Be Careful, They’ll Hold You to It
Best to be careful before promising something to a child unless you are sure that you will make good on that promise.
Build it and They Will Come
Enhance your celebration of the joyous holiday of Sukkot by building your own sukkah.
They Called Him “Two-Gun”
The nickname “Two-Gun” evokes images of a rough-shaven cowboy in the Wild West. Actually, the nickname belonged to one Morris “Moishe” Cohen. An immigrant child from Poland to London,…
Sabbath Prayers: Va’y’choo’loo / And they were finished
A direct quote from the Torah (Genesis 2:1-3), this paragraph is recited aloud in synagogue by all present following the completion of the silent Amidah, (after having been recited…
Sabbath Prayers: V’Shamru/And They Shall Guard
A direct quote from the Torah (Exodus 31:16-17), the following two verses are often recited aloud as part of the Friday night service. It is a reminder that Shabbat is a sign of the…
Not For Pride
The sayings of Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) often capture the ethic of the oral law. They not only offer an insight into the minds of the great rabbis of the Talmud, but provide…
Not To Be Mixed
Like oil and water, certain things are not meant to be mixed together. According to Jewish law, it is forbidden to mix-breed different species of cattle, sow one’s field with mixed seed,…
Curse You – Not!
In a perfect world, one would never feel such intense anger at another person that one would actually wish them harm. Alas, we do not live in a perfect world. When emotions run high, some…
Why Am I Not Interested in Idols?
There is an interesting dialogue between the elders of Rome and the sages of Israel recorded in Talmud Avodah Zarah 55a: [Rome]: "If [your God] has no desire for idolatry, why does…
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…