The Great Shabbat
This Shabbat, the Shabbat immediately preceding Passover is known as Shabbat HaGadol, the Great Shabbat. It is best known for being the Shabbat on which the rabbi of the community (or…
Make it a Great Shabbat
Celebrate Shabbat HaGadol by learning more about Passover traditions and rituals. There’s also a significance to the name Shabbat HaGadol, the Great Shabbat, in that it focuses both on…
The Song of Songs
“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth, for your love is better than wine. Because of the fragrance of your goodly oils, your name is ‘oil poured forth.’ Therefore, the maidens…
Einstein’s Jewish Life
Albert Einstein, whose yahrzeit is the 26th of Nissan (Saturday), is one of the most admired men in history. His name and his face are almost universally recognized, and his scientific…
Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Memorial Day
Yom Hashoah, is observed each year on the 27th of Nissan, unless that date falls adjacent to Shabbat, which is the case this year. It is therefore being commemorated today, which is the…
Scapegoat
The Jewish people have often been cast as the proverbial “scapegoat.” When millions died during the Black Plague, the Jews were accused of poisoning the wells. Blood libels accusing Jews…
What Happened in SHUM?
While most people know about the horrors of the Crusades, many do not realize that there were, in fact, many Crusades over a period of four hundred years, and that most of these Crusades…
Vayishlach 5770-2009
"The Rape of Dinah: Impossible to Fathom!" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Vayishlach, we learn of the brutal abduction and rape of Jacob's daughter, Dinah. The…