtly alter their appearances, but its…