Say Shabbat Shalom
Life provides us with a plethora of opportunities to pronounce blessings. There are blessings on foods, blessings on doing a mitzvah, and even a blessing after using the restroom. Not all…
The Kotzker
The Chassidic movement, which started with the Baal Shem Tov in the early 1700s, was known for its joyous attitudes, its focus on good deeds and the celebration of miracle makers. Whereas…
Abraham in the Idol Shop
According to Jewish tradition, Abram was very young when he came to the conclusion that the world had One Creator. Although it is often said that Abraham discovered monotheism, the…
Grandmaster R
When Szmul Rzeszewski (1911-1992) was five years old, his father showed him how to play chess. Three years later, the boy was a recognized child prodigy who gained acclaim giving…
A Place For the Artists
Marcel Janco, who passed away on April 21, 1984, is best known as one of the founders of the Dada movement, an avant-garde art movement of the early twentieth century that rejected…
Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (Rashbi), whose yahrtzeit is on Lag Ba’omer, was one the five students who began studying with Rabbi Akiva after the horrible plague that…
A Shabbat Addition
Feasting on Shabbat is one of the primary ways in which Jews observe the commandment to remember (zachor) the Sabbath day. With a special meal on Friday night, another for Shabbat lunch…
Bostoner
Boston is a famous and historic American city, with a rich early-American flavor. So it might therefore be surprising to learn that Boston is the home of its own unique chassidic sect. It…
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…
Daily Dose of Torah Study
Can Torah be studied every day? While there are many Jews who can and do study Torah daily, there are just as many who cannot, due to a wide variety of reasons ranging from lack of time…