A-Hunting We Won’t Go
Ah, Fall. The crisp air, the beautiful foliage and, for those who live in rural areas, the hunting season! Yes, this is the time of year when, permit in hand, hunters take to the woods…
Ushpeezin (Oo’shpee’zin)
During the festival of Sukkot, the sukkah is intended to be our home. For example, since one would normally dine in the house, on Sukkot one dines in the sukkah. Because the sukkah is…
God’s Secret Things
In less than a week, Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, will be celebrated. While New Year’s celebrations are nice (the Jewish calendar actually has four of them!), Rosh Hashana’s…
The Five Names of Rosh Hashana
In Jewish tradition, Rosh Hashana has several names that can help us understand the importance and power of this holiday. Rosh Hashana literally means "Head of the Year" because Rosh…
All Generations
According to recent reports, Western civilization is a rapidly aging society. The elderly, the reports warn, will soon outnumber the youth, and society will have to come up with new ways…
King and Queen of Hearts
In Pirkei D’Rabbi Eliezer (a book of Midrash attributed to Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus), it is stated: "Chatan domeh l’melech", a groom is similar to a king. While this…
Powerful Months
“Rab Judah the son of Samuel ben Shilath said in the name of Rav. ‘Just as with the beginning of Av rejoicings are curtailed, so with the beginning of Adar rejoicings are increased”…
Make Your Life Interesting
The phrase “May you live in interesting times” references a Chinese curse. According to Jewish tradition, such a phrase could be seen as a blessing. It is normal to question why people…
Smashing the Tablets
The sages declare that five tragedies occurred on the seventeenth of Tammuz, which is why the day is observed as a fast day. Days of what we might now call “bad karma” (on which bad…
How Hot?
At what temperature does water begin to cook? According to Jewish tradition, that temperature is known as yad soledet bo, hot enough that “one pulls one’s hand away.” It was an…