The Sustenance of 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,…
Nice and Simple
It is a fairly well-known fact that there is a traditional Jewish dress code. For many people, that concept - “traditional Jewish dress” - may bring to mind scenes of Fiddler on the Roof;…
One Hundred Blessings
Brachot, blessings, that start with the phrase Baruch Ah’tah...(Blessed are You...), are recited over many aspects of Jewish life. There are brachot before one eats, and brachot after…
Hail to Brotherhood
In the earliest days of humankind, a man named Cain asked God the now famous question: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9). Cain’s question was meant to be a distraction from the…
Rejoicing For The World
Among the unique rituals performed on the holiday of Sukkot were the additional offerings that were sacrificed in the ancient Temple. On the first day of the holiday, 13 young bulls were…
Annulment of Vows
"I swear that this time I will lose weight" "I am going to pray every day..." We make promises all the time. We swear that we are going to do something, and then hope that we will be in a…
The Book of Ruth
Ruth was the Moabite wife of Machlon, one of the sons of Elimelech and Naomi, a wealthy couple who had fled Bethlehem during a bitter famine. Elimelech's family had settled in Moab, a…
Purim! Again?
Unique to the Jewish calendar, Purim is actually observed on different days depending on location. The majority of the Jewish people celebrate Purim on the 14th of Adar (yesterday).…
Hester Panim
One might think that the Book of Esther is a heroic tale about Mordechai and Esther saving the Jewish people through diplomatic skill, after all God is not mentioned once in the entire…
Annulment of Vows
“I swear that this time I will lose weight” “I am going to pray every day...” We make promises all the time. We swear that we are going to do something, and then hope that we will be in a…