After A Snack
After eating a meal with bread, Birkat Hamazon/Bentching/Grace After Meals is recited as a way to thank and acknowledge God’s gift of sustenance. But what does one recite after eating a…
Green Cheesecake at Midnight?
The holiday of Shavuot has three well-known, and well-loved, customs: Decorating our homes and synagogues with plants and flowers: According to the Midrash, at the time of the giving of…
The Shabbat of Song
Music speaks to the heart, and, not surprisingly, the heart often speaks through music. Thus, when the Israelites crossed the Sea of Reeds (aka the Red Sea) and witnessed the destruction…
Feast of Gratitude
While the majority of the sacrifices enumerated in the Torah are related to atonement for sins or to celebrate feast days, the sh'lamim, peace offerings, were unique because they were not…
The Miracles of the Temple
The Jewish liturgy is filled with reminders of how we should mourn the loss of the Holy Temple, with prayers asking God to return the Holy Temple to us. While it is common knowledge, from…
The Three Weeks
“When Av enters, we must lessen our rejoicing,” declare the Talmudic sages in Ta’anit 26b. In truth, however, his period of "sadness" begins on the 17th of Tammuz (yesterday) and lasts…
Green Cheesecake at Midnight?
The holiday of Shavuot has three well-known, and well-loved, customs: Decorating our homes and synagogues with plants and flowers: According to the Midrash, at the time of the giving of…
The Second Passover
On the first anniversary of the exodus from Egypt, the Children of Israel prepared to celebrate their first Passover as free people. God decreed that they should eat matzah and maror…
Kiddush Wine
Kiddush is one of the primary components of the commandment to “Remember the Sabbath Day” (Za'chor et Yom Ha'Shabbat- Exodus 20:8), which is the “umbrella” commandment for all of the…
Sarah’s Whereabouts Determine Jewish Law
Parashat Vayeira begins with Abraham convalescing after his circumcision. Unexpectedly, he sees three “visitors,” whom the Midrash identifies as angels, come toward his home. Excited to…