Holiday Greetings
The standard pre-Rosh Hashana greeting of “K’tiva v’chatima tova” ("May you be written and sealed for good”) is deduced from a Talmudic discussion concerning the three heavenly books that…
What’s In The Book: Isaiah
The Book of Isaiah is famous for its rich, metaphorical language. Isaiah ben Amoz was a prophet during the reigns of the Judean kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. The inhabitants of…
The Passover Story in Brief
On Passover, we commemorate the Exodus from Egyptian slavery. The following is a brief summary: Jacob's family came to Egypt to escape a famine in Canaan. Joseph, Viceroy to Pharoah,…
Miriam
From a young age, the Biblical Miriam was noted for her prophetic voice, declaring that her mother would bear a son who would redeem the Children of Israel (Talmud Megillah 14a). In fact,…
A Lullaby Blessing
In the Talmud (Berachot 5a), Rabbi Yitzchak is quoted saying: "Whoever recites the Bedtime Shema is as though he held a two-edged sword in his hand [to protect him against demons]...”…
Shabbat Nachamu
The Shabbat following Tisha b’Av (the ninth of the Av) is called Shabbat Nachamu, the Shabbat of Consolation, referring to the opening words of the haftarah, the weekly reading from the…
Shabbat Chazon
This Shabbat is Shabbat Chazon, the Sabbath of the Vision (prophecy), named after the opening word of the Book of Isaiah, the first 27 verses of which are read as the haftorah on the…
A Scholar and A Playwright
As the epicenter of the Renaissance, Italy was filled with great centers of learning and creativity during the middle centuries of the last millennium. In one of these great centers of…
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…
The Passover Story in Brief
On Passover, we commemorate the Exodus from Egyptian slavery. The following is a brief summary: Jacob’s family came to Egypt to escape a famine in Canaan. Joseph, Viceroy to Pharoah,…