The Feast of Weeks

Shavuot, which we begin celebrating this Sunday night (May 16, 2021), is the only holiday listed in the Torah without the date on which it is to be observed. Rather, the Torah states that…

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Skeptic Questioning

Tomorrow, January 13th, is International Skeptics Day, a day that encourages people to ask questions. Those who are curious might be inclined to ask whether Judaism has any room for…

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Kosher in Gracie Mansion

Although New York has one of the oldest Jewish communities in the United States (the first Jews arrived in 1654), the first openly Jewish mayor of New York City was not elected until…

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Make it a “Great Shabbat”

Celebrate Shabbat HaGadol by learning more about Passover traditions and rituals. To understand in broader terms how Shabbat HaGadol got its name, and to better appreciate the…

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Rav Saadia Gaon

Rabbi Saadia ben Joseph, known by the appellation Rav Saadia Gaon (Gaon, meaning light, was the honorific title given to the religious leader of the Jewish community in Babylon) is best…

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The Feast of Weeks

Shavuot, which we begin celebrating this Saturday night, June 4, is the only holiday listed in the Torah without the date on which it is to be observed. Rather, the Torah states that this…

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Not So Freedom Summer

On June 21, 1964, one of the most heinous and scandalous murders took place in U.S. history, shocking the country. Andrew Goodman, 21, a native of the Upper West Side of Manhattan,…

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Skeptic Questioning

Tomorrow, January 13th, is National Skeptics Day, a day that encourages people to ask questions. Those who are curious might be inclined to ask whether Judaism has any room for…

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Torah, To What Can I Compare Thee?

Various biblical verses and rabbinic texts often compare the Torah to different natural resources, in order to teach us about the greatness of the Torah in terms that can be more readily…

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The Feast of Weeks

Shavuot, which we begin celebrating this Thursday night (May 25th), is the only holiday listed in the Torah without the date on which it is to be observed. Rather, the Torah states that…

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