Putting Chanukah In Perspective

The events of Chanukah took place about 150 years after the death of Alexander the Great (323 BCE), whose death brought 40 years of civil war to his empire. Eventually, the empire was…

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No More Nightmares

There are many causes for bad dreams: anxiety, stress, indigestion, and, in very rare cases, a message from the Divine The sages were aware of the fact that a bad dream can have a…

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Shabbat Shabbaton – Complete Rest

In Exodus 31:14-17, the Torah once again reminds the Jewish people to keep Shabbat. In this section, however, Shabbat is referred to as Shabbat Shabbaton, which is translated as a…

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Tombstone

In Judaism, the dead are given great respect. One important tradition that reflects the Jewish faith’s respect for the deceased is the placing of a tombstone upon the grave. From a…

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For National Novel Writing Month: Laura Z.

Although three of her published novels were structured around a Jewish storyline, Laura Zametkin Hobson did not wish to be perceived as a Jewish American novelist. She saw being a writer…

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The Tribe of Reuben

As the forefathers of the twelve tribes of Israel, the lives and personalities of each of the sons of Jacob impacted on the history and behavior of the tribe members that descended from…

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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…

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A Poet from the Ashes

"There is nothing in the world for which a poet will give up writing, not even when he is a Jew and the language of his poems is German." One can only imagine the great burden Paul Celan…

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It’s Not a Big Chicken

If there is one thing that is guaranteed to be in supermarkets in November, it’s turkey! In fact, many supermarkets even give them away to promote large purchases of other groceries. As…

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Turkey’s Pheasant Roots

Of all the foods that could have become the feature food of America’s Thanksgiving feast, it seems almost poetic that it would be the turkey. When one researches this most American of…

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